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Keep words and number with columns

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  • F
    Ferenc Nagy
    last edited by Sep 12, 2015, 9:02 AM

    I have some programs whose input data are organized into columns .The columns are usually 12 characters wide.
    As you can see on the linked file, I put rulers among the commands.
    <PREDICATE ><OBJECT ><EVA_TITLE ><EVA_SOLUTI><DEVICE ><SPLIT >
    I make errors often: data spill over column boundaries. Which features of Notepad do you recommend this avoid this mistake?

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    • G
      guy038
      last edited by guy038 Sep 12, 2015, 8:37 PM Sep 12, 2015, 5:39 PM

      Hello, Ferenc Nagy,

      Looking at your file, I noticed that the length of your <....> zones, included the brackets, are mostly 12 and sometimes 24, 36 or 48 characters long !

      So, assuming that you simply use the Normal text language for your data files, I would do this way :

      • Open the Settings - Preferences… Tab Settings dialog

      • Select the normal language

      • UNCHECK the Use Default value option

      • Type 12 in the Tab size option

      • Leave the Replace by space option UNCHECKED

      • Close the Preferences dialog


      Now, let’s suppose that you write the line, below ( it’s just an example, not related to yourexact file contents ! )

      <PREDICATE ><OBJECT    ><EVA_TITLE             ><DEVICE    ><COMPLEMENT                        >
      

      and that you have to write, for each of these five columns, three letters, taken in the alphabetical list.

      To correctly write these data, according to the previous header line :

      • Type the string abc and hit the TAB key, ONCE

      • Type the string def and hit the TAB key, ONCE

      • Type the string ghi and hit the TAB key TWICE

      • Type the string jkl and hit the TAB key, ONCE

      • Type the string mno and hit the TAB key, THREE times

      To better visualize the TAB characters, use the View - Show Symbol - Show All Characters option !

      IMPORTANT :

      When ALL your datas will be typed, in your file, according to the above scheme, use the Edit - Blank Operations - TAB to Space option to replace all the TAB characters by the suitable number of SPACE characters ( Thanks to Loreia2 ! )


      Et voilà ! From now on, your datas should be aligned, on column 1 , 13, 25, 37, … ( 12*n + 1 )

      Best Regards,

      guy038

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