[comp.unix.questions] HOW DO I MAKE VI'S AUTOINDENT NOT USE TABS?

jjr@ut-emx.UUCP (Jeff Rodriguez) (06/20/88)

With the BSD 4.3 and AIX versions of vi that I use,
the "set autoindent" option replaces every 8 spaces
with a tab when indenting.
Is there a way to make it use spaces instead?

		Jeff Rodriguez
                jjr@emx.utexas.edu

finn@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Andy Behrens) (06/23/88)

In article <3493@ut-emx.UUCP> jjr@ut-emx.UUCP (Jeff Rodriguez) writes:
> Vi's "set autoindent" option replaces every 8 spaces
> with a tab when indenting.
> Is there a way to make it use spaces instead?

First get rid of any tabs that are in the file, then ":set tabstop=60".
This will force vi not to use a tab unless the line is indented at
least 60 spaces.

You won't be able to use the tab key any more, but you can still use ^T
and ^D for indenting.  You might like to map the tab key to ^T if you
are used to it.  (:map ^V^V^I ^V^T).

					Andy Behrens

{astrovax,linus,harvard,decvax}!dartvax!burcoat!andyb
andyb%burcoat@dartmouth.EDU

clarkm@tekig4.TEK.COM (Clark Morgan) (06/25/88)

In article <8979@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> andyb@burcoat.uucp (Andy Behrens) writes:
>First get rid of any tabs that are in the file, then ":set tabstop=60".
>This will force vi not to use a tab unless the line is indented at
>least 60 spaces.
>
>You won't be able to use the tab key any more, but you can still use ^T
>and ^D for indenting.  You might like to map the tab key to ^T if you
>are used to it.  (:map ^V^V^I ^V^T).
>
>					Andy Behrens
>
Yep, this is about the same technique I use.  But it sure is a pain in
the butt if you've set up the EXINIT environment variable like Andy
describes above _and then_ edit a file that's littered with tabs.

Flick bic:

	Vi is a nice editor: it gets the job done quickly and uses
	minimal key strokes to accomplish a given task.  But I can't
	stand the fact that it puts tabs in my documents/programs when
	I never even touched the Tab key.  If the designers of this
	program thought that auto-tab-insertion was such a neat idea,
	how come they didn't go the extra mile and give us an option
	that says:  "I won't auto-tab your files."  Lord knows Vi has
	an option for everything else :-).

	Are you listening AT&T, Berkely?
-- 
Clark Morgan, Tektronix Lab Instruments Engineering  (503) 627-3545
clarkm@tekig4.LEN.TEK.COM  |  {...,decvax,uw-beaver}!tektronix!tekig4!clarkm  
US Mail: Tektronix, P.O. Box 500, DS 39-087, Beaverton, OR  97077

kathy@bakerst.UUCP (Kathy Vincent) (06/26/88)

In article <2965@tekig4.TEK.COM> clarkm@tekig4.UUCP (Clark Morgan) writes:
>
>	Vi is a nice editor: it gets the job done quickly and uses
>	minimal key strokes to accomplish a given task.  But I can't
>	stand the fact that it puts tabs in my documents/programs when
>	I never even touched the Tab key.  If the designers of this
>	program thought that auto-tab-insertion was such a neat idea,
>	how come they didn't go the extra mile and give us an option
>	that says:  "I won't auto-tab your files." 


I'm coming in late to this discussion, so if I missed something,
well, sorry.

But there *is* an option that says not to auto-tab.

I use vi all the time - using SVR2 and SVR3 on 3B20s, and using
3.5 UNIX on my on my UNIX PC.  I never get any tabs I don't explicitly
ask for.

I did a

	:se all

to check the settings I have when I'm working, and included in the
list is one

	noautoindent

That must be the default on all the systems I work on because I don't
ever set up anything.  If I reset that with

	:se autoindent

I get the automatic indention/tabbing I gather you're talking about.
But resetting to

	:se noautoindent

turns it off again.  If it matters, hardtabs=8 and tabstop=8.



Kathy Vincent ------>  {ihnp4|att|codas|pacbell}!bakerst!kathy
              ------>  { favourite AT&T gateway }!wruxh!unix

clarkm@tekig4.TEK.COM (Clark Morgan) (06/28/88)

?In article <1219@bakerst.UUCP> kathy@bakerst.UUCP (Kathy Vincent) writes:
>In article <2965@tekig4.TEK.COM> clarkm@tekig4.UUCP I whine:
>
>    ....about Vi putting tabs in my files....
>
?I'm coming in late to this discussion, so if I missed something,
?well, sorry.
?
?But there *is* an option that says not to auto-tab.
?
?I use vi all the time - using SVR2 and SVR3 on 3B20s, and using
?3.5 UNIX on my on my UNIX PC.  I never get any tabs I don't explicitly
?ask for.
?
?I did a
?
?    :se all
?
?to check the settings I have when I'm working, and included in the
?list is one
?
?    noautoindent
?
?That must be the default on all the systems I work on because I don't
?ever set up anything.
          ....
?
?Kathy Vincent ------>  {ihnp4|att|codas|pacbell}!bakerst!kathy
?              ------>  { favourite AT&T gateway }!wruxh!unix

====================================================================
Um Kathy, I want autoindent + NO TABS (for C programs and the like).
====================================================================

-- 
Clark Morgan, Tektronix Lab Instruments Engineering  (503) 627-3545
clarkm@tekig4.LEN.TEK.COM  |  {...,decvax,uw-beaver}!tektronix!tekig4!clarkm  
US Mail: Tektronix, P.O. Box 500, DS 39-087, Beaverton, OR  97077

ronc@cerebus.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian) (06/30/88)

I never did like the autoindent feature anyway -- it seems to
indent when I don't want to more often than it indents when
I want to.  But that didn't stop me from using the tab key,
even though I don't like tabs in my files either.  I just made
it a habit of running the file through "indent" upon exit from
vi.  Is "indent" also available under system V, I wonder?


			Ron
-- 

      Ronald O. Christian (Fujitsu America Inc., San Jose, Calif.)
      {amdahl, pyramid, sun, unisoft, uunet}!cerebus!ronc

      Calling all Fujitsu Usenet sites!  Contact cerebus!ronc or
      ronc@fai.com to establish uucp connection.

daemon@uwmcsd1.UUCP (The Devil Himself) (07/10/88)

Simply set tabstop=70 in EXINIT, VI will not use tabs for autoindent.
Can you imagine a case where 70-space indent is needed ?
From: zhao@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (T.C. Zhao)
Path: csd4.milw.wisc.edu!zhao

----------------------------------------------
  ARPA:       zhao@csd4.milw.wisc.edu     
  UUCP:       {...}!uwmcsd1!csd4!zhao
BITNET:       zhao%csd4.milw.wisc.edu@WISCMAC3.BITNET