Insert sequential numbers at start of lines

[deleelee]

I know how to use the Column Editor to insert sequential numbers at the start of lines but is it possible to create a macro for this? I’ve tried doing the following:

1. Move cursor to start position.
2. Start Recording macro.
3. Press Alt+C to open Column Editor.
4. Enter 1 for initial number, 1 for increase, click OK.
5. Stop Recording macro.

The macro records but when I select Playback nothing happens.

[PeterJones]

@deleelee ,

The macro language is not all-capable, unfortunately. The only dialog-based action which it can record is search/replace – and since the Column Editor is a dialog that isn’t the search/replace, the macro cannot record/replicate its action

[deleelee]

@PeterJones said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

@deleelee ,

The macro language is not all-capable, unfortunately. The only dialog-based action which it can record is search/replace – and since the Column Editor is a dialog that isn’t the search/replace, the macro cannot record/replicate its action

I thought that might be the case so thanks for confirming it for me :-)

[Simran Kaur]

Follow this tutorial: https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/16311/how-to-add-numbers-to-a-text-with-notepad

[Alan Kilborn]

@deleelee

While it may not be possible as a macro, it could certainly be “scripted” if you are interested in that type of solution.

[deleelee]

@Simran-Kaur said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

Follow this tutorial: https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/16311/how-to-add-numbers-to-a-text-with-notepad

I don’t think you read my post because I’ve already said I know how to do that.

[deleelee]

@Alan-Kilborn said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

@deleelee

While it may not be possible as a macro, it could certainly be “scripted” if you are interested in that type of solution.

Yes I would be interested in that type of solution. Do you have a script in mind?

[Alan Kilborn]

@deleelee

You didn’t really say a whole lot about what you want to end up with, but here’s a script that demos some capability. I call it InsertLineNumbersOnLines.py:

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
from __future__ import print_function

from Npp import *
import math

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

class ILNOL(object):

    def __init__(self):
        num_digits_in_line_num = int(math.log(editor.getLineCount(), 10)) + 1
        line_list = editor.getText().splitlines()
        line_list2 = []
        for (line_nbr, line_content) in enumerate(line_list):
            line_list2.append('{n:>{d}}:{c}'.format(n=line_nbr+1, c=line_content, d=num_digits_in_line_num))
        eol = ['\r\n', '\r', '\n'][editor.getEOLMode()]
        editor.setText(eol.join(line_list2))

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if __name__ == '__main__': ILNOL()

The script will put line numbers at the start of every line, example:

[Alan Kilborn]

It may be worth noting that the script above is similar to the functionality of the deprecated TextFX plugin’s function: TextFX > TextFX Tools > Insert Line Numbers.

Here’s a slightly modified version that is even more similar, I call this one TextFxInsertLineNumbers.py:

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
from __future__ import print_function

from Npp import *
import inspect
import os

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

class TFILN(object):

    def __init__(self):
        self.this_script_name = inspect.getframeinfo(inspect.currentframe()).filename.split(os.sep)[-1].rsplit('.', 1)[0]
        if editor.getSelectionEmpty():
            self.mb('No text selected')
            return
        (start_line, end_line) = editor.getUserLineSelection()
        start_pos = editor.positionFromLine(start_line)
        end_pos = editor.getLineEndPosition(end_line)
        line_list = editor.getRangePointer(start_pos, end_pos - start_pos).splitlines()
        line_list2 = []
        for (line_nbr, line_content) in enumerate(line_list):
            line_list2.append('{n:08} {c}'.format(n=line_nbr+1, c=line_content))
        eol = ['\r\n', '\r', '\n'][editor.getEOLMode()]
        editor.setTarget(start_pos, end_pos)
        editor.beginUndoAction()
        editor.replaceTarget(eol.join(line_list2))
        editor.endUndoAction()

    def mb(self, msg, flags=0, title=''):  # a message-box function
        return notepad.messageBox(msg, title if title else self.this_script_name, flags)

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if __name__ == '__main__': TFILN()

[deleelee]

@Alan-Kilborn said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

It may be worth noting that the script above is similar to the functionality of the deprecated TextFX plugin’s function: TextFX > TextFX Tools > Insert Line Numbers.

Here’s a slightly modified version that is even more similar, I call this one TextFxInsertLineNumbers.py:

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
from __future__ import print_function

from Npp import *
import inspect
import os

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

class TFILN(object):

    def __init__(self):
        self.this_script_name = inspect.getframeinfo(inspect.currentframe()).filename.split(os.sep)[-1].rsplit('.', 1)[0]
        if editor.getSelectionEmpty():
            self.mb('No text selected')
            return
        (start_line, end_line) = editor.getUserLineSelection()
        start_pos = editor.positionFromLine(start_line)
        end_pos = editor.getLineEndPosition(end_line)
        line_list = editor.getRangePointer(start_pos, end_pos - start_pos).splitlines()
        line_list2 = []
        for (line_nbr, line_content) in enumerate(line_list):
            line_list2.append('{n:08} {c}'.format(n=line_nbr+1, c=line_content))
        eol = ['\r\n', '\r', '\n'][editor.getEOLMode()]
        editor.setTarget(start_pos, end_pos)
        editor.beginUndoAction()
        editor.replaceTarget(eol.join(line_list2))
        editor.endUndoAction()

    def mb(self, msg, flags=0, title=''):  # a message-box function
        return notepad.messageBox(msg, title if title else self.this_script_name, flags)

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if __name__ == '__main__': TFILN()

Thanks for both of these. Sorry I wasn’t more specific. What would be great would be a script where I just select the lines I want numbered and insert sequential numbers starting from one followed by a closing parentheses ie: 1) 2) 3)

Now I’m not exactly a coding newbie but I’ve not really dealt with Python before. If I have Python installed on my PC do I just run the script or do I load it into Npp (as a macro or some other method)?

[PeterJones]

@deleelee said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

f I have Python installed on my PC do I just run the script or do I load it into Npp

No. You install the PythonScript plugin, which comes with an embedded Python interpreter, and follow the instructions in the FAQ on how to run a script using PythonScript

[deleelee]

@PeterJones said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

No. You install the PythonScript plugin, which comes with an embedded Python interpreter, and follow the instructions in the FAQ on how to run a script using PythonScript

Thank you so much, Peter! :-D

[deleelee]

@deleelee said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

Here’s a slightly modified version

Sorry it’s taken me so long to check your scripts out. Thank you so much, they’re great but I’d like a kind of hybrid of them both.

InsertLineNumbersOnLines - Inserts numbers on all lines with the numbers followed by a colon.

TextFxInsertLineNumbers - Inserts numbers only on selected lines but with leading zeros.

I’d like to insert numbers only on selected lines, with no leading zeros, and numbers followed by a colon or a closing parentheses.

[deleelee]

@deleelee said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

@deleelee said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:
I’d like a kind of hybrid of them both.

UPDATE: I managed to figure it out myself and modified your TextFxInsertLineNumbers script. I now have it inserting numbers with no leading zeros followed by a closing parentheses. Thank you so much for your help.

However, is it possible to have it insert numbers only for selected lines but exclude any selected lines that are empty?

[Alan Kilborn]

@deleelee said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

but exclude any selected lines that are empty?

Sure, most anything is possible with programming.
You’d want to look for a line-length of zero (e.g. len(line_content) == 0) and then NOT insert a line number at the start of such lines, by appending only the content to the second list. Of course, this would cause gaps in your line numbering any time a blank line occurs, so you might need to maintain the line number counter yourself.

Since you’ve already made changes to the script, go ahead and make some more! :-)

[deleelee]

@Alan-Kilborn said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

You’d want to look for a line-length of zero (e.g. len(line_content) == 0) and then NOT insert a line number at the start of such lines, by appending only the content to the second list. Of course, this would cause gaps in your line numbering any time a blank line occurs, so you might need to maintain the line number counter yourself.

Thanks yet again. I’ll check it out :-D

[Ionut Dorin]

@Alan-Kilborn I know it’s years later, but i found myself using your script. I’m a total noob when it comes to programming, all i could do is modify what goes after the numbers.
Now, how could i delete what the script just did (i.e delete the numbers, but leave the lines like they were before the script ran) ? I know i can use Undo to do it on the spot, but let’s say i wanna undo the numbering a day after.

[Alan Kilborn]

@Ionut-Dorin

You don’t need programming to delete the line numbers that were inserted.

Here’s how to do it:

• Move the caret to line 1 and column 1
• Press Shift+Alt+b to Begin Select in Column mode
• Move the caret to the last line and put it right after the last digit of the line number (previously added by the script)
• Press Shift+Alt+b again to End Select in Column mode

At this point you should have the line numbers selected in a rectangular block so simply pressing Delete should eliminate them.

[Ionut Dorin]

@Alan-Kilborn Okay, i knew how to do that, but it does not help me.
First, i’d have to do it twice, because i set the script up to put a number, then :, then a space (5: ), so till 9 its 3 characters long and after is 4 characters long.
And again, i have to do this multiple times in a document, every day and using the column mode is a bit tedious. I was hoping that i could do it with a script.
Now, i select the text i need, press a key and your script instantly does its job. I’d like to have the same thing with deleting, but i don’t know if it’s possible or not. :)

[Alan Kilborn]

@Ionut-Dorin said in Insert sequential numbers at start of lines:

i set the script up to put a number, then :, then a space (5: ), so till 9 its 3 characters long and after is 4 characters long

It would have been better to just show some of this text rather than describing it…

But I think if you do a replacement operation it will be good?:

Find: ^\d+:
Replace: set to nothing
Search mode: Regular expression
Options: Wrap around
Action: Replace all

You can record this replacement op as a macro.