_indent

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Specifies the number of columns to indent the first line of a paragraph of ? command output when _wrap is true.

Syntax

_indent = <expN>

<expN>

The column number, relative to the left margin, where the first line of a new paragraph begins. You can specify a fractional number for <expN> to position output accurately with a proportional font.

Default

The default for _indent is 0.

Description

Use _indent to specify where the first line of a new paragraph begins relative to the left margin. (Specify the left margin with _lmargin.) The _indent setting is effective only when _wrap is true.

When you direct ? output to the printer, dBASE Plus maps each character according to the coordinate plane, a two-dimensional grid. The coordinate plane is divided into character cells whose widths depend on the value of _ppitch. See the table in the description of _ppitch, which lists _ppitch values. The height of each character cell is determined by the size of the font.

If you change the value of _indent, dBASE Plus takes the current value of _ppitch into consideration when calculating the cell width of the coordinate plane. This happens regardless of whether you're printing with proportional or monospaced fonts.

To indent the first line of a paragraph, use a value greater than 0. For example, to begin the line five columns to the right of the left margin, set _indent to 5. To create a hanging indent (sometimes called an outdent), use a negative value. For example, to begin the first line five columns to the left of the left margin, set _indent to -5. Using the default value of 0 (no indent or outdent) aligns all lines in a paragraph to the left margin. The sum of _lmargin and _indent must be greater than 0 and less than _rmargin.