Text::Format(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation Text::Format(3)NAMEText::Format - Various subroutines to format text.
SYNOPSIS
use Text::Format;
my $text = Text::Format->new (
{
text => [], # all
columns => 72, # format, paragraphs, center
leftMargin => 0, # format, paragraphs, center
rightMargin => 0, # format, paragraphs, center
firstIndent => 4, # format, paragraphs
bodyIndent => 0, # format, paragraphs
rightFill => 0, # format, paragraphs
rightAlign => 0, # format, paragraphs
justify => 0, # format, paragraphs
extraSpace => 0, # format, paragraphs
abbrevs => {}, # format, paragraphs
hangingIndent => 0, # format, paragraphs
hangingText => [], # format, paragraphs
noBreak => 0, # format, paragraphs
noBreakRegex => {}, # format, paragraphs
tabstop => 8, # expand, unexpand, center
}
); # these are the default values
my %abbr = (foo => 1, bar => 1);
$text->abbrevs(\%abbr);
$text->abbrevs();
$text->abbrevs({foo => 1,bar => 1});
$text->abbrevs(qw/foo bar/);
$text->text(\@text);
$text->columns(132);
$text->tabstop(4);
$text->extraSpace(1);
$text->firstIndent(8);
$text->bodyIndent(4);
$text->config({tabstop => 4,firstIndent => 0});
$text->rightFill(0);
$text->rightAlign(0);
DESCRIPTION
The format routine will format under all circumstances even if the
width isn't enough to contain the longest words. Text::Wrap will die
under these circumstances, although I am told this is fixed. If
columns is set to a small number and words are longer than that and the
leading 'whitespace' than there will be a single word on each line.
This will let you make a simple word list which could be indented or
right aligned. There is a chance for croaking if you try to subvert
the module. If you don't pass in text then the internal text is worked
on, though not modfied.
Text::Format is meant for more powerful text formatting than what
Text::Wrap allows. I also have a module called Text::NWrap that is
meant as a direct replacement for Text::Wrap. Text::NWrap requires
Text::Format since it uses Text::Format->format to do the actual
wrapping but gives you the interface of Text::Wrap.
General setup should be explained with the below graph.
columns
<------------------------------------------------------------>
<----------><------><---------------------------><----------->
leftMargin indent text is formatted into here rightMargin
indent is firstIndent or bodyIndent depending on where we are in the
paragraph.
format @ARRAY || \@ARRAY || [<FILEHANDLE>] || NOTHING
Allows to do some advanced formatting of text into a paragraph,
with indent for first line and body set separately. Can specify
total width of text, right fill with spaces or right align or
justify (align to both margins), right margin and left margin, non-
breaking space, two spaces at end of sentence, hanging indents
(tagged paragraphs). Strips all leading and trailing whitespace
before proceeding. Text is first split into words and then
reassembled. If no text is passed in then the internal text in the
object is formatted.
paragraphs @ARRAY || \@ARRAY || [<FILEHANDLE>] || NOTHING
Considers each element of text as a paragraph and if the indents
are the same for first line and the body then the paragraphs are
separated by a single empty line otherwise they follow one under
the other. If hanging indent is set then a single empty line will
separate each paragraph as well. Calls format to do the actual
formatting. If no text is passed in then the internal text in the
object is formatted, though not changed.
center @ARRAY || NOTHING
Centers a list of strings in @ARRAY or internal text. Empty lines
appear as, you guessed it, empty lines. Center strips all leading
and trailing whitespace before proceeding. Left margin and right
margin can be set. If no text is passed in then the internal text
in the object is formatted.
expand @ARRAY || NOTHING
Expand tabs in the list of text to tabstop number of spaces in
@ARRAY or internal text. Doesn't modify the internal text just
passes back the modified text. If no text is passed in then the
internal text in the object is formatted.
unexpand @ARRAY || NOTHING
Tabstop number of spaces are turned into tabs in @ARRAY or internal
text. Doesn't modify the internal text just passes back the
modified text. If no text is passed in then the internal text in
the object is formatted.
new \%HASH || NOTHING
Instantiates the object. If you pass a reference to a hash, or an
anonymous hash then it is used in setting attributes.
config \%HASH
Allows the configuration of all object attributes at once. Returns
the object prior to configuration. You can use it to make a clone
of your object before you change attributes.
columns NUMBER || NOTHING
Set width of text or retrieve width. This is total width and
includes indentation and the right and left margins.
tabstop NUMBER || NOTHING
Set tabstop size or retrieve tabstop size, only used by expand,
unexpand and center.
firstIndent NUMBER || NOTHING
Set or get indent for the first line of paragraph. This is the
number of spaces to indent.
bodyIndent NUMBER || NOTHING
Set or get indent for the body of paragraph. This is the number of
spaces to indent.
leftMargin NUMBER || NOTHING
Set or get width of left margin. This is the number of spaces used
for the margin.
rightMargin NUMBER || NOTHING
Set or get width of right margin. This is the number of spaces
used for the margin.
rightFill 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Set right fill or retrieve its value. The filling is done with
spaces. Keep in mind that if rightAlign is also set then both
rightFill and rightAlign are ignored.
rightAlign 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Set right align or retrieve its value. Text is aligned with the
right side of the margin. Keep in mind that if rightFill is also
set then both rightFill and rightAlign are ignored.
justify 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Set justify or retrieve its value. Text is aligned with both
margins, adding extra spaces as necessary to align text with left
and right margins. Keep in mind that if either of rightAlign or
rightFill are set then justify is ignored, even if both are set in
which case they are all ignored.
text \@ARRAY || NOTHING
Pass in a reference to your text, or an anonymous array of text
that you want the routines to manipulate. Returns the text held in
the object.
hangingIndent 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Use hanging indents in front of a paragraph, returns current value
of attribute. This is also called a tagged paragraph.
hangingText \@ARRAY || NOTHING
The text that will be displayed in front of each paragraph, if you
call format then only the first element is used, if you call
paragraphs then paragraphs cycles through all of them. If you have
more paragraphs than elements in your array than the remainder of
the paragraphs will not have a hanging indented text. Pass a
reference to your array. This is also called a tagged paragraph.
noBreak 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Set whether you want to use the non-breaking space feature.
noBreakRegex \%HASH || NOTHING
Pass in a reference to your hash that would hold the regexes on
which not to break. Without any arguments, it returns the hash.
eg.
{'^Mrs?\.$' => '^\S+$','^\S+$' => '^(?:S|J)r\.$'}
don't break names such as Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Jones Jr.
The breaking algorithm is simple. If there should not be a break
at the current end of sentence, then a backtrack is done till there
are two words on which breaking is allowed. If no two such words
are found then the end of sentence is broken anyhow. If there is a
single word on current line then no backtrack is done and the word
is stuck on the end. This is so you can make a list of names for
example.
extraSpace 0 || 1 || NOTHING
Add extra space after end of sentence, normally format would add 1
space after end of sentence, if this is set to 1 then 2 spaces are
used. Abbreviations are not followed by two spaces. There are a
few internal abbreviations and you can add your own to the object
with abbrevs
abbrevs \%HASH || @ARRAY || NOTHING
Add to the current abbreviations, takes a reference to your hash or
an array of abbreviations, if called a second time the original
reference is removed and replaced by the new one. Returns the
current INTERNAL abbreviations.
EXAMPLE
use Text::Format;
my $text = Text::Format->new;
$text->rightFill(1);
$text->columns(65);
$text->tabstop(4);
print $text->format("a line to format to an indented regular
paragraph using 65 character wide display");
print $text->paragraphs("paragraph one","paragraph two");
print $text->center("hello world","nifty line 2");
print $text->expand("\t\thello world\n","hmm,\twell\n");
print $text->unexpand(" hello world\n"," hmm");
$text->config({columns => 132, tabstop => 4});
$text = Text::Format->new();
print $text->format(@text);
print $text->paragraphs(@text);
print $text->center(@text);
print $text->format([<FILEHANDLE>]);
print $text->format([$fh->getlines()]);
print $text->paragraphs([<FILEHANDLE>]);
print $text->expand(@text);
print $text->unexpand(@text);
$text = Text::Format->new
({tabstop => 4,bodyIndent => 4,text => \@text});
print $text->format();
print $text->paragraphs();
print $text->center();
print $text->expand();
print $text->unexpand();
print Text::Format->new({columns => 95})->format(@text);
BUGS
Line length can exceed the number of specified columns if columns is
set to a small number and long words plus leading whitespace exceed the
specified column length. Actually I see this as a feature since it can
be used to make up a nice word list.
AUTHOR
Gabor Egressy gabor@vmunix.com
Copyright (c) 1998 Gabor Egressy. All rights reserved. All wrongs
reversed. This program is free software; you can redistribute and/or
modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
Adopted and modified by Shlomi Fish, <http://www.shlomifish.org/> - all
rights disclaimed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Tom Phoenix
Found a bug with code for two spaces at the end of the sentence and
provided a code fragment for a better solution. Also some preliminary
suggestions on the design.
Brad Appleton
Suggestion and explanation of hanging indents, suggestion for non-
breaking whitespace, general suggestions with regard to interface
design.
Byron Brummer
Suggestion for better interface design and object design, code for
better implementation of getting abbreviations.
H. Merijn Brand
Suggestion for a justify feature and original code for doing the
justification. I changed the code to take into account the extra space
at end of sentence feature.
TODOperl v5.14.0 2011-01-28 Text::Format(3)
