Re: Shifting a column left or right using key

[Pascal Bourguignon <pjb@informatimago.com>]

"Abbott, Kevin-p98710" <Kevin.Abbott@gdc4s.com> writes:
> Years ago I used IBM PERSONAL EDITOR  (PE) to edit text files.
>  One nice option that PE had was that one could mark a rectangle in front of a
> column of text or data and use the ctrl --> or ctrl <-- to shift the column/
> text left or right.  Actually, the function deleted the whitespace or added
> whitespace to the left of the column.  Once the text or column reached the
> marked rectangle area the text/data would be deleted a column of characters at
> a time.
>
> Does anyone have a ELISP function that does this?

Just write it!  It's funny, really!

(defun force-indent-region-left (start end)
  (interactive "r")
  (setf mark-even-if-inactive t)
  (let* ((start (progn (goto-char start)
                       (beginning-of-line)
                       (point)))
         (end   (progn (goto-char end)
                       (forward-line)
                       (beginning-of-line)
                       (point)))
         (lnum  (count-lines start end)))
    (goto-char start)
    (dotimes (i (1- lnum))
      (beginning-of-line)
      (unless (looking-at "$")
        (delete-char 1))
      (forward-line))
    (set-mark start)))

(defun indent-region-right (start end)
  (interactive "r")
  (setf mark-even-if-inactive t)
  (let* ((start (progn (goto-char start)b
                       (beginning-of-line)
                       (point)))
         (end   (progn (goto-char end)
                       (forward-line)
                       (beginning-of-line)
                       (point)))
         (lnum  (count-lines start end)))
    (indent-rigidly start end 1)
    (goto-char start)
    (forward-line (1- lnum))
    (set-mark start)))

(global-set-key (kbd "<f7>") (function force-indent-region-left))
(global-set-key (kbd "<f8>") (function indent-region-right))

Then you can use F7 and F8 to do what you want.  The region
disappears, but you can still press F7/F8 to indent.

-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__                     http://www.informatimago.com/
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