Readme for Alpha, using AlphaTcl library version 9.0a1.
Version:9.0a1
Last update:2015-12-25 11:57:33



Introduction

Alpha is a powerful, multi-modal, highly configurable, and programmable text editor. For basic editing you can probably rely on your experience from other text editors or word processors, but in order to take advantage of the power-user features you will sooner or later want to dive into Alpha's vast documentation. This 'Readme' briefly surveys Alpha's documentation and help system, and points to other resources. Please see the Release Notes for a list of the major recent changes and known limitations.

General Help files

Most of Alpha's help files can be accessed from the Help Menu, right-most in the menu bar. To get an idea of some of Alpha's capabilities, peruse the Examples Help file. For general help, there is a detailed Alpha Manual, and a rather shorter Quick Start document. The other help files are more specialized. Most help files are available in html or pdf format. Html formatted help files can also be read with Alpha's Help Reader.
See the Help preferences panel preferences.

Mode-specific Help

Alpha automatically enters a "mode" specific to the sort of document being edited, and many features are mode-dependent. For example, in HTML mode there are special menus with all sorts of fancy tools for editing html documents, and the text is automatically colored according to the html syntax to make it easier to read.
Alpha determines the mode from the file name extension (e.g. .html); you can change mode "manually" by selecting "AlphaCocoa > Mode Prefs > Change Mode". For help on mode-specific issues, select "AlphaCocoa > Mode Prefs > Mode Help".
Selecting the "AlphaCocoa > Mode Prefs > Describe Mode" command provides more technical information regarding the mode.
Many modes allow you to customize their behavior by setting "Mode Prefs", which can be accessed via the "AlphaCocoa > Mode Prefs > Preferences" command. These dialogs generally include a "Help" button or "tooltip" information that describes the individual preferences.
See the Mode preferences panel preferences.

Package-specific Help

Much of Alpha's functionality is implemented as 'packages', which can be turned on and off in the "AlphaCocoa > Global Setup > Menus|Features" dialogs. See the Menus preferences panel and Features preferences panel preferences.
The "AlphaCocoa > Packages" menu contains commands "Describe a Package" and "Read Help for a Package". Selecting either of these will open a dialog allowing you to select the package for which you want more information. See the "Installed Packages" file for a list of pre-installed packages, with hyperlinks to their documentation.
In general, it is not necessary to install additional packages to use Alpha as a powerful text editor.

Keyboard Shortcuts (Key Bindings)

Alpha is very rich in keyboard shortcuts: some of them are displayed in the menus, but there are many others. It is also easy to define your own keyboard shortcuts for any menu item, or for any action or script. The help file "Keyboard Shortcuts" describes Alpha's preset shortcuts, and contains more information on how to define your own.
The preset keyboard shortcuts adjust to the current keyboard layout; select "AlphaCocoa > Preferences > System Preferences > International" to let Alpha know which layout you are using. See the International preferences panel preferences.
You can select "AlphaCocoa > Keyboard Shortcuts > Menu Shortcuts" to change most of Alpha's default menu keyboard shortcuts. See the Menu-shortcuts preferences panel preferences.

Alpha PreferenceZ

Alpha is highly configurable. There are many different preferences that one can set, and individual menus/features can be turned on and off. See the All-preferences preferences panel preferences.
The default settings have been designed to get you up and running quickly; once you have become accustomed to how the program works you can customize your editing environment at any time.

Internet Resources

For the most recent, up-to-date, information about Alpha, and further resources, see Alpha Wiki.
Alpha is privileged by an active and helpful user community whose main communication channels are two mailing lists you are invited to subscribe to, for "users" and "developers". Go to Alpha's Mailing Lists to search the archives or to sign up.
The developers' list is for discussing technical issues, while the users' list is for all sorts of questions and hints --- it is read also by the developers. Questions are usually answered within a day, and often they lead to improvements in subsequent versions of Alpha and its documentation. You can also use the "Help > Search E-mail Archives" menu item to see if a particular issue has been discussed.

Bug Reporting

There are still a number of known bugs, and probably many which have not yet been discovered. Bug reports are very welcome. PLEASE read the help file Known Bugs for a list of known bugs, and for information regarding how to make your bug report sufficiently informative to allow the developers to identify and fix the bug. The Debugging Help file contains some tips and tricks for tracking down the specific problem you might be experiencing.
Alpha has a sophisticated bug reporting and tracking system at http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/alphatcl/.
It allows developers to keep track of all information related to a bug, workarounds, dependence, and solutions. The preferred method for submitting a new bug to this system is via the "Help > Bug Reports > Create New Ticket" command.

License

You may freely copy and distribute Alpha.
See the file license terms for information on usage and redistribution of this software, and for a DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES.
The Author(s) of this product are in no way liable for any direct or indirect damage caused by the product.
This document has been placed in the public domain.