Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!SCIENCE.UTAH.EDU!Beebe
From: Beebe@SCIENCE.UTAH.EDU ("Nelson H.F. Beebe")
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs
Subject: Displaying line numbers in a buffer
Message-ID: <12457619080.9.BEEBE@SCIENCE.UTAH.EDU>
Date: 27 Dec 88 01:05:26 GMT
Sender: daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Distribution: gnu
Organization: GNUs Not Usenet
Lines: 27

In response to a recent request on this newsgroup, here is
some code I wrote to add (and remove) line numbers in a
buffer; it is public domain, so do what you like with it:

(defun show-line-numbers () 
  "Show line numbers in a copy of the current buffer."
  (interactive)
  (let ((n 0))
    (goto-char (point-min))
    (while (< (point) (point-max))
      (setq n (1+ n))
      (insert (format "%5d:\t" n))
      (forward-line 1)))
  (toggle-read-only)
  )

(defun remove-line-numbers ()
  "Remove line numbers installed by show-line-numbers."
  (interactive)
  (toggle-read-only)
  (save-excursion
    (goto-char (point-min))      
    ;; use loop rather than replace-regexp so M-x undo can undo it
    (while (re-search-forward "^[ 0-9][ 0-9][ 0-9][ 0-9][ 0-9]:\t" 
			      (point-max) t)
      (replace-match "" t t))))
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