Text Editor Margins Options

You can use the settings in Tools > Options > Text Editor > Micro Focus COBOL and on the Margins page to display the margins, the ruler, or turn on smart editing mode.
Margins
Show margins
Displays the COBOL margins in the editor.
Tip: You can change the color of the margins and the margin text from Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors, and then from the COBOL Margin and COBOL Margin Text settings.
Show the ruler
Check this to view the ruler in the COBOL editor. The ruler is turned off by default.
Mainframe style
Check this to display the Mainframe style of the ruler with indications for areas A and B of the COBOL code.
Tip: You can change the color of the ruler and the text in the ruler from Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors, and then from the COBOL Ruler and COBOL Margin Text settings.
Smart edit mode
Smart edit mode controls the behavior of word wrapping and indentation in the different COBOL areas.
  • Wrap code when area A/B end is reached - with this enabled, lines wrap when you reach the end of area A/B.
  • Wrapping moves the text in the right hand area to the new line - with this enabled, any comments in the right-hand area stay in the right-hand area but move to the next line when wrapping in the A/B area occurs.
  • Wrap lines when deleting forwards and backwards - when you press Delete after the last non-white space in area A/B, the line beneath moves up (where possible to wrap in the A/B area) if there are no comments in the right-hand area for both lines and no comments in the sequence area of the line beneath. Similarly, when you press Backspace in column 8, the current line moves up (where possible to wrap in the A/B area) if there are no comments in the right-hand area of both lines and no comments in the sequence area of the current line.
  • Pressing home/end moves caret to the beginning/end of the area - check this option to change the way the Home and End keys move the cursor in the COBOL editor:
    • Pressing Home repeatedly first moves the cursor immediately before the first non-white space in the current area, then at the beginning of the area, or to the first non-white space in the preceding area.
    • Pressing End repeatedly first moves the cursor immediately after the last non-white space in the current area, and then at the start of the following area.
Wrap whole word (do not split word between lines)
Enabled by default. With this option checked, words you type that fall outside the AB code area wrap on a new line without splitting.