Function editing with Vim throws IndentError

[Ethan Furman]

Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
> In message
> <24a548ad-4cb3-410c-89df-21da6ef4220f at j7g2000prm.googlegroups.com>, Matimus
> wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Jul 24, 9:32 pm, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <l... at geek-
>>central.gen.new_zealand> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>In message
>>><e23f51c1-7160-4aba-bea0-d624ec9a1... at w1g2000prk.googlegroups.com>,
>>>Matimus wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>On Jul 24, 2:54 am, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <l... at geek-
>>>>central.gen.new_zealand> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>In message
>>>>><f558e635-aa40-4d54-bd1a-45e8463cd... at v26g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,
>>>
>>>>>Matimus wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>That isn't the standard. With that setup tabs will show up as 4
>>>>>>spaces, and still confuse you.
>>>
>>>>>Why should that be confusing? The most common tab-stop setting is 4
>>>>>columns.
>>>
>>>>A tab character is specified as 8 spaces.
>>>
>>>Specified by whom? The most common setting these days is 4 columns.
>>
>>All argument about specification aside, Python interprets a tab
>>character as equivalent to 8 spaces. If you are treating tabs as
>>equivalent to 4 spaces in your python code it will cause
>>IndentationError exceptions to be raised.
> 
> 
> I have Emacs configured to show tabs as 4 columns wide, and I've never had
> such an exception happen in my Python code as a result.

I have no Emacs experience -- does it actually put tabs in the file, or 
spaces?

~Ethan~