Need locked block mode / column mode like Ultra Edit
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Hello everybody,
we are currently using notepad++ in our company instead of Ultra Edit. Notepad++ has many cool features and is in many aspects better. We need the block mode/ column node much often, but some engineers have problems with it:
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they dont want to push Alt-key the whole time, because they must edit many columns in fast time and must type some longer, some smaller textlines. It is a bit complicated ;)
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Some engineer have linux and use exceed to enter our windows server, where they need to edit files. If they push Alt and click with the mouse cursor, they move the window instead of selecting text. Alt+Shift+arrow keys is too slow for selecting.
The best solution for our office is a button, that switch between line selection and block mode like Ultra edit. For example: Instead of hold Alt while selecting with mouse or shift+arrow keys, we want to push a button for one time to enter the block mode selection. After this we want select the text with mouse or shift+arrow keys only. Adter pushing the button again, the selection is in line mode again.
Is there a plugin/macro/shortcut for this or is there something in the settings to do that?
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For what it’s worth (maybe nothing!), I used to use an editor that had 3 modes of selection:
- stream blocking (corresponding to N++'s normal blocking)
- whole-line blocking (corresponding to N++'s blocking when the Line Number margin is clicked and dragged up/down)
- column blocking (same as in N++)
The neat thing was, it didn’t matter which of those 3 modes you currently had set in the options, you just marked your “start” and “end” points for the block with the mouse (by dragging), then, while still holding the left mouse button down, you tapped and released the right mouse button…this would change the selection type sequentially:
stream -> lines -> column ->(back to)stream -> etc.
I really liked that feature.
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I think the editor you are talking about was the much loved (by me) MultiEdit. I liked that selection-toggle feature and tried a bit to replicate it in Notepad++ with a Pythonscript. If I’m remembering right, though, for it to be fully functional (via a shortcut keycombo, not the mouse), I had to keep the “cursor-beyond-end-of-line” feature of Scintilla enabled, which I don’t usually do because that causes some other odd problems for me (that are so inconsistent I’ve never been able to pin down the bad behavior so that I could complain about it!).
From your description of what goes on at your company I picture some managers with whips standing over the engineers, encouraging them to type/mouse faster…FASTER…FASTER!!!
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@Scott-Sumner said:
…From your description of what goes on at your company I picture some managers with whips standing over the engineers, encouraging them to type/mouse faster…FASTER…FASTER!!!
:-Dright :D
The problem is to teach an engineer a new thing, that they have optimize in years. And now, we must take away their candys, because we don’t have enough UltraEdit licenses for all and don’t want to buy new licenses.
