[Pythonmac-SIG] Selecting in BBEdit & Python Indenting style (spaces)

[Chris Barker]

Louis Pecora wrote:

> You hold down the option key while selecting, but you cannot do this
> in the soft wrap mode.  You have to set the window to hard wrap at
> some column number.  If you have the BBEdit manual, you can find more
> info around page 52 or just look in the index.

thanks.


> What the heck were they (Guido?) thinking when they used 4 spaces as
> the one true mode of indentation for Python?

I have no clue. It was a bad idea, from the beginning, to allow mixed 
tabs+spaces. (I still don't understand why that hasn't been completely 
deprecated).

> I would think that TAB would be infinitely better and avoid the
> problems you point out that probably plague a lot of editors when
> doing Python code.

I agree. Tabs would be easier in most cases, but:

> And many editors allow you to set the size of the
> TAB (e.g. 2 spaces in size if you think 4 looks too large -- I do).

Well, that is an issue. I think there is a trade off between people 
making their own choice about what things should look like and 
consistency. Also, aside form changing the size of tabs, various places 
people use text, like in email messages, html, etc, tabs get mangled, so 
that may be why spaces were selected as the standard. Or maybe there is 
no logic, and it's just what Guido likes.

As it happens, the Mac is the only place I've ever had a problem, both 
in the old macPython IDE and BBedit. All other editors I've used (at 
least mildly competent ones) have been fine.

-Chris


-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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