gedit: How to enable column mode?

[abcuser]

Hi,
in Ubuntu 8.10 I would like to enable "column mode". Column mode is selection of block inside each row. This is one of the best features in UltraEdit I have used on Windows XP (see attachment).

How to enable "column mode" in Gedit?

As I looked to the all settings from menus this settings is not available by default.
1. I looked for plugins and found the following plugin web page http://live.gnome.org/Gedit/Plugins/ColumnMode
2. I have downloaded columnmode-0.1.1.tar.gz (also tried with columnmode.tar.gz file)
3. Untar the file: tar zxvf columnmode-0.1.1.tar.gz
4. Copy two untared files to ~/.gnome2/gedit/plugins/ directory
5. Start gedit program
6. Edit | Preferences | Plugins and check Column Mode checkbox
7. Now in Edit menu "Column Mode" option is available. So I checked this option and try using column mode by pressing keys <Shift>+<Up> or <Shift>+<Down> or using mouse. None of the features works.

Any idea how to enable column mode in Gedit? If not, do you know for any other text editor in Ubuntu that can edit text via column mode feature? I tried UltraEdit in Wine, but it just works too slow to be useful.

Regards

[voxra]

do you know for any other text editor in Ubuntu that can edit text via column mode feature?

I like gedit, but, like you, I very much miss the ability to edit in column mode. Also, for some tasks, gedit is just too basic.

The good news is that Kate has a block mode*, the bad news (as I see it) is that she is very KDE (she would be, of course).

Vox

* Ctrl+Shift+B. You might have Kate installed already, look under "Applications -> Accessories". If not, search for Kate in "System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager" and install it form there (or even easier;

sudo apt-get install kate ).

[abcuser]

Hi,
I have installed Kate and execute Ctrl+Shift+B shortcut to get column mode, but it looks this column mode is not working as it should. Please see attachment. <Tab> characters makes Kate totally disoriented.
Regards

[jespdj]

1. I looked for plugins and found the following plugin web page http://live.gnome.org/Gedit/Plugins/ColumnMode

If you look at the comments on that page, you'll see:

The plugin is useful as is, but perhaps it does not what is expected. Once in "column-mode" (Alt-C), you can hold SHIFT and move the cursor, but only in vertical. It does not allow to select a rectangular section, but only a "vertical insertion point". Then, all you type is added to several lines at once, at the selected point.

and:

Sorry for my late reply and thanks for all your interest. I did not expect that some people actually use the plugin because it is unfinished and very buggy. I don't think that I will implement 'real' column mode with block selection in the near future because of lack of time and right now I don't have a good idea how to do it (maybe somebody else has?).

Looks like the original author didn't really intend this plugin to be used by anyone and he is not willing / able to make something that works.

[gjoellee]

In gedit? Easy peasy: open gedit then inside Gedit follow this menu Edit->Preferences and you can check Highlight current line.

[jespdj]

In gedit? Easy peasy: open gedit then inside Gedit follow this menu Edit->Preferences and you can check Highlight current line.

That does not enable block selection mode, which is what abcuser is looking for.

[abcuser]

In gedit? Easy peasy: open gedit then inside Gedit follow this menu Edit->Preferences and you can check Highlight current line.

Hi,
this is not "column mode". Please see attached picture in my first post, to see what I think about "column mode".
Regards

[abcuser]

Hi,
I have filed the idea in Brainstorm at: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17656

I hope it will get two approvals (one has already gotten). And then anyone who needs this functionality can vote to make it working.
Regards,
Abcuser

[voxra]

<Tab> characters makes Kate totally disoriented.

They do, indeed. If my data was structured as in your second example (the one with tabs), I would paste it into gnumeric*, do whatever I needed to the column(s), then copy/paste it back. Not ideal, but it works.

It would be great if there was a text editor that could handle this, though.

Vox

* or OpenOffice.org's Spreadsheet - but that takes ages to load, unless you've already got an OOo application running

[abcuser]

Hi,
my idea was approved and moved to "Popular ideas".
So please vote for idea at Brainstorm: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/17656
It has +1 vote at the moment.
Regards