Editing PL/I text

The PL/I Editor provides functions that increase productivity when you edit a file.

Selecting words and phrases

Use the following tips for editing text in the PL/I Editor:
  • To select a word, double-click it.
  • To select a quoted phrase, double-click immediately after the open quotation mark or immediately before the close quotation mark.
  • To select a phrase in parentheses or brackets, double-click immediately after the open parenthesis or bracket or immediately before the close parenthesis or bracket.

Tabbing

All Tab key presses are converted into space characters, regardless of the setting that is defined by Insert spaces for tabs on the Text Editor preference page. The number of spaces that are inserted corresponds to the Displayed tab width setting on the Text Editor page. If a file contains a tab character, it is displayed as a single space, regardless of the Displayed tab width setting.

You can define custom tab stops for the PL/I Editor on the Editor preference page. The default tab settings for the PL/I Editor are columns 8, 12, 17 and every 4 characters after column 17.

Hyperlinks

Hyperlink detectors, as defined on the General > Editors > Text Editors > Hyperlinking preference page, display elements as hyperlinks when you hold down the Ctrl key. Hovering the cursor over a field or paragraph name in the PL/I Editor and holding down the Ctrl key turns the text into a hyperlink. Clicking the hyperlink opens the declaration in an editor.

Expanding and collapsing divisions

To collapse a PL/I program division, click Collapse PL/I division. To expand a collapsed division, click Expand PL/I division. You can preview a collapsed division by hovering the cursor over the expand icon.

Opening hover information

Hovering the cursor over a record, paragraph, or section causes the PL/I hover information to display the structure over the highlighted element. You can press F2 to display information for the selected structure. The hover information contains real-time syntax warnings if any exist. You can also obtain hover information in an open hover information window for INCLUDE statements.

Hovering the cursor over the hover information, opens a toolbar at the bottom of the hover window. The toolbar provides for navigating the hover information and open the structure for editing. The toolbar also contains Open Declaration and Open Perform Hierarchy buttons. Open Perform Hierarchy is enabled only when the element is a paragraph or section language element. If the record has a warning or error annotation that is associated with it, the annotation text is displayed in the hover information.

Showing range of code structure

If the Show range indicator preference is enabled, when the cursor is place on a line of code, the range of the code structure is indicated by a vertical bar on the left side of the editor. To show only the current range of code in the editor, click Show source of selected element only Show Source of Selected Element Only. The Show range indicator preference is on the General > Editors > Text Editors preference page.

Quick fixes

If editor tools are enabled, suggested changes are provided to resolve a warning or error annotation in the editor.

Language-sensitive help

To obtain language-sensitive help for a source-code file open in the editor, highlight the element for which you need help, or place the cursor in the element, and press Ctrl+Shift+H. The product information center opens to the help topic for that element.


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