Tab Stops

Tab Stop/Replace markers ("«»") are used in snippets and templates as placeholders for inserting content. They change the behavior of the Tab key when they are present.

Usage

The markers have the following format in a snippet or template:

[[%tabstop:name]]

When the snippet is used or a new file is created from the template, the marker looks like this:

«name»

The "name" between the chevron characters ("«" and "»") is the default value of the marker. It can be set to any string (see examples below).

After the snippet is inserted, the first marker is selected. The marker can be replaced with text at this point, or left as the default value. Use the Tab key to replace the marker and all subsequent markers with the same name with the new text or default value. Use the Tab key again to jump to the next marker.

Examples

Here's an example of a "blank" PHP function snippet that uses Tab Stop/Replace markers:

/*
    * function «name»
    * @param $«arg»
*/

function «name»($«arg») {
  «»
}

The «name» marker is the first place "Tab" will stop. It gets replaced with the function name which is propagated through the rest of the snippet when "Tab" is hit again. The «arg» marker is the next place "Tab" stops, and is treated the same way.

It is useful to leave the cursor in the snippet window immediately before the first Tab Stop/Replace marker and select Maintain selected text or cursor position after insertion. If the cursor is left at the end of the snippet, "Tab" will not encounter the markers.

Here's another example of a short snippet for HTML:

<«div»>[[%s]]</«div»>

The current selection is wrapped in an element (a "div" by default). Hitting "Tab" after insertion will select the first "div" for replacement. If it is replaced, the closing tag will be changed when "Tab" is hit again. If it is not replaced, "div" will be used as the element type.