Can I define the tab stop positions within a text box ?

[groovyclam]

I've had a search in the manual and this forum but can't find mention of the following, so I think I'm onto a loser but...

Is it possible to define the distance a tab moves the text cursor on within each paragraph in a text box ( or even just ALL the paragraphs in a text box ) ?

I have 3 lines of 5 stats that would look better equi-spaced across the text box but because each bit of data is not the same amount of characters "justify" does not line them up vertically well in the 3 lines.

I realise I could make 5 text boxes to line them up but it would be so much easier to define 5 tab positions for that text box and separate them each with a tab character ( because I have other paragraphs of text above and below the stats in the same text box so would have to end the text box, put the 5 text boxes in and then begin a new text box underneath the stats ).

If this isn't possible please could it be considered for a functionality upgrade in the future. Also maybe an "insert table" ( e.g. like spreadsheet cells ) function since this might cover the same bases.

This is using v9

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

Hi Groovyclam,

thanks for the post. I am afraid the tabs cannot be specified. This is a limitation of the PDF specs, not our choice. Tables also are not supported by the PDF spec.

regretfully

[groovyclam]

Thanks for the reply.

Although tab distances aren't in a PDF spec couldn't this functionality be designed into PDF-XChange Editor for just the design GUI and when the PDF is saved to its file the tabs are "discounted" because, at the end of the day, PDF-XChange is just saying stick this blob of text at position X,Y on the page within the PDF file specification ? So my items of data are saved to the exact X,Y places I want but I just happened to get them to the exact places I wanted by using tab stops ( which are not saved to the PDF because PDF doesn't understand them ).

It would be the same with tables - PDF-XChange would let the user design a table of X,Y cells ( of wall colour C and fill colour D ) and let them fill the cells with text ( of colour, font, size K,L,M ) and when PDF-XChange saves this to a PDF it converts the table to appropriate PDF compatible text at X,Y , coloured rectangles and lines.

This would be such an expansion of how to lay out text boxes it would be great.

[Paul - PDF-XChange]

Hi groovyclam,

I can see the logic here. This is not the first request we have had for something that is not in the specs but could be done anyway and just presented as a conformant PDF. The feature need not be a departure from the specs, no. I can see using it as one composes but as you say the end result could be spaces. Text editors, especially those oriented to wards programming often allow one to set the tabstop at a number of characters, the result could be counted single character spaces.

I know I presented the response as "It's not supported by the specs", and I guess it doesn't technically need to be, if we replaced it with space characters. Having said that the devs are not so keen on this. I can certainly revisit the discussion with them, pass on the point you make ( the first thing I do in a new account on a Linux box is set .vimrc to use "tabstop = 2", so I get where you are coming from), but if they determine that it is not something they are supportive of there is little more I can do.

Lets see what they have to say about your comments.