Delete a column of text in the IDE

Projects Programming
1

Now and then I need to delete a column of text.

I though some might be interested in the following technique.
The image explains the procedure:

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2

Nice. How did you figure that one out? It's a very useful feature. My editor does that but I didn't think the IDE could.

It wouldn't work on my iMac. But after experimenting I found I it will work if I do this:

  1. press left mouse button
  2. press ctrl (must follow mouse button press)
  3. drag
3

This was a feature in an old text editor call IBM Personal Editor. Floppy disk days.
(Showing my age now).

4

Yes, back in the days of TRS-80 and Color TRS-80, Commodore 64, and IBM PC Jr.

5

If you experiment a bit, you can also copy the selection.
Then re highlight an area and insert the text.

6

On my machine highlighting and then pasting replaces the text with the copied text. But I found I could highlight a column of zero width. Just a thin amber line appears. Then when I paste it inserts without replacing anything.

7

Yes, I should have mention that.

8

Dang, just when I find something useful...

Using 1.5.7 this works like a charm.

A new editor replaced the old one in version 1.6.5 and this no longer is supported (windows anyway). I'll create an issue and have a look, maybe it can be enabled in the new software.

9

I'm still on 1.06 what's the advantage of upgrading?
I just use the UNO, Pro Mini and Bobuino2.
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10

LarryD:
I'm still on 1.06 what's the advantage of upgrading?
I just use the UNO, Pro Mini and Bobuino2.
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Aside from a few hiccups that arise with every few releases there are a lot of nice new features that people have been asking for a long time.

Apart from upgrades to the IDE, the actual Arduino API's for your boards have had many improvements.

I use the ESP8266 and I can download the core directly to my IDE using the board manager. If you have libraries you share publicly, you can add them to the library manager so others can just click to install the library.

A new feature which will make testing at least different if not easier/better: Adding plotting functionality to the editor

11

The column feature works for me in both 1.0.6 and 1.6.4 -- on an iMac.

12

jboyton:
The column feature works for me in both 1.0.6 and 1.6.4 -- on an iMac.

The new editor object was added in 1.6.5

13

Bringing back an old thread...

(is that proper etiquette or should I have started a new one?)

Anyhow.... is this still not a thing?

I remember being able to do this... and am not able to anymore.

I am currently in 1.8.5

Am I just not doing it right or are we still not able to do it?

Thanks,
G

14

They removed this ability a while back.

15

In the DOS days I had an editor that could do it :wink: Nowadays notepad++ (and possibly others) provides that functionality.

Close IDE
2)
Edit sketch with notepad++ and save
3)
Load sketch in IDE