[SOLVED] Geany how to fold a text file

S. Chapelin · 05-28-2016, 07:38 AM

I have a very long text file.
I want to fold it by chapter, section, etc. like in code in order to view it at a glance and rapidly find where to work my text.
Gedit doesn't do this, so I tried Geany, which does, but seemingly only for code, not text.
How would I go about doing this?

keefaz · 05-28-2016, 07:47 AM

I don't know if those tools are well suited for text work

Tools like open office writter have navigation features, like:
http://openoffice.blogs.com/openoffi...ivalent-o.html

keefaz · 05-28-2016, 08:01 AM

Or you can pretend your text file is a python script in Geany

Document > Set Filetype > Scripting Languages > Python source file

Then you will be able to fold tab indented text like

Code:

Heading 1
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla bla bla
	bla bla

Heading 2
	Section 1
		bla bla bla bla
		bla bla bla bla
		bla bla bla bla
	Section 2
		bla bla bla bla
		bla bla bla bla
		bla
etc

S. Chapelin · 05-28-2016, 10:01 AM

I found a workaround which is not too bad. I renamed the file as html. I use tags as the folding signals (<html> <head> etc.).
It even allows me to preview the text in a browser and to add pictures, etc.
Also, it is lighter than Writer.
Too bad we can't select letters for the text files. Ex.: {}
Solved unless someone has a better idea.
Thanks everybody!

whyglobaleyes · 08-02-2016, 11:31 AM

Hello,
Thanks for both the above solutions - they both work!

However I'm trying to tailor this folding behaviour to be closer to my work-habits. I find the HTML method tricky because I often export what I've written in Geany to other programmes. I find the python method distracting because syntax errors get highlighted.

--> Can anyone tell me how to suppress the highlighting in python documents please?

I tried messing with the settings in the Edit > Preference menu but that didn't work (or I didn't find the right one). Using the Geany manual so far ...
1. I managed to create my own filetype = created "filetypes.test.config" in /home/username/.config/geany/filedefs/
2. I copied the contents of filetypes.python from /usr/share/geany into the new config.
3. I can set my document filetype to be test and it shows up formatted just like a python document. << Yippee Successful So Far >>
4. But I can't figure out what to edit in the config file. I've been through and selectively deleted each of the subsections of the config = styling, keywords, lexer properties, settings, indentation, build-menu (exited & reloaded geany every time, or did Tools > Relaod Configuration) but it always comes up with the same python formatting ... I'm assuming that it's taking the syntax highlight rules from a parent in the /usr/share/geany directory, but again I can't figure out where that ?lexer? file is.

Many thanks in advance and much adulation to anyone who can help me on this.
BW

BTW
... Got to say that I'm a VERY recent linux convert (full time on my main desktop) and loving it!
... One of my preferences is to change all my default software over to cross-OS ones (eg) Thunderbird instead of WINE/Outlook - which is partly to get my wife used to linux software and then sneakily move her off Windows 10.
... Getting the folding sorted would make me replace Notepad++ on my Windows machines - and tell all my friends who I converted to Notepad++ to do the same!

S. Chapelin · 08-03-2016, 11:23 AM

Take a look at the oo feature call Navigator. It may work for you. http://openoffice.blogs.com/openoffi...ivalent-o.html

whyglobaleyes · 08-08-2016, 04:07 PM

Thanks chapelin,

I've used text styles & headings to structure documents in word and in libre-office but I reserve word processors for creating documents intended for other people to read.

For my own work I prefer the quicker lightweight text editors.

I might start a new thread - and google it some more - but once again I'm so grateful that you asked in the first place because I haven't found anyone else trying to fold text in Geany except in a code/ scripting scenario.

BW

supermistershell · 02-17-2017, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whyglobaleyes

Thanks chapelin,
[...] I haven't found anyone else trying to fold text in Geany except in a code/ scripting scenario.
BW

I'm trying to find this for a long time.

And, I also find using Python, HTML or text processor (openoffice, etc) is a not-so-good solution.

I've tried to adapt to using a already available extension file and see if I could customize it in order to create open and close tags using only one key typed twice, like "<<", for example, but I couldn't do it. If someone could tell me how, I'd be much appreciated

bogs · 08-13-2020, 08:39 AM

Although this is an old thread, I thought I might point out that to use the HTML solution might have been misunderstood as to what was required.

In the post that S. Chapelin explained it in, they said ...

Quote:

I found a workaround which is not too bad. I renamed the file as html. I use tags as the folding signals (<html> <head> etc.).

However, you don't have to use actual HTML tags at all, after switching the doc to HTML you can use anything enclosed in an <> bracket, or just the brackets themselves. For example, this works for folding -

Code:

<> Section view  
	ask if wanted as ballooned or labeled, elevation cut through house - footing, foundation, floor joists, walls, ceiling joists, roof, dimensions will be provided.
</>

... producing a simple look like this attached pic below.

You can literally put whatever you want within the <> tags, the closer tags just require the slash present regardless of the opening tags.