🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov16.221338.42264@datamark.co.nz> david@datamark.co.nz (David Rowland) writes:
>
>I agree. I though vi was used for editing programs and text files.  If
>any one is looking for something which allows selecting rectangle
>blocks and columns, shouldn't they be using a word processor or a
>spread sheet???  
>

Back in the days when I mostly worked with MSDOS and had a good editor
that handled rectangular blocks easily, I used to use it to prepare data
so I COULD read it into a spreadsheet or word processor.  For instance, if
I have a file  of formatted data:

123456789
987654321

I can use my editor to insert a column of blanks in front of each field so
it can be read into a spreadsheet program:

12 34 56 78 9
98 76 54 32 1

Or if I have some ugly SPSS CROSSTAB output, where cells are separated by
dashes, plus signs and vertical bars:

   1 | 23 |
-----+----+
     |    |
   3 | 45 +
-----+----+

I can get rid of those  vertical bar columns in a jiffy with a good
editor, so that I can do the rest of the job of making a nice document in
WordPerfect. 

I also found this feature useful when writing programs.  Let's say I have
a section of code I decide to make conditional, so I want to indent it to
make an "if.. then.." block.  I just insert a column of blanks in front of
that section of code.

There are other ways of doing all these things, but if you've ever used an
editor that handles column blocks easily and quickly, believe me, you'll
find lots of uses for the feature.  Kedit recognized column blocks, line
blocks and "sentence blocks", and once blocked, you could copy, move,
delete, or fill with a character.

Barbara Vaughan