Column Align Macro

5
NewbieNewbie
5

PostOct 04, 2005#1

Hi folks.

After searching this forum and not finding anwers, I'd thought I ask the experts before I write my own macro to do this.

What I would like is some way to vertically align, seperated with spaces, text elements and operators. So this:

Code: Select all

variable = "Some kind of string"
var2 = 12800
var3 = var 4 = 0
after higlighting the lines and executing a macro would produce this:

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variable = "Some kind of string"
var2     = 12800
var3     = var4                  = 0
Anybody have some macro code that does this? MultiEdit32 does this just great and I might end up converting that source into something that will work with UE, but it doesn't hurt to ask first.

Thanks.
206
MasterMaster
206

PostOct 05, 2005#2

Look at Column > Convert to Fixed Column


Separator character set as =

Scan and Convert
5
NewbieNewbie
5

PostOct 06, 2005#3

Close enough for jazz. I'll play around with it more.

Thank you.
344
MasterMaster
344

PostOct 06, 2005#4

The problem is that these column actions have no macro-command.
I think you won't find a satisfying solution for this.
Anyway, mrainey's hint helps if having many columns to adjust.
In my example, a "=" sign was standing at each end of the line, I had to delete these manually by column-marking.
Any idea how to avoid those = at the end ?

example:

a = 1
intb = 123

a = 1=
intB = 123=

greets, Bego
5
NewbieNewbie
5

PostOct 07, 2005#5

I've played around with this some. At first I thought I wasn't using it right. After experimenting with it for hours, the closest I can come is nearly what Bego writes. And no Bego, I didn't find a way to avoid the ='s at the end of the lines.

Maybe this weekend I'll work on writing a macro to do it properly.

It kind of surprises me that UltraEdit doesn't have this built in or macro that the user can install. Gotta start somewhere I guess. :)
206
MasterMaster
206

PostOct 07, 2005#6

Something like this macro should help to clean up your file:

Code: Select all

InsertMode
ColumnModeOff
HexOff
UnixReOn
Top
Find RegExp " *=$"
Replace All ""
Top
Find RegExp " *=$"
Replace All ""
344
MasterMaster
344

PostOct 08, 2005#7

Hi guys,

Those workaround do well. Thanx.
But I think we found out (once more) that UE deserves a real macro-programming language with real variables etc. :(
Please force this in your improvement-suggestions to IDM.

rds Bego :D
11
Basic UserBasic User
11

PostOct 08, 2005#8

I played around a little too and came up with the macros listed below. they execute painfully slow IF you have a source-file with many functions in it and the function-list is on. UE isn't very quick at building this list.

Anyways, give it a try.


1. SDUE_Align: prompts for the alignment-chars to be used (can be a string, e.g. ":=" )

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InsertMode
ColumnModeOff
HexOff
UnixReOff
Clipboard 6
ClearClipboard
Clipboard 7
ClearClipboard
Clipboard 8
ClearClipboard
Clipboard 9
ClearClipboard
PlayMacro 1 "SDUE_SelBlkCompl"
Clipboard 9
Cut 
PlayMacro 1 "SDUE_Pos1"
GetString "Alignment character(s)"
"
"
Key UP ARROW
Key HOME
IfColNumGt 1
Key HOME
EndIf
Clipboard 8
StartSelect
Key END
PlayMacro 1 "SDUE_QuoteRegExp"
Key HOME
IfColNumGt 1
Key HOME
EndIf
Clipboard 8
StartSelect
Key END
Copy 
NewFile
Clipboard 9
Paste 
Clipboard 8
Find RegExp "^p"
Replace All "^c^p"
Find RegExp "%*^c"
Replace All "^c"
Find RegExp "^c^p"
Replace All "^p"
SelectAll
Clipboard 7
Cut 
Clipboard 9
Paste 
Clipboard 8
Find RegExp "^c?++^p"
Replace All "^p"
Find RegExp "%^c^t"
Replace All "^c "
TrimTrailingSpaces
SelectAll
Clipboard 6
Cut 
ColumnModeOn
Paste 
Find "^p"
Replace All " ^p"
Top
Key END
Clipboard 7
Paste 
ColumnModeOff
SelectAll
TrimTrailingSpaces
SelectAll
Clipboard 5
Copy 
CloseFile NoSave
DeleteLine
"

"
Key UP ARROW
Key UP ARROW
Paste [code]
Clipboard 0

Sub-Macros called by the above:

SDUE_SelBlkCompl - completes a selection to cover full-lines

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Clipboard 9
IfSel
Cut 
"
"
Key UP ARROW
PlayMacro 1 "SDUE_Pos1"
StartSelect
Key END
Key RIGHT ARROW
Find "^p"
Replace All SelectText "^c"
Key LEFT ARROW
Key END
Key RIGHT ARROW
Else
SelectLine 
EndIf
Clipboard 0
SDUE_QuoteRegExp - quotes UE-style regexp-chars; required to align on characters like the asterisk.

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InsertMode
ColumnModeOff
HexOff
UnixReOff
IfSel
Cut 
NewFile
Paste 
Find RegExp "^([%$?*+^^^[^]]^)"
Replace All "^^^^^1"
SelectAll
Copy 
CloseFile NoSave
Paste 
EndIf
SDUE_Pos1 - reliably position on column 1 regardless of setting for Home-key

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Key HOME
IfColNumGt 1
Key HOME
EndIf
344
MasterMaster
344

PostOct 10, 2005#9

Hi DarkTurok

OK, I got it. You use the "trick" that pasting in column-mode creates trailing spaces, so the longest "leftside" string determins
the place where to put the "=" and the rest.
--> Thats enough for me :-)

Anyway, this solution still stays a bit limited.
Things like comments (lines without a "=" sign) do infuence the "="-position.

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int MyBigLeftValue = 1;
//here we go with a fat comment
int myNotSoBigVaule = 2;
ends up like this:

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int MyBigLeftValue              = 1;
//here we go with a fat comment
int myNotSoBigVaule             = 2;
Also, in the current version, you have to mark the following line too, or the last line will not work properly.
Reason: replace ^p wont work in last line; there is no ^p.


So replace the SDUE_Align code like this:

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. . .
"
"
Clipboard 8
Find RegExp "^c?++^p"
Replace All "^p"
Find RegExp "%^c^t"
Replace All "^c "
Bottom
Key BACKSPACE
TrimTrailingSpaces
SelectAll
. . .

if you do not like the promt dialog and you always want to align for e.g. "=",
replace:

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GetString "Alignment character(s)"
"
"
with:

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"=
"
Thanx, Alex
11
Basic UserBasic User
11

PostOct 11, 2005#10

Thanks for the comments and the improvements.

I was aware of the "line without alignment-character" issue. It's no big deal for the purposes I use the macro most often for, that is aligning assignment blocks and variable declarations - you rarely find thes at the very end of a file anyways :)