tabs(1)

Synopsis

Description

Options

-code

Use one of the codes listed below to select a ``canned'' set of tabs. The valid codes and their meanings are as follows:

-a

1,10,16,36,72
Assembler, IBM S/370, first format

-a2

1,10,16,40,72
Assembler, IBM S/370, second format

-c

1,8,12,16,20,55
COBOL, normal format

-c2

1,6,10,14,49
COBOL compact format (columns 1-6 omitted). Using this code, the first typed character corresponds to card column 7, one space gets you to column 8, and a tab reaches column 12. Files using this tab setup should include a format specification as follows (see fspec(4)):

   <:t-c2 m6 s66 d:>

-c3

1,6,10,14,18,22,26,30,34,38,42,46,50,54,58,62,67
COBOL compact format (columns 1-6 omitted), with more tabs than -c2. This is the recommended format for COBOL. The appropriate format specification is [see fspec(4)]:

   <:t-c3 m6 s66 d:>

-f

1,7,11,15,19,23
FORTRAN

-p

1,5,9,13,17,21,25,29,33,37,41,45,49,53,57,61
PL/I

-s

1,10,55
SNOBOL

-u

1,12,20,44
UNIVAC 1100 Assembler

-n

A ``repetitive'' specification requests tabs at columns 1+n, 1+2n, etc. Of particular importance is the value 8: this represents the UNIX system ``standard'' tab setting, and is the most likely tab setting to be found at a terminal. Another special case is the value 0, implying no tabs at all.

n1,n2,...

The ``arbitrary'' format permits the user to type any chosen set of numbers, separated by commas, in ascending order. Up to 40 numbers are allowed. If any number (except the first one) is preceded by a plus sign, it is taken as an increment to be added to the previous value. Thus, the formats

1,10,20,30,

and

1,10,+10,+10

are considered identical.

--file

If the name of a file is given, tabs reads the first line of the file, searching for a format specification [see fspec(4)]. If it finds one there, it sets the tab stops according to it, otherwise it sets them as -8. This type of specification may be used to make sure that a tabbed file is printed with correct tab settings, and would be used with the pr command:

   	tabs -- file; pr file

Any of the following also may be used; if a given flag occurs more than once, the last value given takes effect:

-Ttype

tabs usually needs to know the type of terminal in order to set tabs and always needs to know the type to set margins. type is a name listed in term(5). If no -T flag is supplied, tabs uses the value of the environment variable TERM. If TERM is not defined in the environment [see environ(5)], tabs tries a sequence that will work for many terminals. If the environment variable POSIX2 is set to any value and exported, then tabs displays a warning message when the terminal type does not support tab settings.

+mn

The margin argument may be used for some terminals. It causes all tabs to be moved over n columns by making column n+1 the left margin. If +m is given without a value of n, the value assumed is 10. For a TermiNet, the first value in the tab list should be 1, or the margin will move even further to the right. The normal (leftmost) margin on most terminals is obtained by +m0. The margin for most terminals is reset only when the +m flag is given explicitly.

Tab and margin setting is performed via the standard output.

Usage

tabs -a

example using -code (``canned'' specification) to set tabs to the settings required by the IBM assembler: columns 1, 10, 16, 36, 72.

tabs -8

example of using -n (``repetitive'' specification), where n is 8, causes tabs to be set every eighth position: 1+(1*8), 1+(2*8), . . . , which evaluate to columns 9, 17, . . .

tabs 1,8,36

example of using n1,n2,... (``arbitrary'' specification) to set tabs at columns 1, 8, and 36.

tabs --$HOME/fspec.list/att4425

example of using --file (file specification) to indicate that tabs should be set according to the first line of $HOME/fspec.list/att4425 [see fspec(4)].

Errors

``UX:tabs:ERROR:illegal tabs''

when arbitrary tabs are ordered incorrectly

``UX:tabs:ERROR:illegal increment''

when a zero or missing increment is found in an arbitrary specification

``UX:tabs:ERROR:unknown tab code''

when a ``canned'' code cannot be found

``UX:tabs:ERROR:can't open''

if --file option used, and file can't be opened

``UX:tabs:ERROR:file indirection''

if --file option used and the specification in that file points to yet another file. Indirection of this form is not permitted

Files

/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxue

language-specific message file [See LANG on environ(5).]

References

Notices

tabs clears only 20 tabs (on terminals requiring a long sequence), but is willing to set 64.

The tabspec used with the tabs command is different from the one used with the newform command. For example, tabs -8 sets every eighth position; whereas newform -i-8 indicates that tabs are set every eighth position.