Question

I am an avid TextExpander for Mac user. I use it to expand code across multiple text editors. I have had one issue that I wanted to run by fellow programmers who use TextExpander for possible solutions.

When I am expanding multiple lines of code on a line that has leading whitespace, TextExpander resets the leading whitespace on all lines beyond the first one.

Example:

If I am trying to expand a debug snippet I use all the time, from an indented line, it appears like so.

    echo '<pre>';
print_r();
echo '</pre>';

The first line is indented because that is where I typed the expand abbreviation. Is it possible to maintain the leading whitespace status across all lines?

    echo '<pre>';
    print_r();
    echo '</pre>';

Answer 1

I’m afraid TextExpander can’t mimic the auto-indent behavior of your code editor.

If you always enter these at the same indent level, please note that you can use option-Tab to insert a tab when editing a snippet in TextExpander’s snippet editor.

If your code editor respects the indent level of formatted text, you could instead change the snippet type from Plain Text to Formatted Text, Pictures using the popup above the snippet editor then choose Format -> Text -> Show Ruler to show the text view ruler, which works the same as in TextEdit and other apps.

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