Re: AdaGIDE 7.42 and tabs

["Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 08:21:19 -0500, Stephen Leake wrote:

> "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> writes:
> 
>> On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 04:53:06 GMT, Jeffrey R. Carter wrote:
>>
>>> Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> No chance to separate indentation from source HTs?
>>> 
>>> Not that I'm aware of. Do you have sources with tabs for other than 
>>> indentation?
>>
>> Sure, all of them in fact. Indentation = 3, HT = 8.
>>
>> It worked satisfactory in earlier versions of AdaGIDE. Or, maybe, I just
>> haven't noticed anything wrong. But now indentation seems to be expanded as
>> 1 HT, when set to 3 spaces. Clearly 1*8 /= 3! So when the file gets opened
>> in another editor, the result is a total mess.
> 
> I don't believe there is any sort of actual _standard_ that says HT =
> column mod 8. 

This is my impression too. However it is a de-facto standard.

> On some old mechanical typewriters, you could set mechanical tab stops
> where ever you wanted, to make typing tables etc easiser. Early
> printers also had configurable tab stops (not mechanical).
> 
> Good editors also have configurable tab stops. 

Which is the root of the evil! A tool that requires configuration is a bad
tool. I am almost serious here... (:-))

> But the only portable way to use tab stops is to insert spaces, not HT.

That would be fine to me, unfortunately indent-block inserts HTs.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de