Limiting the size of hardware tab columns

To limit the size of hardware tab columns, type consecutive asterisks between columns to define hardware tab fields. The consecutive asterisks:

Allow you to determine the length of the data string to be typed in a column
Cause the cursor to automatically move to the next column when the current column is full

This procedure works only with asterisks (hardware tabs). When you type hyphens or underscores (software tabs), PDF does not insert attribute bytes. Because attribute bytes cannot be typed over, they limit the tab column size.

Insert the asterisks from the point where you want the column to end to the point where the next column begins. For instance, suppose you want to limit each tab column to five spaces. You could do so by following these steps:

Type COLS in the line command field and press Enter. A partial =COLS> line with positions 9 through 45 is shown in this example:
```
=COLS> -1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+
```
Type TABS ALL on the command line and press Enter again. This command causes PDF to insert an attribute byte at each hardware tab position defined by an asterisk (*).

Using the TABS line command, change the =TABS> line as follows:

=COLS> -1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+
=TABS>            *     *****     *****

With the =TABS> line altered as shown, the cursor automatically skips to the next tab column when 5 characters, blank spaces, or a combination of both are typed in each column.