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    Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines

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    • Alan KilbornA
      Alan Kilborn @mkupper
      last edited by Alan Kilborn

      @mkupper said :


      an option for “Paste as typing” could be interesting

      I think I see where you’re going with this, but we should probably ignore that direction (for now at least) because all indications from the OP are that that’s not what he’s interested in.


      Are plugins allowed to inject keystrokes into the message stream?

      Such a thing might be a “bad idea”.
      :-)


      It may well be that the pasting variants can be handled by a plugin.

      A “pasting variant”…(what I would call a “paste special”)…can be supported as follows:

      • write plugin/script code to insert text at the caret position (doing whatever needs to be done to the text in the clipboard–or even the document itself–before actually inserting it into the doc)

      • provide the above to the user as a plugin menu first-level option, or as a script off of a scripting plugin’s first-level menu (thus in either case the execution is “shortcut mappable”)

      • user unassigns his default system “paste” shortcut from Ctrl+v and points Ctrl+v at the plugin command or script (or, as maybe I’d suggest: creates a special keycombo, e.g. Ctrl+Shift+v ??) to run this new functionality

      The script that I’ve yet to have time to tidy up and post will follow this model…

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
      • gstaviG
        gstavi
        last edited by

        With respect to the original issue, @Dennis-Bareis presents a self-centered approach that does not acknowledge the fact that different users use the product differently. His issue is basically: “I am too lazy to do block indent after paste, fix it for me and to hell with everyone else”.

        The cool thing with paste-as-type is that indent rules can be different for different users.
        If 5 users paste-as-type the same text into their document they can get 5 different results based on the indent rules that they are currently using, It is kind of a selective code-beautification. And since it does not change normal pasting it does not break users experience.

        I still don’t think that it is worth the effort. I still stand by my original claim that implementation details will always slightly miss expectations of some of the users. But there is some coolness to it.

        Dennis BareisD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • Dennis BareisD
          Dennis Bareis @gstavi
          last edited by

          @gstavi What npp does now is the worst possible solution to the problem that helps no-one. My suggestion would suit most users who are often copying/pasting their own code.

          Some languages have blocks that rely on indentation to work, so forgetting to indent a line is a critical mistake, not a relatively minor formatting issue. For those copying other people’s code the solution is still way better than what npp does, so I’d say this is a major improvement that eliminates major problems with npp auto indentation.

          As for lazy, I assume you don’t use notepad because like me, you are too lazy to do all the formatting manually?

          PeterJonesP 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • PeterJonesP
            PeterJones @Dennis Bareis
            last edited by

            @Dennis-Bareis said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

            worst possible solution to the problem that helps no-one

            In your opinion.

            If Notepad++ started behaving like you seem to want it when I paste into Notepad++, it would completely and totally and utterly disrupt my workflow having to fix what it messed up.

            Alan KilbornA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Alan KilbornA
              Alan Kilborn @PeterJones
              last edited by

              @PeterJones said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

              it would completely and totally and utterly disrupt my workflow having to fix what it messed up

              I think you should hold judgement and wait on the script – I don’t know how saving some reformatting after a paste would disrupt a workflow, except making it smoother because you don’t have to do some steps… :-)

              PeterJonesP Dennis BareisD 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • PeterJonesP
                PeterJones @Alan Kilborn
                last edited by

                @Alan-Kilborn ,

                Possibly. Since I don’t remember seeing the differently-indented first line from a multi line paste, perhaps I don’t ever paste multiple lines on an already-indented line, so maybe it wouldn’t affect me at all.

                But since the status quo works for me, and with all the problems of recent “improvements”, I would be reluctant to see it implemented, with the fear that the implementation, even if not the basic idea, messes up my workflow.

                As a script, it wouldn’t be a problem: if it helps me, great; if it does nothing or messes me up, I would just not use it. But as a feature of the app, if it messed me up, I’d have to lobby for a new zero byte config file, and I don’t want to have to do that.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • Dennis BareisD
                  Dennis Bareis @Alan Kilborn
                  last edited by

                  @Alan-Kilborn said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

                  @PeterJones said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

                  I think you should hold judgement and wait on the script – I don’t know how saving some reformatting after a paste would disrupt a workflow

                  I could be wrong but I took it as sarcasm 😀

                  Alan KilbornA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Alan KilbornA
                    Alan Kilborn @Dennis Bareis
                    last edited by

                    @Dennis-Bareis said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

                    I could be wrong but I took it as sarcasm

                    PJ is rarely sarcastic (as a moderator here he is somewhat required to be “even keel”). Usually, the farthest he’ll go is something like this:

                    …recent “improvements”…

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • StoopidoManS
                      StoopidoMan
                      last edited by StoopidoMan

                      I would really want this too
                      I posted about it on reddit:
                      https://www.reddit.com/r/notepadplusplus/comments/1cp6r8x/apply_autoindent_on_multiline_paste_is_there_away/

                      I keep a lot of notes on Notepad++ and I use the Auto-indent feature a lot but it doesn’t work when you paste text.

                      for example:

                      How to do X?
                                                  1) just do the X
                                                  2) Blah Blah X 
                      

                      When I paste something from the clipboard I expect it to look like this:

                      How to do X?
                                                  1) just do the X
                                                  2) Blah Blah X 
                                                   Random copied text from internet line 1
                                                   Random copied text from internet line 2
                                                          Random copied text from internet line 3
                                                          Random copied text from internet line 4
                      

                      but it get pasted like this:

                      How to do X?
                                                  1) just do the X
                                                  2) Blah Blah X 
                                                  Random copied text from internet line 1
                      Random copied text from internet line 2
                             Random copied text from internet line 3
                             Random copied text from internet line 4
                      

                      So since I pressed enter and pasted the text, the first pasted line respect the auto-indent, but the subsequent lines does not.

                      I think this would be a nice optional feature to add on top of Notepad++ Auto-indent setting, as Follow auto-indent on paste

                      ☐ Auto-indent 
                             ☐ follow auto-indent on paste
                      
                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • guy038G
                        guy038
                        last edited by guy038

                        Hello, @stoopidoman and All,

                        The example provided by @stoopidoman is not clearly explained ! I suppose that what he wants to say is :

                        I have this text in a new tab, after hitting the Enter key right after the X char and the trailing space, of the second line :

                        How to do X?
                                                    1) just do the X
                                                    2) Blah Blah X 
                                                    
                        

                        So, the cursor is presently right before the 2) string, but on the third line, after some tabulation or space chars

                        Be aware that some plugins may change the default indent behaviour of Notepad++, like, for example, the Elastic Tabstops plugin. In this case, before doing the test, simply disable the plugin !


                        Now, I pasted the text , below, from Internet :

                        Random copied text from internet line 1
                        Random copied text from internet line 2
                               Random copied text from internet line 3
                               Random copied text from internet line 4
                        

                        When I paste the above text in my new tab, I get the following text :

                        How to do X?
                                                    1) just do the X
                                                    2) Blah Blah X 
                                                    Random copied text from internet line 1
                        Random copied text from internet line 2
                               Random copied text from internet line 3
                               Random copied text from internet line 4
                        

                        However, I would have expected this kind of text :

                        How to do X?
                                                    1) just do the X
                                                    2) Blah Blah X 
                                                    Random copied text from internet line 1
                                                    Random copied text from internet line 2
                                                        Random copied text from internet line 3
                                                        Random copied text from internet line 4
                        

                        How to get this last behaviour with pasted text ?

                        Best Regards,

                        guy038

                        IMPORTANT POINT :

                        To respect the same displaying as the @stoopidoman’s one, I had to do the following operation, too :

                        Edit > Blank Operations > TAB to Space

                        Thus, all this story is a bit tricky !


                        Certainly, @stoopidoman, previously configured his N++ installation as :

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

                        • In the list, choose the Normal option

                        • Uncheck the Use Default Value option

                        • Don’t change the Tab size option

                        • Check the Replace by space option

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • Alan KilbornA
                          Alan Kilborn
                          last edited by

                          Sorry all… earlier in this thread I promised a script… and I haven’t delivered.
                          It IS more difficult to do a comprehensive solution on this than one would think – and sometimes that can keep one from finishing something to their own satisfaction.
                          Let me see what I can do about dumbing it down and at least getting something posted…

                          Alan KilbornA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • mpheathM
                            mpheath @Dennis Bareis
                            last edited by

                            Quite fresh code that uses PythonScript. Got the getClipboardText() idea from a post by @Alan-Kilborn .

                            from Npp import editor, notepad
                            import re
                            
                            def main():
                                def getClipboardText():
                                    editor = notepad.createScintilla()
                                    editor.paste()
                                    editor.convertEOLs(eolMode)
                                    text = editor.getText()
                                    notepad.destroyScintilla(editor)
                                    return text
                            
                                def repl(m):
                                    if useTabs:
                                        result = m.group(1).replace(' ' * tabWidth, '\t')
                                        size = result.count('\t')
                                    else:
                                        result = m.group(1).replace('\t', ' ' * tabWidth)
                                        size = result.count(' ' * tabWidth)
                            
                                    if not minSize[0] or size < minSize[0]:
                                        minSize[0] = size
                            
                                    return result
                            
                                pos = editor.getCurrentPos()
                                tabWidth = editor.getTabWidth()
                                useTabs = editor.getUseTabs()
                                eolMode = editor.getEOLMode()
                                eol = ['\r\n', '\r', '\n'][eolMode]
                                minSize = [0]
                                text = getClipboardText()
                            
                                if not text:
                                    return
                            
                                parts = re.split(r'\r?\n', text)
                            
                                # Normalize indents.
                                re_indents = re.compile(r'^([\t ]+)')
                            
                                for index, line in enumerate(parts):
                                    modified = re_indents.sub(repl, line)
                                    parts[index] = modified
                            
                                # Remove indents to flatten.
                                tabLiteral = '\t' if useTabs else ' ' * tabWidth
                            
                                while minSize[0]:
                                    for index, line in enumerate(parts):
                                        parts[index] = line.replace(tabLiteral, '', 1)
                            
                                    minSize[0] -= 1
                            
                                # Add indents to finalize.
                                line = editor.lineFromPosition(pos)
                                indentSize = editor.getLineIndentation(line)
                            
                                while indentSize > 0:
                                    for index, line in enumerate(parts):
                                        if index > 0:
                                            parts[index] = tabLiteral + line
                            
                                    indentSize -= tabWidth
                            
                                # Join lines and insert into editor.
                                text = eol.join(parts)
                                editor.insertText(pos, text)
                            
                            main()
                            

                            It should get the text from the clipboard, normalize and flatten the indenting, add indents from position from the current editor line and then insert into the editor.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • Alan KilbornA
                              Alan Kilborn @Alan Kilborn
                              last edited by PeterJones

                              @Alan-Kilborn said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

                              Let me see what I can do about dumbing it down and at least getting something posted…

                              Here’s my entry; I call the script PasteSpecialAtCurrentIndentColumn.py.

                              # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
                              from __future__ import print_function
                              
                              #########################################
                              #
                              #  PasteSpecialAtCurrentIndentColumn (PSACIC)
                              #
                              #########################################
                              
                              # references:
                              #  https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/25295
                              #  for newbie info on PythonScripts, see https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/23039/faq-desk-how-to-install-and-run-a-script-in-pythonscript
                              
                              #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              
                              from Npp import *
                              import os, re # script modified by moderator; see May 11 9:27p posting (by mpheath) below
                              
                              #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              
                              try:
                                  editor3h  # third editor, hidden
                              except NameError:
                                  editor3h = notepad.createScintilla()
                              
                              #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              
                              class PSACIC(object):
                              
                                  def __init__(self):
                              
                                      if not editor.canPaste() or not editor3h.canPaste():
                                          return
                              
                                      rect_sel_mode = editor.getSelectionMode() in [ SELECTIONMODE.RECTANGLE, SELECTIONMODE.THIN ]
                                      if rect_sel_mode:
                                          self.mb('Cannot use this paste-special when in column-block mode.')
                                          return
                              
                                      if editor.getSelections() > 1:
                                          self.mb('Cannot use this paste-special when more than a single caret is active.')
                                          return
                              
                                      if len(editor.getSelText()) > 0:
                                          self.mb('Cannot use this paste-special when text is selected.')
                                          return
                              
                                      curr_pos = editor.getCurrentPos()
                                      curr_line_starting_pos = editor.positionFromLine(editor.lineFromPosition(curr_pos))
                                      if curr_pos == curr_line_starting_pos:
                                          # caret at start of line; just do normal/simple paste
                                          editor.paste()
                                          return
                              
                                      curr_line_text_before_caret = editor.getTextRange(curr_line_starting_pos, curr_pos)
                                      if re.search(r'\S', curr_line_text_before_caret):
                                          self.mb('Cannot use this paste-special at an insertion point with non-whitespace to its left.')
                                          return
                              
                                      clipboard_text = self.clipboard_get_text()
                                      eol = [ '\r\n', '\r', '\n' ][editor.getEOLMode()]
                                      if eol not in clipboard_text:
                                          # no 2nd+ line(s) in data to paste, so nothing to adjust; just do normal/simple paste
                                          editor.paste()
                                          return
                              
                                      clipboard_lines_list = clipboard_text.splitlines()
                              
                                      # see if there's a common all-whitespace prefix on the clipboard lines
                                      m = re.search(r'^\s+', os.path.commonprefix(clipboard_lines_list))
                                      common_ws_prefix_on_clipboard_lines = m.group(0) if m else ''
                              
                                      # remove any common all-whitespace prefix on the clipboard lines
                                      clipboard_lines_list = [ re.sub('^' + common_ws_prefix_on_clipboard_lines, '', s) for s in clipboard_lines_list ]
                              
                                      # prepend the current line's indentation whitespace to all of the clipboard lines:
                                      first_clipboard_line_text = clipboard_lines_list[0]  # remember the first clipboard line before indenting all the rest
                                      # add new indentation to all of the modified clipboard lines except the first line:
                                      clipboard_lines_list = [ re.sub('^', curr_line_text_before_caret, s) for s in clipboard_lines_list[1:] ]
                                      clipboard_lines_list.insert(0, first_clipboard_line_text)  # put the first line back into the list at its old position
                              
                                      # do our modified "paste" and set new caret appropriately:
                                      old_doc_len = editor.getLength()
                                      editor.insertText(curr_pos, eol.join(clipboard_lines_list) + eol)  # "paste" in the appropriately indented new text
                                      new_caret_pos = curr_pos + editor.getLength() - old_doc_len
                                      editor.setSel(new_caret_pos, new_caret_pos)  # set caret at end of "pasted" text; scroll viewport if needed
                              
                                  def clipboard_get_text(self, eol_mode=None):
                                      # if eol_mode arg is not-specified, use the current editor's eol mode:
                                      editor3h.setEOLMode(editor.getEOLMode() if eol_mode is None else eol_mode)
                                      editor3h.clearAll()
                                      editor3h.paste()
                                      retval = editor3h.getText()
                                      return retval
                              
                                  def mb(self, msg, flags=0, title=''):  # a message-box function
                                      return notepad.messageBox(msg, title if title else 'PSACIC', flags)
                              
                              #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              
                              if __name__ == '__main__': PSACIC()
                              
                              mpheathM Dennis BareisD 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 4
                              • Alan KilbornA Alan Kilborn referenced this topic on
                              • mpheathM
                                mpheath @Alan Kilborn
                                last edited by

                                @Alan-Kilborn You probably have the os and re modules imported in a previous script as your posted script does not import those modules and can produce NameError tracebacks.

                                Imports:

                                from Npp import *
                                import os, re
                                

                                Added near the top of the script fixes it.

                                The script looks interesting. The comparison between both scripts may suggest some ideas for improvement. ;)

                                Alan KilbornA 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                                • Alan KilbornA
                                  Alan Kilborn @mpheath
                                  last edited by Alan Kilborn

                                  @mpheath said in Maintain Indent While Pasting Multiple Lines:

                                  You probably have the os and re modules imported

                                  Ah, yea, sorry. :-(

                                  That’s what I get for “hurrying” to catch up with you in getting something posted (but again, that’s an artifact of me not posting a script much earlier). I’d be surprised if there aren’t further errors in the script I posted. :-)

                                  My startup.py does a lot of things, and imports os and re out of necessity there. I usually test scripts I’m going to post with a vanilla setup which would have discovered the error, but this time I didn’t. :-(


                                  The comparison between both scripts may suggest some ideas for improvement

                                  Yes, for sure!

                                  Your script futzes with tab characters vs. space characters; in my script I chose to handle it this way (or, largely not-handle it):

                                  • require any common leading whitespace on all lines in the clipboard to be identical for it to be removed
                                  • use the leading whitespace on the line where the paste-special is invoked to be used “as is” when prepended to the clipboard lines

                                  If users can’t get their tab vs. space indentation consistent (i.e., one way or the other)…I consider this “not my problem”.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
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                                  • Dennis BareisD
                                    Dennis Bareis @Alan Kilborn
                                    last edited by Dennis Bareis

                                    @Alan-Kilborn

                                    Its been a while but I finally got some time to look and this again.

                                    Now that I saw the comment in the code pointing to PythonScript and setting up a HotKey it ended up being quite easy.

                                    Your script seems to do the right thing for what I need and if it doesn’t I’ll learn enough Python to update it and update this post.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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