Set Size of Paragraph Tab Character

[HomeUser]

I used PDF-XChange Editor Plus, Version 7.0 (Build 328.2) (yeah, I know it isn't the latest and greatest ...) to make alterations to web content that I converted to a PDF document using the PDF-XChange Standard print driver. I've been making my alterations for several hours without a problem until now. For the first time in this effort, I need to insert a paragraph tab, sized to what I need it to be. I'm sure this is a simple thing to do, and the Forum has probably already provided another novice with the answer, but, for the life of me, I can't find it.
The problem I'm encountering when looking for the answer is that the feature I need information on is named "tab" yet "tab" is also what the items on the command ribbon (Home, View, Comment, etc.) are called. It seems that at least one ribbon command tab is referenced in virtually every question, answer, and/or discussion in the Forum (same for the online Help). I don't know how to identify a "paragraph tab" separate from a "command tab" when coming up with parameters for searching the Forum. SEARCH apparently doesn't allow 'string' parameters such as "paragraph tab" so I have to enter 'paragraph' and 'tab' as separate parameters. I've used 'insert tab' (I didn't include the single quote marks when entering the parameters; I'm using them here just to contain one parameter set from the body content of this topic.), 'tab size', 'paragraph tab', 'set "paragraph tab" size' (I DID use the double quote marks here, and learned that SEARCH doesn't like them), 'set tab size', and those same parameters with a "+" in front of each parameter, i.e., '+tab +size', ...
I may be overlooking something, but my efforts so far have led me to believe that searching for information about how to set the size of a paragraph tab is an exercise in futility. I'm hesitant to ask a question that most likely has already been answered, but I can't think of any other option so forgive me for asking, but How can I set the size of a paragraph tab that I want to insert in a string of text?

[Paul - Tracker Supp]

Hi Homeuser,

thanks for the post and question.

I don't think you are overlooking much in the search, "tab" is as you described a very popular term and will indeed result in many posts related to the "tabs" in the UI.

I am keen to help, however I am feeling a little unclear on what a "paragraph tab" might be:

How can I set the size of a paragraph tab that I want to insert in a string of text?

What is a "paragraph tab" may I ask? Are you looking to edit and "reflow" some existing text on a PDF or are you looking to add some new text in it's own block/paragraph?

Sorry if I am being obtuse, maybe you can create some screen shots to illustrate both what you are seeing and what you want to see?

[DIV]

Hi, Homeuser.

I assume that with "paragraph tab" you mean a tab character?
(Or maybe that's my bias? https://forum.pdf-xchange.com/viewtopic.php?p=148886&hilit=tab#p148886 )

Usually a tab character doesn't have a fixed size, because the idea is that it will take you to the next alignment point ("tab stop"). We could therefore characterise the tab character by its maximum size, which is implied by the distance between the alignment points ("tab stops").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_stop

—DIV

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

[HomeUser]

I apologize for my slow reply – for a time, events in my ‘analog life’ took precedence over those of my ‘digital life’.
DIV, thanks for your reply of 9/13/22; it clarifies very well what I meant when I used the term “Paragraph Tab”. When I used “Paragraph Tab”, I meant “Tab Stop” as it is implemented in a typical word processor such as MS Word.
PAUL, thanks for your reply of 9/12/22. Please see if DIV’s 9/13/22 reply clarifies for you what I was meaning by “Paragraph Tab” – at the time I just couldn’t remember its official term, “Tab Stop”.
In truth my current need for a Tab Stop function in PDF-XChange Editor is pretty basic: I need a portion of a pdf document I’m working on in Editor to have a 2-column layout. Column 1 will have only one character, a punctuation mark, to be entered at the left margin of the column. Column 2 will start at a fixed distance from the character in Column 1. I’m using this format because this portion of the document I’m modifying depicts what commands (words that need to be said) should be spoken to a ‘speech-to-text’ engine in order to have the desired punctuation mark appear in the document being created by speaking. For example, if the “speaker” wants an exclamation point (!) as the next character in his document, he can refer to the document I’m modifying, find the ! character in Column 1, and see the words he will have to say opposite in Column 2 in order to direct the ‘speech-to-text’ engine to insert an exclamation point character as the next character.
When I more closely read the second paragraph (beginning “My motivation …”) of DIV’s reply of 2/20/21 to the forum topic “Using tabs in comments made with the Typewriter Tool.”, I realized that he was presenting a workaround to the problem I’m having. And since my need is so simple (a fixed distance from a single character at the left margin), his workaround wouldn’t be too unwieldy to use in my case. Thanks, DIV.
I’m sure that eventually I’ll have a need for a Tab Stop function in PDF-XChange Editor that ends at a fixed point, but who’s beginning along the same line could be at any point prior to the Tab Stop’s endpoint. In that scenario, the workaround would be too unwieldy to use. Hopefully, by that time Tracker Software Products will have added a Tab Stop function.

[Tracker Supp-Stefan]

Hello HomeUser,

Thanks for getting back to us!
Happy to hear that DIV's suggestion will work for you for now, and we will indeed be reconsidering this behaviour in the future!

Kind regards,
Stefan