[Idle-dev] IDLE File Editor - Windows shell

[Anderson, Errol]

I do a lot of Python programming and to date have used EditPlus at my
editor, through habit rather than anything else.  I have had a quick
look at the IDLE file editor in the Windows shell and I have the
following comments:



1. Confusion between tabs and spaces



I feel that IDLE should work only in tabs and not try converting from
tabs to spaces and back again.  If I edit a file that was edited in a
different editor (e.g. EditPlus), the left and right arrows move one tab
at a time.  If I press enter to insert a new line that is not after an
'if' statement, this behaviour continues, as it should.  However a new
line after an 'if' statement appears to add an extra tab (- a nice
feature) but as four spaces, not as a tab, even though the default tab
setting is 8 spaces.  This behaviour appears to be independent of the
Toggle Tabs setting.



This behaviour basically makes IDLE impossible to use as each line will
have a different tab arrangement.  I understand that using the Tabify /
Untabify options will fix this up but this is hardly satisfactory.
Please tell me if there is a way to make the file editor function in a
more acceptable way.



2. Displaying non-printing (tabs, spaces and end-of-line) characters

           

Is there some way to do this ?  I have gone thorugh all the settings
without success.



3. Wordwrap



How do I turn this on, to wrap at the window edge?



4. Code Context



A great feature, but can it be synchronised with the cursor position
rather than the top of the page?  Also could the window expand or scroll
to show all levels of the current loops, not limited to 3 levels?



5. Class Browser



Another great feature, but this would be more useful if it could be
docked in the edit window rather than floating free.





I look forward to any comments and/or assistance that can be offered.



Best regards



Errol











Errol Anderson

Chief Scientist, Geothermal Resources Group

PB Power (NZ) Ltd

PO Box 3935, 60 Cook St

Auckland

NEW ZEALAND



Ph:       + 64 9 377 9941

Fax:      + 64 9 377 9946

Direct:   + 64 9 918 5151

Email:   andersone at pbworld.com





Email Disclaimer: This document and any attachments ("this message") are confidential and may contain legally privileged information and/or copyright material. 
This message must not be distributed and the information contained in it must not be disseminated, without the authority of the Parsons Brinckerhoff Group ("PB").  This message must not be altered other than by PB.
The information contained in this message is intended for the use of the authorised recipient only.  If you are not the authorised recipient of this message you must not read, copy, store or distribute this message, or disseminate or act in reliance upon the information contained in it.  If you have received this message in error, or you are not an authorised recipient, please either return e-mail to sender or telephone PB immediately on +61 2 9272 5100, and delete this message from your email system, and destroy any printed copies.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.python.org/pipermail/idle-dev/attachments/20051102/34043644/attachment.htm