Allow positioning beyond line end only partly working with proportional font

[aleksazr]

Allow positioning beyond line end doesn't work on my UE 19.00.0.1022

Advanced, Configuration, Editor Display, Cursor / Caret - Allow positioning beyond line end - is set.
Are there any other requirements beside setting that option ON?

[Mofi]

I first could not reproduce a problem with setting Allow positioning beyond line end whether with UE v19.00.0.1028 (latest hotfix) nor with v19.00.0.1022 (first public v19.00). It worked as I tested that feature on an empty ASCII file with my settings.

So I played with some settings and found following:

The caret position beyond line end is limited by value of setting Maximum columns before line wraps at Advanced - Configuration - Editor Display - Miscellaneous. The maximum caret column with Allow positioning beyond line end enabled is the maximum columns value + 2. But for lines shorter than this value the caret can be set beyond the line end.

Positioning beyond right window border is also not possible with soft word-wrap at window edge being enabled for the active file (horizontal scrollbar disabled). The caret can be set beyond line end in this case, but not into a column outside visible area.


And last the issue which I think is the problem you encountered and looks like a bug.

The caret cannot be set beyond line end with the arrow keys if the font used is a proportional font like Arial. But positioning caret beyond line end with mouse pointer and entering something works. Interesting is that this limitation does not occur with fixed width font like Courier New or Dina.

I did some tests with older versions of UltraEdit and found out that this issue with caret beyond line end cannot be set in normal text editing mode with a proportional font using the right/left arrow keys occurs since UE v18.00. With UE v17.30 the caret can be set also with a proportional font with the arrow keys beyond line end.

IDM greatly enhanced support for proportional fonts in UE v18.00. It looks like there was one special editing mode with proportional font overlooked. I suggest to report this issue by email to IDM support.

[aleksazr]

Thank you for testing this, however:

1. Maximum columns before line wraps - I have this set at 4096, so its probably not that.
2. soft word-wrap (horizontal scrollbar disabled) - I don't know where you set this option, but I have horizontal scrollbar visible and enabled.
3. if the font used is a proportional font - I'm using a fixed width font.

UE has some problems with the fixed font as well, not only proportional.
I've changed the font to fixedsys and it now works.
If I change back to the original font I was using - it stops working.

The font I'm using can be downloaded from DOS.zip
(The thread is Brace matching - no bold.)

Using the mouse to set the cursor beyond line end works.

Also, continuously holding down right arrow shows the cursor one character position to the right, but it is then pulled back to the last typed char.
(Something you may or may not see depending on the speed of the graphic card.)

[Mofi]

Soft word-wrap at window edge is enabled by selecting Wrap at window edge at Advanced - Configuration - Editor - Word Wrap/Tab Settings for the files with an existension listed at top of this configuration dialog (Default means all files not configured different) and Edit - Toggle Word-Wrap is enabled for a file.

The font DOS.fon is not correct defined. Although it is a bitmap font with all characters having same width, the attribute monospace in the font header is not set as I could see with a font editing tool. The fonts Dina and Fixedsys have the attribute monospace set in font header.

I verified with DOS.fon that positioning beyond line end is not working as it should as UltraEdit thinks it is a proportional font because of the missing monospace flag in font header. Then I set this flag in font header, uninstalled original DOS.fon and installed modified (corrected) DOS.fon. Then positioning the caret beyond line end worked in UltraEdit using font DOS.

You should contact the author of the font DOS and ask for fixing this mistake in font header.

Nevertheless, moving caret beyond line end by right arrow key should work also for proportional font and therefore this problem of UE v18.00 and later versions should be reported by email to IDM support.

[aleksazr]

I am the author of the DOS font.

Please tell me which font editor did you use, because in my editor the setting monospaced is set.
So there is obviously a bug in my editor (its an old one I got from a Croatian magazine)

Yes, I've reported a bug to IDM.

[Mofi]

I used Softy 1.07b, a very old shareware font editor which I had archived although not used anymore since 15 years and which did not require a registration for making this small change on font header. I was astonished to see that this little Windows 3.1 tool is still available for download. There are also freeware font editors available. But don't ask me which one is the best as I don't know because not interested in editing/creating fonts.