Notepad++ keep tab symbol

Question

I am writing some HTML code for fast copy-paste to google spreadsheets.

I have settings to remove tab characters \t and replace it with four white-space character.

Now for Google Spreadsheets to recognize cells I need to write \t. But N++ is replacing it with white-spaces.

Is it possible to tell N++ to keep some special character (or maybe there is way to insert some special characters without keyboard)?

Text example:

someData    t2.micro    12348   y

When is Notepad++ doing this replacement? At the time of opening or at the time of saving? — Tim Biegeleisen, Jun 09 '16 at 06:36
Have a look [here](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/455037/convert-tabs-to-spaces-in-notepad). Your problem may be easily solved by adjusting the settings of your Notepad++. — Tim Biegeleisen, Jun 09 '16 at 06:46
@TimBiegeleisen The problem is - I don't want to edit current settings as I am programming with N++ and I need tabs only for this particular place. — Justinas, Jun 09 '16 at 06:50
Couldn't you in menu `Edit > Spaces management >Transform tabs into spaces` this will act only for current file. I haven't an english version of Npp, so the menu may differ. — Toto, Jun 09 '16 at 07:17

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 18 '18 at 19:17

3

Here is what I did.

Open the Character Panel (Edit->Character Panel)
Record a Macro (Macro->Record New Macro)
Insert a tab character from the Character Panel
Stop recording the macro (Macro->Stop Recording)
Save the macro (Macro->Save Current Recorded Macro)
Assign the macro to a keyboard shortcut (I chose ctrl+tab. This conflicts with shortcut 163-Switch to next document, but I personally never use that shortcut)

Now anytime I want an actual tab character I can simply hit ctrl+tab instead of tab.

answered Oct 18 '18 at 19:17

Sam Drost

61
2

1

This is a great idea! Just to close the loop on step #6: if you want to remove the conflict, just find it in the Shortcut Mapper (Macro->Modify Shortcut/Delete Macro). It was #164 for me, I just set it to to Ctrl+~ because I never used that command any way. – Austin Cory Bart Nov 04 '18 at 20:16

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 14 '19 at 12:07

I found that if I enter the tab character on the number pad, it does not get converted to spaces. The ascii code for a tab is hex 09. To enter it on the number pad:

Press and hold the Alt key
On the number keypad, press the "+" key
On the number keypad, press the "9" key
Release the Alt key

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 09 '16 at 13:27

2

Solution I found was to copy-paste tab symbol from somewhere else (e.g. Windows Notepad). Saving, editing, re-opening file does not overwrites this.

answered Jun 09 '16 at 13:27

Justinas

41,402
5
66
96

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 04 '22 at 17:56

1

OS: Windows 11 Notepad++: v8.3.2

Settings > Preferences... > Language > Tab Settings > Replace by space

answered Apr 04 '22 at 17:56

user18705223

11
1

As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Apr 04 '22 at 22:58

Notepad++ keep tab symbol

4 Answers4