Using tabs – PB Docs 2019

The Print function has several formats. The format shown in the
previous example prints a string starting at the left edge of the print
area and then prints a new line. In other formats of the Print function,
you can use tabbing to specify the print cursor position before or after
printing, or both.

Specifying tab values

Tab values are specified in thousandths of an inch and are relative
to the left edge of the print area. If a tab value precedes the string in
the Print call and no tab value follows the string, PowerBuilder tabs,
prints, then starts a new line. If a tab value follows the string,
PowerBuilder tabs after printing and does not start a new line; it waits
for the next statement.

In these examples, Job is the integer print job number.

This statement tabs one inch from the left edge of the print area,
prints Atlanta, and starts a new line:

This statement prints Boston at the current print position, tabs
three inches from the left edge of the print area, and waits for the next
statement:

This statement tabs one inch from the edge of the print area, prints
Boston, tabs three inches from the left edge of the print area, and waits
for the next statement:

Tabbing and the print cursor

When PowerBuilder tabs, it sets the x coordinate of the print cursor
to a larger print cursor value (a specified value or the current cursor
position). Therefore, if the specified value is less than the current x
coordinate of the print cursor, the cursor does not move.

The first Print statement shown below tabs one inch from the left
edge of the print area and prints Appeon, but it does not move to the next
tab. (0.5 inches from the left edge of the print area is less than the
current cursor position.) Since a tab was specified as the last argument,
the first Print statement does not start a new line even though the tab
was ignored. The next Print statement prints Inc. immediately after the
n in Appeon (Appeon Inc.) and then starts a new line: