Margin adjusting of textual codes in a memory

Abstract

A system for automatically arranging a stored sequence ot textural character codes and control codes to provide textual line lengths within a predetermined range. If a tab code is detected within the stored sequence, the amount of line length corresponding to the tab code is calculated by the control logic, since the tab code, itself, includes no indication of the amount of line length for execution of the tab code. The number of character codes and space codes on a line containing a tab code is reduced to accommodate the line length required to execute the tab code upon print-out by a printer. In forming a group of codes corresponding to a line, a hyphenation decision may be necessary when inclusion of a word at the end of a line would result in too great a line length, while exclusion of the word would result in too short a line length. When hyphenation decisions are to be made during automatic adjustment of the stored code sequence, only the word involved in the hyphenation decision is printed for operator viewing. The number of the line on which the decision must be made is also printed, since this may influence the hyphenation decision. Further, another indication is included with the print-out if the word involved in the hyphenation decision is the last word of a paragraph. No other printing is performed during this automatic margin adjusting operation and, thus, the printer functions only as an operator readable output device when hyphenation decisions are required. The time required to adjust the margins of a page of text in this manner can, therefore, be extremely short in comparison to the time required when printing is included in the adjust operation, because the operation disclosed herein is not limited by the speed of the printer.