Auto expand tabs

[davidbarto]

My default settings shows “Auto Expand Tabs” is “on”
My file (the gear in the upper left) says “Auto Expand Tabs” is “off”
I select ‘Edit -> Normalize Options’
The file still shows “Off”

I turn it on for the file.
I select ‘Edit -> Normalize Options’
The file now shows “Off”

How is this? I expected “Normalize Options” to take the options from the defaults and apply them to the file.

David

[GP]

Just to verify... It is the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel where you have the "Auto-expand tabs" option checked?

If so, I've checked both BBEdit version 15.5.5 (15C124, Apple Silicon) running on macOS 15.7.7 and BBEdit version 16.0.1 (16A58, Apple Silicon) running on macOS Tahoe 26.5 and "Edit -> Normalize Options" when the dialog's "Normalize" button is clicked does normalize the front file window's Text Options sheet (the gear icon's sheet) settings to match the settings in the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel.

I've tried quite a few variations; however, I can't find a combination that duplicates the behavior you're describing. I've tried:

1. Editor Defaults - Auto-expand tabs - ON; file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - OFF; after "Edit -> Normalize Options" file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - ON

2. The opposite; Editor Defaults - Auto-expand tabs - OFF; file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - ON; after "Edit -> Normalize Options" file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - OFF

That's the expected behavior of "Edit -> Normalize Options".

If you close a file/window that "Edit -> Normalize Options" has been applied to, then change a BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel setting; then reopen the closed file, the file window's Text Options sheet will have the setting set to match what the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel current settings are and not what they were when the file was last closed when in the "Edit -> Normalize Options" state. However, if any manual change has been made to the file window's Text Options sheet before closing, reopening the file just tracks the previous manually changed state.

[Marc Hamilton]

David,

This is not my issue; I think you sent this email to the wrong person. I'm having an issue with BBEdit not reopening the last file I was working on. 

However, you did help me inadvertently. 'By turning 'Expand Tabs On' it lets me use the tab key both forward and backward turning my tabs into spaces and keeping Python's indentation requirements and the compiler happy.

 

Mark 

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From: bbe...@googlegroups.com <bbe...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of GP <gp-bbed...@hotmail.com>
Date: Friday, June 12, 2026 at 3:15 PM
To: BBEdit Talk <bbe...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Auto expand tabs

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[davidbarto]

On Jun 12, 2026, at 3:15 PM, GP <gp-bbed...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Just to verify... It is the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel where you have the "Auto-expand tabs" option checked?

Correct

If so, I've checked both BBEdit version 15.5.5 (15C124, Apple Silicon) running on macOS 15.7.7 and BBEdit version 16.0.1 (16A58, Apple Silicon) running on macOS Tahoe 26.5 and "Edit -> Normalize Options" when the dialog's "Normalize" button is clicked does normalize the front file window's Text Options sheet (the gear icon's sheet) settings to match the settings in the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel.

I've tried quite a few variations; however, I can't find a combination that duplicates the behavior you're describing. I've tried:

1. Editor Defaults - Auto-expand tabs - ON; file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - OFF; after "Edit -> Normalize Options" file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - ON

2. The opposite; Editor Defaults - Auto-expand tabs - OFF; file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - ON; after "Edit -> Normalize Options" file window Text Options - Auto-expand tabs - OFF

That's the expected behavior of "Edit -> Normalize Options".

If you close a file/window that "Edit -> Normalize Options" has been applied to, then change a BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel setting; then reopen the closed file, the file window's Text Options sheet will have the setting set to match what the BBEdit Editor Defaults Settings panel current settings are and not what they were when the file was last closed when in the "Edit -> Normalize Options" state. However, if any manual change has been made to the file window's Text Options sheet before closing, reopening the file just tracks the previous manually changed state.

What I expected was that “Normalize Options” would apply the “ Auto-expand tabs” to the current file. It doesn’t. Only when I open the file, click the ‘gear’ and then turn on “ Auto-expand tabs” for the file does it apply.

In my project, opening any file that I’ve never opened before DOES NOT set Auto-expand tabs.

Selecting “Normalize Options” on this file DOES NOT set Auto-expand tabs.

Creating a new file does have the 'Auto-expand tabs’ correctly checked.

David

On Friday, June 12, 2026 at 10:04:45 AM UTC-7 davidbarto wrote:

My default settings shows “Auto Expand Tabs” is “on”
My file (the gear in the upper left) says “Auto Expand Tabs” is “off”
I select ‘Edit -> Normalize Options’
The file still shows “Off”

I turn it on for the file.
I select ‘Edit -> Normalize Options’
The file now shows “Off”

How is this? I expected “Normalize Options” to take the options from the defaults and apply them to the file.

David

[GP]

I think your next step is to contact BBEdit support for their expert assistance with your issue. They are the only ones who know the implementation details of "Normalize Options" and individual file Text Options sheet settings operating mechanics to figure out what might be your specific problem and what might correct it.

[Bruce Van Allen]

In that same file, what happens if you type a new tab? When I open an existing doc with tabs, neither having auto-expand tabs enabled app-wide or just for that file converts existing tabs to spaces, but if I type a new tab, it inserts spaces.

Are you expecting it to convert existing tabs automatically?

There are Edit menu commands to convert between tabs and spaces. These are not automatic in themselves, but can be scripted to batch convert a bunch of existing files, or files you drop into a certain folder, etc.

HTH

— Bruce

_bruce__van_allen__santa_cruz_ca_

[davidbarto]

Opening a file within the project with tabs retains the tabs, as expected. However since it hasn’t been opened by BBEdit before, then I expect it to follow the global settings to convert tabs to spaces for new tab tapping on the keyboard. This doesn’t happen.

What I do now is open a file in the project, check the ‘gear’ to ensure that converting tabs to spaces is enabled and then proceeding with work. A silly bit of overhead for every file every time I open it.

Is there a per-file settings that I can find/remove for all previously opened files? If so I’d gladly remove all of them to see what happens.

And I’d blow away my BBEdit defaults file (If I knew which one it was specifically) and re-create them again.

David

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[Rich Siegel]

On 16 Jun 2026, at 15:38, davidbarto wrote:

> Opening a file within the project with tabs retains the tabs, as expected. However since it hasn’t been opened by BBEdit before, then I expect it to follow the global settings to convert tabs to spaces for new tab tapping on the keyboard. This doesn’t happen.

Nor will it; that is not the function of "Auto-expand Tabs".

You can use the "Convert Tabs to Spaces" command on the Text menu to convert tabs to spaces, as necessary. This can be done as a batch operation via "Apply Text Transform" on the Text menu, or in a text factory.

(To clarify: "Auto-expand Tabs" affects text input only, and does not trigger any operation other than when pressing the Tab key in a file for which it is enabled.)

You may find an appropriately constructed `.editorconfig` file to be helpful as well: https://editorconfig.org/

R.

--
Rich Siegel Bare Bones Software, Inc.
<sie...@barebones.com> <https://www.barebones.com/>

Someday I'll look back on all this and laugh... until they sedate me.