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The text ruler panel

The text ruler panel

Select Text ruler... (Options menu, Shift Ctrl R) to open the text rulers panel (values related to the text ruler): the positions of the editor tab stops and true tab stops, the right margin, and the way the Tab key works.

INDENTATION AND THE TAB KEY

A ruler has two sets of tab stops. The editor tabs, typically at equal distances of 3 or 4 columns, and the true tabs, typically at equal distances of 8 columns. There are two editing modes.
Tab key takes editor tabs (default)
When the Tab key is pressed, blanks are inserted up to the next editor tab stop.
Tab key takes true tabs
When the Tab key is pressed, a true tab (ASCII 9) is inserted into the text, resulting in a single blank space stretching to the next true tab stop.
In both of the modes, Shift Tab performs what Tab would do in the other mode. The tab key mode is set in the text rulers panel.

The problem with true tabs is obvious: text writers have different indentation preferences, so looking at one text, a different true tab distance may be necessary than when looking at another. The recommended way to edit text is therefore to use editor tabs, while keeping a standard true tab distance of 8 columns for backward compatibility with text writers who still use true tabs. Using an occasional true tab may be unavoidable (e.g. in make files); it can be entered with Shift Tab, and will, in the standard text display settings, appear as a dotted stretched space.

THE RULER ON TEXT WINDOWS

The text ruler is present on text windows when selected in the
size and gadgets panel. All windows in the same mode will have the same sets of tab stops and the same right margin. The ruler shows the positions of the editor tabs (black) and true tabs (blue), and indicates the columns between column 0 and the right margin for text formatting in yellow. The tab stops in the lower row are taken by the Tab key, the stops in the upper row by Shift Tab.

Grabbing the ruler with the left mouse button will perform horizontal scrolling. Use the middle mouse button to set, delete or move an unshifted tab (usually editor tab), add Shift to add the shifted tabs (usually the true tabs). Use the right button to change the right margin for text formatting. Double click on the ruler to open the text rulers panel. In the ruler panel, an entire set of tabs can be set at once by entering a number or sequence of numbers.


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Language  Text shortcuts  Fonts  Size and gadgets  Colours  Commands