• Introduction
• Global preferences
  • Appearance preferences
  • Backups preferences
  • Completions preferences
  • Document preferences
  • Electrics preferences
  • Encodings preferences
  • Errors preferences
  • Files preferences
  • General preferences
  • Help preferences
  • International preferences
  • Menus preferences
  • Popups preferences
  • Printing preferences
  • Text preferences
  • Tiling preferences
  • WWW preferences
  • Window preferences
• Package preferences
• Mode preferences
• Core preferences
• User defined preference files
  • Global preference file
  • Mode-specific preference files
  • Example
    • Global example
    • Mode-specific example

Introduction

Global preferences

Appearance preferences

Allow Dark Mode Text

The Allow Dark Mode Text option tells whether the text area of document windows should have a darker background color when Dark Mode is selected in the system-wide OS X Preferences (OSX 10.14 or greater). Otherwise the background remains the same as in light mode.

Background Color

The Background Color option specifies the default background color for text panes in light mode.

Coloring

The Coloring option is used to enable/disable words coloring according to mode and context.

Dark Background Color

The Dark Background Color option specifies the default background color for text panes in dark mode. This color is used only if the Allow Dark Mode Text option is enabled.

Default Font

The Default Font option specifies the default font to use for new windows.

Foreground Color

The Foreground Color option specifies the default text color for document windows. It applies to the portions of text which are not otherwise colorized by the current mode.

Status Bar Font Size

The Status Bar Font Size option specifies the default font size to use for the messages displayed in the status bar. The height of the status bar is adjusted accordingly.

Status Bar Location

The Status Bar Location option specifies the position of the status bar (top=0, bottom=1). Note that the status bar may not be located at the bottom if the dock is there.

Status Bar Visible

The Status Bar Visible option tells whether the status bar is visible at startup. This can be changed later with the Show/Hide Status Bar command in the Open Windows menu.

Tab Size

The Tab Size option specifies the default size for a tab character in new windows (not necessarily the same as the amount of space used for visual indentation of code).

Backups preferences

Auto Save On Switch

The Auto Save On Switch option specifies whether to automatically save all open windows which exist as local files (i.e. not new buffers) whenever switching from Alpha to another program.

Backup

The Backup option specifies whether to make a backup every time a file is saved, in either the active file's folder or a specified Backup Folder location.

Backup Age Requirement In Hours

The Backup Age Requirement In Hours option spedifies the time interval between backups. If the previous backup is more recent than this number of hours, then don't make a new backup.

Backup Extension

The Backup Extension option specifies the extension to add to files when backing them up.

Backup Folder

The Backup Folder option specifies the folder in which to store backups. A null value tells Alpha to use the file's current directory.

Maximum Backup File Size

The Maximum Backup File Size option specifies a size limit. If a file is larger than this number of kilobytes, do not save a backup copy. This allows you to avoid creating backups for extremely large files. If this setting takes the value 0, it is ignored.

Number Of Changes Before Auto Save

The Number Of Changes Before Auto Save option is used to enable/disable autosaving. To save files automatically (except untitled buffers) after a certain number of editing changes, set this to the number of changes after which you would like the file to be saved. Set to the empty string to disable auto-saving.

Undo On

The Undo On option is used to turn on/off the undo manager for all documents.

Completions preferences

Ask Delete Selection

The Ask Delete Selection option lets have completion routines ask you before deleting the current selection. To have completion routines automatically delete any existing selection when performing completions, turn this option on.

List Pick If Mult Completions

The List Pick If Mult Completions option tells whether to choose from a listbox of possible completions when you try to complete a command for which no unique suffix exists.

List Pick If Mult Expansions

The List Pick If Mult Expansions option is similar to the flag List Pick If Mult Completions but applies to expansions rather than completions.

Document preferences

Autosaves In Place

The Autosaves In Place option lets decide whether autosaving should be done in place or elsewhere. To enable this, you must also set a non 0 value for the Autosaving Delay preference.

Autosaving Delay

The Autosaving Delay option sets the time interval in seconds for periodic autosaving. A value of 0 disables periodic autosaving.

Check Text On Open

The Check Text On Open option indicates whether to perform a text checking for the currently enabled text checking options (like link detection, quotes substitution, etc.) when a document is opened. By default, text checking is asynchronous. Note that you may also use the Text Options ↣ Check Document menu item at any moment.

Clear Undo Stack On Save

The Clear Undo Stack On Save option indicates whether the stack of undos should be cleared when saving a window.

Data Detection

The Data Detection option is used to enable/disable automatic data detection enables detection of dates, addresses, and phone numbers.

Fill Column

The Fill Column option controls line breaking. When wrapping text (see 'Line Wrap' preference), line breaking occurs for any text at or beyond this column position (where column counting starts from zero at the left window edge). Used by all 'Fill' routines.

Grammar Checking

The Grammar Checking option is used to enable/disable grammar checking for newly opened windows.

Incremental Searching

The Incremental Searching option is used to enable/disable incremental searching for newly opened windows. This setting can be overridden later with the 'Turn Incremental On/Off' item in the Search menu.

Left Fill Column

The Left Fill Column option specifies the number of blanks left at beginning of lines by 'fill' routines.

Link Detection

The Link Detection option is used to enable/disable automatic link detection. It causes strings representing URLs typed in the view to be automatically made into links to those URLs.

Needs Wrap Column

The Needs Wrap Column option lets Alpha ask if wrapping should be done whenever the user opens files that have lines longer than 'Needs Wrap Column' characters.

Show Invisibles

The Show Invisibles option tells whether to show all tabs, carriage returns, spaces etc. with distinct symbols. The following glyphs are used to draw invisible characters:

Character	Glyph
space	␣
new line	↵
tabulation	↦
vertical tab	↧
form feed	⤈

Use Kerning

The Use Kerning option tells whether to use glyph kerning.

Use Ligatures

The Use Ligatures option tells whether to use ligatures.

Wrap On Open

The Wrap On Open option tells whether to apply soft wrapping when opening a document.

Electrics preferences

Comments Continuation

The Comments Continuation option controls whether every comment char is detected ('anywhere'), or if it is only detected at line start modulo whitespace ('spaces allowed'), or only at proper line start ('only at line start'). For most modes, the global default setting of 'anywhere' is adequate according to syntax, but the user may prefer to override this, according to typing habits. Fortran syntax requires 'only at line start'. For Text and Mail modes, where comment characters may also appear mid sentence, it should be set to 'spaces allowed', to avoid those auto-continue-comment things like where an embedded '>' can cause strange results when pressing <return>.

Elec Stop Marker

The Elec Stop Marker option specifies the character inserted into the text to indicate 'stop marks': useful positions which you can jump between very quickly.

Indentation Amount

The Indentation Amount option tells Alpha to visually indent code by this many characters to indicate its structure. The whitespace used for indentation may be composed of spaces and/or tabs depending on the window's tab size.

Position After Indentation

The Position After Indentation option indicates where Alpha places the insertion cursor after a line has been automatically indented.

Encodings preferences

Encodings Style

The Encodings Style option lets choose your preferred style to display encoding names in popup menus.

Hex Dump Encoding

The Hex Dump Encoding option specifies the encoding of the right hand side column of hex dumps. Default value is UTF8 on Mac OS X and Latin1 otherwise.

Input Encoding

The Input Encoding option specifies the default input encoding.

Output Encoding

The Output Encoding option specifies the default output encoding.

Preferred Encodings

The Preferred Encodings option contains a list of your preferred encodings here to have them appear first in the open and save dialogs.

Errors preferences

Beep On Error

The Beep On Error option does just like it says.

Display Errors In

The Display Errors In option indicates whether errors should be reported in the status bar, a dialog, or a new window.

Maximum Level

The Maximum Level option Causes 'try' scripts to abort if they are executing this many levels deep in the execution stack (see 'info level'). A negative value allows unlimited nesting.

Files preferences

Allows Other File Types

The Allows Other File Types option indicates whether the user is allowed to save files with an extension that's not in the list of allowed types.

Build Exec Path From

The Build Exec Path From option lets select the path to use to build an exec search path for AlphaTcl: "inherited path" or "user shell's path".

Extra Exec Search Path

The Extra Exec Search Path option specifies the extra filesystem locations to search for executables.

Never Break On Open

The Never Break On Open option indicates how to open files with very long lines: to open the files as-is, without prompting the user to wrap them, turn this option on. Otherwise the user is prompted when opening files with very long lines.

Open Packages

The Open Packages option may be turned on to have the Get File dialog open bundled apps.

Show Invisible Files

The Show Invisible Files option may be turned on to have the Get File dialog display the invisible files.

Vc Systems

The Vc Systems option specifies the current version control system.

General preferences

Alpha Server Port

The Alpha Server Port option lets you choose another port for the Alpha Server package. By default, the Alpha Server listens on port 51954. See the Alpha Server Help for more information.

Copy Includes Font Info

The Copy Includes Font Info option is used to enable/disable copy of rich text. If this flag is set, copy operations include font and style info. Otherwise only the text is written to the pasteboard.

Identity

The Identity option specifies the default identity. Different identities can be useful if your projects may be sometimes for work purposes, sometimes for your own purposes etc.

Num Lock

The Num Lock option controls the numeric keypad. To use standard OS functions for the numeric keypad, turn this option on. To allow Alpha to define special functions for the numeric keypad, turn this option off.

Prompt Noisily

The Prompt Noisily option is used to make Alpha beep when it asks you for something in the status bar.

Help preferences

Preferred Help Format

The Preferred Help Format option specifies a default format to use when some help files are available in multiple formats, such as html, pdf, etc.

Second Choice Help Format

The Second Choice Help Format option is similar to Preferred Help Format. It specifies a second choice when some help files are available in multiple formats, such as html, pdf, etc.

Third Choice Help Format

The Third Choice Help Format option is similar to Preferred Help Format. It specifies a third choice when some help files are available in multiple formats, such as html, pdf, etc.

International preferences

Keyboard

The Keyboard option specifies the type of keyboard you have. This is used by Alpha to define some basic key-bindings adapted to your keyboard. For instance, the 'Shift Left' menu item is bound to cmd-[ on a US keyboard and to cmd-( on a french keyboard.

Time Stamp Style

The Time Stamp Style option specifies whether the time-stamps are in ISO or a shorter, more readable format.

Menus preferences

Use Dynamic Menus

The Use Dynamic Menus option specifies whether to use dynamic menus. To use shorter menus in which similar items are shown as a single item which changes when you hold down 'option' (⌥), 'control' (⌃) etc, turn this option on.

Popups preferences

Popup Menu Modes

The Popup Menu Modes option specifies modes that will always appear in the "Mode" pop-up menu in the status bar of document windows. In addition to these modes, this menu will include all modes which have been loaded during the current editing session. "Text" mode is always included.

Remember Loaded Popup Modes

The Remember Loaded Popup Modes option lets remember the modes you've used during this editing session in your set of defaults for your next session.

Show All Popup Modes

The Show All Popup Modes option lets show all options in the "Mode" pop-up menu, rather than only those loaded during the current editing session and those in the "Popup Menu Modes" preference.

Sort Parse Menu

The Sort Parse Menu option lets the items be sorted in the Parse Functions popup menu of document windows.

Printing preferences

Print Header

The Print Header option tells whether a header should be printed with documents.

Text preferences

Continuous Spell Checking

The Continuous Spell Checking option is used to enable/disable continuous spell checking for newly opened windows.

Dash Substitution

The Dash Substitution option is used to enable/disable automatic dash substitution that is to say conversion of sequences of hyphen characters to typographic dashes.

Indent On Return

The Indent On Return option tells whether to apply clever indentation when Carriage Return is pressed. This is a global setting which can be overridden by mode specific preferences.

Line Break

The Line Break option is used to enable/disable line breaking (aka hard wrapping). This is the process of automatically inserting a carriage-return when you exceed a line length of 'Fill Column' characters. Select your line break style here.

Quote Substitution

The Quote Substitution option is used to enable/disable automatic quote substitution: if it is enabled, quotation marks and apostrophes are replaced with typographic symbols.

Smart Insert Delete

The Smart Insert Delete option is used to enable/disable smart insert/delete.

Spelling Correction

The Spelling Correction option is used to enable/disable automatic spelling correction.

Text Replacement

The Text Replacement option is used to enable/disable automatic text replacement that is to say automatic substitution of a variety of static text items based on user preferences.

Twiddle Adjusts

The Twiddle Adjusts option controls the 'twiddle' and 'twiddle words' operations. They can follow a variety of user preferences. Select your preferred mode of operation here.

Tiling preferences

Batch List Window Fraction

The Batch List Window Fraction option specifies the fraction of the screen the small batch-search, or diff-style windows use up.

Num Wins To Tile

The Num Wins To Tile option specifies the number of windows to relocate when using the tiling items in the 'Arrange' menu. The commands will relocate this many windows, starting with the front window and moving back.

Tile Proportion

The Tile Proportion option specifies the fraction of the screen to use for the main window when tiling two windows unequally.

WWW preferences

Browser App

The Browser App option specifies the application name of a default internet browser.

Compose Email Using

The Compose Email Using option sets the default method for composing emails. Emails can be composed using the default composer for your OS or using Alpha's Mail menu.

Download Folder

The Download Folder option specifies the default download location for files from the internet.

Use Ftp Eol Type

The Use Ftp Eol Type option controls the typoe of end-of-lines when creating files or uploading through the various ftp facilities. The commands wil try to save files with this eol format. Note that some external ftp clients may translate eols for you as they up/download.

Window preferences

Display Line Numbers

The Display Line Numbers option controls whether to display line numbers in the left margin of each new window.

Display Virtual Column

The Display Virtual Column option tells whether the column indicator at bottom of document windows should display virtual positions (taking Tab Size into account) or true positions.

Force Document On Reopen

The Force Document On Reopen option indicates that when Alpha is reopened (launched again when already running) and has no documents open already, it should create a new untitled document. This is required by the HIG but can be irritating.

Force Main Screen

The Force Main Screen option is used to force newly opened windows onto the main screen. Otherwise new windows may be opened anywhere, including off screen.

Use Status Bar For Prompts

The Use Status Bar For Prompts option tells Alpha to prompt in the status bar if possible (rather than use a dialog). Otherwise Alpha uses dialogs in preference to the status bar for user input.

Window Geometry

The Window Geometry option specifies a set of window dimensions to use when a new window is opened. If the option is set to a four items list of the form x y w h, then this geometry will over-ride the normal window shape which is calculated on the fly based on your screen resolution, status-bar position, theme, etc.

Package preferences

Mode preferences

Core preferences

Status Bar Visible

Tells whether the status should be visible or hidden by default.

Status Bar Location

Lets you specify the position of the status bar which may ba at the top or at the bottom of the screen.

Status Bar Font Size

Lets you specify the size in points of the font used to display messages. The heigth of the status bar is automatically adjusted.

User defined preference files

Global preference file

Mode-specific preference files

Example

Global example

    binding create {oc 't'} {text insert [ISOTime::ISODateAndTimeRelaxed]}

Mode-specific example

    binding create -tag TeX {zoc 'b'} {elec::Wrap "\\boxed{" "}••"}