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(efaq)Changing the length of a Tab

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How do I change Emacs's idea of the <TAB> character's length?
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   Set the variable `default-tab-width'.  For example, to set <TAB>
stops every 10 characters, insert the following in your `.emacs' file:

     (setq default-tab-width 10)

   Do not confuse variable `tab-width' with variable `tab-stop-list'.
The former is used for the display of literal <TAB> characters.  The
latter controls what characters are inserted when you press the <TAB>
character in certain modes.