Applying "source formatting" makes this page look weird!

Report · Apr 18, 2017

I can't figure out why when I apply "Source Formatting" the page looks unusual and is difficult to work with. I want each new line to be set "flush left." For no apparent reason, after I click the "Apply Source Formatting" icon, the elements get indented. I don't want that.

How can I make this page have the same formatting style as my others?

Here's what I've set up for a current page. . .

And here's what the same page looks like after I click "Apply Source Formatting."

Report · Apr 19, 2017

The problem with source formatting is that no matter how it is done, it will not be done how everyone wants.

You can go into preferences, select the code format option, then select the advanced formatting option, to customize how formatting is applied.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Hello, pz:

Sorry. I should have been clearer.

This is the only page of 1,000 or more that reformats with such excessive and undesirable indentations. All other pages (as far as I know) reformat without excessive, compounded indentations.

Might there be something that causes individual pages to perform independently when Apply Source Formatting is enacted?

Wondering Warren

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Have you checked the language setting at the bottom r/h side of the document window is the same as the other pages?

I know that there have been a number of complaints about source formatting, but those are in general by users not defining a site, or creating html emails.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

PZ:

Kindly provide a screen shot of where to find the language options icon. I see nothing of the sort anywhere on my page.

Thanks.

Warren

Report · Apr 19, 2017

I'm on my iPad at the moment, and will not be back at my desktop until tomorrow.

Hopefully another forum user will provide a screen shot before then, but it should be a small box at the bottom r/h side, that is used to select the type of language, such as html, php, coffescript, javascript, css etc.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

If you go to the image of the comparisson between the 2015 an 2017 UI at -

https://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/using/whats-new.html

Where it says "modern user interface", enlarge the image and you will see a small box with dropdown selector that says 'css', that is the selector.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

I personally detest indenting except in JS and PHP code. The fact that DW indents CSS code is tolerated only because I minify it at the end.

I have indenting turned off in my Code formatting Preferences. Also Auto Indent is disabled in my Code View Options. Script Language is beside your code error indicator. See screenshot.

Nancy

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Hello, Nancy!

Thanks for weighing in on this. After reading your comment, I modified the preference setting and deactivated Auto Indent from the Code View Options tab. I then closed DW CC and reloaded it. The excessive (undesirable) over-indentations reappeared! See it here. . .

The markup in Code View was still indented excessively; and an empty line was automatically inserted above the <head> tag.

I then manually deleted all the indentations and that line space. Here's what I want to see. ..

For no apparent reason, the (darn) indentations and added line(s) appears, despite the preferences I'd made, as follows:

And the PHP language shows as it should.

Please note: When I open an HTML page, there are no indentations, as follows:

Is this a problem that PHP pages have that HTML pages don't?

Can someone at Adobe Systems help me by screen-sharing me through a corrective process?

Here's hoping.

Warren

Report · Apr 19, 2017

What have you done in Tag Libraries?

On my end, I have selected Formatted but NOT Indented on each individual tag. It takes a while to set up initially.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Apr 19, 2017

If you still have the older version of DW that was formatting code the way you like when you hit Apply Source Formatting, you will probably need to go through the Edit > Tag Libraries (in the older one) and then Tools > Tag Libraries (in the newer version) and make sure you have everything set the same way between the two programs. Pay particular attention to the <head><style> and <body> tags (the ones you show with the undesired indentation)and make sure all of the settings are identical.

Also make sure you have no structural html or css errors in your code, DW will do all kinds of weird things if you're working with invalid mark up.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Nancy:

I've changed the tag editor settings; yes, it took a while!

Sadly, no change in the format of the code. ( ; - (

Jon:

I don't have an older version. Nevertheless, the problem occurs on only some pages.

The current problematic page has no WC3 errors:

https://validator.w3.org/nu/?doc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.warrencampdesign.com%2FheartyBoys%2Fquizzes%2Fquiz...

. . . yet, I cannot get the code to format as desired, without the excessive indentations and undesirable line breaks.

And I see another problem that this Apply Source Formatting operation causes: the commented out entries for lines drop to the next line!!!

See it here:

Can an Adobe technician help me with this? Please?

Thank you.

Warren

Report · Apr 19, 2017

wcamp wrote
Can an Adobe technician help me with this? Please?
Thank you.
Warren

You can try contacting them directly via chat here:

Contact Customer Care

The forums are user to user based, there aren't many actual Adobe Technicians here at all (if any).

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Technicians don't hang out here. They have bigger fish to fry.

If you want tech support, contact Adobe by phone or Online Chat.

My only other guess is that the document itself contains manual breaks & tabs you can't see in DW. Have you tried opening it another plain text / code editor yet?

Nancy

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Thanks, Nancy.

Okay. I'll initiate contact with the support staff. I simply wondered if the comments and screen shots that I've made today on this forum will be easily accessible to the technician. Hope so.

Regarding your inquiry about my opening the page in a plain text/code editor, I'm not aware of the process. Is Apple's "Pages" the appropriate software app? If not, what app does a Mac lover use?

Tell me also what exactly I need to copy/paste from the code to the text editor app. And what am I to look for? Please advise; never done this previously.

Thanks.

Warren

_______

Report · Apr 19, 2017

They have internet access, you can give them the direct link to the forum post at - https://forums.adobe.com/message/9463602

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Excellent! Thanks for the good news and the direct link.

I'll let you three know what I learn is needed to [hopefully] correct this anomaly.

Warren

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Brackets, Coda, NoteTab Light, Text Edit, TextWrangler, Sublime Text...

http://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/12-best-code-editors-for-mac-and-windows-for-editing-wordpress-fi...

File > Open

Nancy

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Before I buy software for this analysis, can you tell me what to enter and what to look for that would flag a problem? Is there a sample of what can be found to flag such a problem?

Otherwise, I'm hesitant to make the investment and be unable to use the software as needed.

Thanks, Nancy.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Investment?? Most if not all of those are open source or they offer a free trial period. I don't think you need to buy anything.

I don't know what you're looking for. But if you open it in another editor and see strange characters, that might a clue to why it's not formatting properly in DW.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User, Community Expert & Moderator

Report · May 02, 2017

Hello Nancy and Jon:

After waiting for ten work days, I've finally heard back from a technician who'd shared my screen from day 1: April 25. After fully appreciating the source formatting problem, I believe that she told me, "Senior techs will correct the problem in the next upgrade." She barely spoke English so I can't be certain that that's what she said. Hopefully, Adobe Systems will correct this formatting anomaly.

In the mean time, I've learned to use this workaround: Command All > Outdent Code. It's frustrating to realize that I must do that workaround on PHP pages while HTML pages show no signs of this anomaly. I'll wait patiently for the true fix.

I thank you both for your assistance in this regard.

Warren

Applying "source formatting" makes this page look weird!

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