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#lang pollen
◊ ( define - meta title "tabs and tab )
◊ hanging - topic [ ( topic - from - metas metas ) ] { For horizontal space in the middle of a line }
On typewriters , the ◊ em { tab } key moved the carriage to a fixed horizontal position , marked with a ◊ em { tab stop } . This allowed typists to create columns of text or numbers , also known as tabular layouts ( hence the name tab ) .
Tabs and tab stops still work the same way . A tab stop marks a location ; typing a tab moves the cursor to that location .
These days , the tab is used only for inserting horizontal space in the middle of a line . If you need horizontal space at the beginning of a paragraph , adjust the ◊ xref { first - line indent } . For a true tabular layout , use a ◊ xref { table } , not tabs .
The tab is not as vital as it once was , but word processors still shortchange its capabilities . A new word - processing document has default tab stops every half inch . These default tab stops exist so that something happens when you type a tab in the new document . But this default behavior also suggests that what the tab key does is move the cursor a half inch at a time . Not true .
To get the most out of tabs , you should set your own tab stops . Avoid relying on the default tab stops — they undermine the goals of control and predictability . As with ◊ xref { word spaces } , also avoid using sequences of tabs to move the cursor around the screen .