Plain Text/Source Code File Header
Overview
The plain text/source code (PT/SC) file header is a group of formatting parameters that may be specified in the body of a plain text file using a common humanly-readable syntax. This syntax is described in detail in an
Internet-draft, but has not as yet been formerly adopted by any standards bodies. The primary purpose of a PT/SC header is to specify the tab-dependant formatting parameters to be used when displaying, printing, or editing plain text and source code files.
Authors
Programmers and plain text file authors are strongly encouraged to start using PT/SC headers now and when the text editor and IDE developers catch-on and begin supporting PT/SC headers, we'll all be one step ahead of the game. In the mean-time, we can at least help one another out by "documenting" the original formatting parameters by including PT/SC headers in our text and source code files.
Editor Developers
Developers of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), programmer's editors, and plain text editors are strongly encouraged to use the current
Internet-draft to implement support for PT/SC headers as soon as possible.
Sample C source code for parsing PT/SC headers is available here: ptsc_hdr.c. Note: if you are using a non-PT/SC compliant text editor, you may need to manually change your tab-stops to view the source code as intended. [sigh]
Questions?
Questions and comments regarding the PT/SC header format may be directed to
ptsc_hdr@synchro.net.