Python indentation support

[Zeev Atlas]

I am not sure whether this is the correct place to post this. I am current in Notepad++ (7.7.1) and despite assertion to the contrary, indentation in .py files (Python), still defaults to tabs rather than to 4 spaces.
What do I miss?
ZA

[Ekopalypse]

@Zeev-Atlas

I’ve just download a fresh zip, unpacked it a nd tested it.
Python indentation was done using 4 spaces.

Could it be that your expectation was that tabs in existing code gets automatically
converted into spaces?
If so, no, this doesn’t happen and if you copy/paste source into a python document,
tabs don’t get converted either.

[Alan Kilborn]

@Zeev-Atlas

I don’t know if this is the case for you, but I’d suspect that if you update from an existing version that has tabs as the default, upgrading to a very recent version where spaces are the default…doesn’t change the setting for you (it keeps what you had). Only brand new installs would get the spaces behavior. Or I’m wrong.

[Alan Kilborn]

Regarding this:

if you copy/paste source into a python document,
tabs don’t get converted either.

…if that’s a key point of interest, then this thread may contain good info:

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/community/topic/17688/shouldn-t-paste-be-made-respecting-correct-space-at-least-preference

[Zeev Atlas]

I did not expect existing files with tabs to convert, but I expected something like (in an absolutely new file:)

class a1
…x=1 # Here I typed four spaces, the dots represent spaces <enter>
Here notepad++ did a tab, but I expected four spaces

I suspect that Alan is correct in saying “but I’d suspect that if you update from an existing version that has tabs as the default, upgrading to a very recent version where spaces are the default…doesn’t change the setting for you (it keeps what you had). Only brand new installs would get the spaces behavior.”

Is there a way to change the default short of totally uninstalling notepad++ and reinstalling?
Thanks
ZA

[guy038]

Hi, @zeev-atlas, @ekopalypse, @alan-kilborn and All,

May be I’ll be totally wrong, but why not use the indentation preferences, in Notepad++ Settings ?

---

Among my multiple N++ local versions, the last one, where I installed the Python plugin, is the v7.6.3 version.

After a quick test, in a new Python file, I confirm that hitting the TAB key wrote a tabulation char ( \x09 ), as mentioned by @zeev-atlas !

Now :

• Go to Settings > Preferences... > Language > Tab Settings

• Select the Python item, near the end of the drop-down list

• Untick the use default value option

• Verify that the tab size value is 4

• Tick the Replace by space option

• Click to the Close button to valid the changes close the Preferences dialog

=> From now on, any hit on the TAB key will write, automatically, 4 spaces as leading indentation ;-))

---

Again, I may have completely misunderstood the problem !

Best Regards,

guy038

[Ekopalypse]

@guy038

no you are not wrong, as of npp 7.7 the standard, for python, is to use spaces instead of tabs.

[Alan Kilborn]

@guy038

The original complaint was that Notepad++ (7.7.1) ... indentation in .py files (Python), still defaults to tabs rather than to 4 spaces

And this is simply not true. Notepad++ 7.7.1 defaults .py file indentation to spaces, not tabs.

Sure, it is easily changeable, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about what it defaults to.

[richard turner]

Thanks for all the tips mentioned in this article! it’s always good to read things you have heard before and are implementing, but from a different perspective, always pick up some extra bits of information.

[Alan Kilborn]

@richard-turner

Your posting in this thread is OK, but your profile points in the other direction. Tread lightly.