General Settings for TextPad




From the Preferences dialog box under the Configure menu, you can change numerous settings in TextPad. While the settings have not changed much during upgrades to TextPad, some may differ slightly. These represent my settings as of January 2011 and should work in TextPad 4.x thru 9.x, and for many sections I have listed only those boxes I have changed. Many other settings are available, so feel free to experiment. I do not explain the settings here, but TextPad help provides considerable detail. See the "Help" button on the Preferences dialog box.

 
Preferences Organized by Items in the Dialog Box
1. General 6. Associated Files 11. Language
2. Files 7. Backup 12. Macros
3. Editor 8. File Name Filters 13. Spelling
4. View 9. Folders 14. Tools Menu
5. Document Classes
    (e.g., HTML, Mplus, SAS, SPSS)
10. Keyboard  

 

1. General
General Items
[x] Working folder follows active document
Put shortcuts to Texpad on:
[x] Program menu
[x] Context menu
[x] Send To menu
2. File
General Items
Number of recent files: 16
Number of resent workspaces: 10
Default file extension: txt
[x] Overwrite original files directly, when saving
[x] Open locked files read-only
While files are modified by another process:
( ) Prompt (x) Auto-reload ( ) ignore
[x] Check for file size changes
3. Editor
General Items
[x] Constrain cursor to text
[x] Enable drag and drop editing (can only change with no docs open)
Keystroke compatibility: Microsoft Applications
[x] Show keyboard shortcuts
[x] use Microsoft's conventions for mouse click
4. View
General Items
[x] Highlight the line containing the cursor
[x] Horizontal scroll bar
[x] Line numbers
[x] Popup names on the document selector
[x] Popup tips
[x] Verticle scroll bar
Visible white space:
[x] Tabs
5. Document Classes

You must close all documents to add document classes. The document classes below are those I use. Many TextPad users will not need all of these, and some people may add different classes.

WARNING: at the bottom of the general settings page for most document classes, there is an option labeled "apply these settings to all document classes." Use this option with care. When checked, any changes to the current document class will propogate to ALL other classes defined, which may not be desired. There is no undo.

Default
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.*
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [ ] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [x] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [ ] Word break at column number:  65

Colors: defaults

Fonts
    Display: Letter Gothic MT, Bold, 11pt
    Printer: Courier New, Regular, 10pt

Printing
    Header: &i&l&f&r&D_____               <underscores → 5 spaces at end>
    Footer: &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____    <5 spaces at end>
    [X] File Time    [ ] Print Time
    Margins:    .90     .50
                .50     .50
    [x] Word wrap long lines
    All other options off (not checked)

Syntax: none.

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    [x] Convert new tabs to spaces
    [x] Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving
Cascading Style Sheets
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.css
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [ ] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [ ] Word break at column number:  90

Colors: defaults

Fonts
    Display: Letter Gothic MT, Bold, 12pt
    Printer: Courier New, Regular, 10pt

Printing
    Header: &i&l&f&r&D_____               <5 spaces at end>
    Footer: &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____    <5 spaces at end>
    [X] File Time    [ ] Print Time
    Margins:    .90     .50
                .50     .50
    [x] Word wrap long lines
    All other options off (not checked)

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: css.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    [x] Convert new tabs to spaces
    [x] Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving
Data
(Setup not yet recorded here)
HTML
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.asp, *.cfm, *.htm, *.html, *.sgm, *.sgml,
      *.shtm, *.shtml, *.stm, *.stml, *.wrl
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [x] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [x] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [x] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [ ] Word break at column number:  110

Colors
    Keywords 2: purple
    Keywords 3: maroon
    Keywords 4: navy
    Keywords 5: green
    Comments:   olive
    Strings:    teal
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts
    Display: Times New Roman, 15pt
    Printer: Courier New, Regular, 10pt

Printing
    Header: &i&l&f&r&D_____               <5 spaces at end>
    Footer: &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____    <5 spaces at end>
    [X] File Time    [ ] Print Time
    Margins:    .90     .50
                .50     .50
    [x] Word wrap long lines

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: html.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    [x] Convert new tabs to spaces
    [x] Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving
Mplus
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.mpi
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [x] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [x] Word break at column number:  60

Colors
    Keywords 3: purple
    Keywords 4: green
    Keywords 6: maroon
    Comments:   olive
    Strings:    silver
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts
    Display: SAS Monospace, 11pt
    Printer: Courier, 10pt

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&t, &D_____        <5 spaces at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____ <5 spaces at end>
    Margins: 0.90  0.50
             0.50  0.40

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: Mplus.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 4 spaces
    Indent size: 4 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
Mplus Output
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.mpo
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [x] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [x] Word break at column number:  80

Colors
    Keywords 3: purple
    Keywords 4: green
    Keywords 6: maroon
    Comments:   olive
    Strings:    silver
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts
    Display: SAS Monospace, 12pt
    Printer: Courier, 10pt

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&t, &D_____        <5 spaces at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____ <5 spaces at end>
    Margins: 0.90  0.50
             0.80  0.70     (Fits Mplus output page size)
    In Color: checked

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: Mplus.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
SAS
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.sas, *.log
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [x] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
        ( ) Save hard breaks
    Check Spelling of
        [x] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [x] Word break at column number:  95

Colors (changes from default)
    Keywords 3: purple
    Keywords 4: green
    Keywords 5: (custom: semi-dark red)
    Keywords 6: red
    Comments: olive
    Strings: gray
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts (fixed-space font works best, e.g., Courier New)
    Display: LetterGothic MT, Bold, 11pt
       (Alt: SAS Monospace, 10pt)
    Printer: LetterGothic MT, Bold, 9pt
       (Alt: SAS Monospace,  9pt)
    Note: sometimes TextPad display doesn't show immediately
    when switching.

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&D___            <+ 3 spaces at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P___ <+ 3 spaces at end>
    Margins: .50  .40
             .40  .30
    No check boxes checked.

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: sas.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 5 spaces
    Indent size: 5 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
SAS Output
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.lst
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [ ] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
        ( ) Save hard breaks
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [ ] Word break at column number:  116

Fonts (fixed-space font works best, e.g., Courier New)
    Screen: Courier New, Bold, 10pt
       (Alt: SAS Monospace, 10pt)
       (Alt: LetterGothic MT, Bold, 9pt)
    Printer: Courier New, Bold, 8pt
       (Alt LetterGothic MT, Bold, 8pt)
       (Alt: SAS Monospace,  8pt)
    Note: sometimes TextPad display doesn't show immediately when switching.
      Exit and restart.

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&D                <+ 1 space at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P     <+ 1 space at end>
    Margins: .40  .40
             .30  .20
    No check boxes checked.

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: text.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 5 spaces
    Indent size: 5 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
SPSS
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.sps
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [x] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [x] Word break at column number:  80

Colors
    Keywords 3: maroon
    Keywords 4: purple
    Keywords 5: Navy   (default)
    Keywords 6: fuschia
    Comments:   olive
    Strings:    silver
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts
    Display: SAS Monospace, 12pt
    Printer: Courier, 10pt

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&t, &D_____        <5 spaces at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____ <5 spaces at end>
    Margins: 0.90  0.50
             0.30  0.25
    In Color: checked

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: SPSS.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
SPSS Output
Top-level Settings
    Files in class: *.lis
    [x] Maintain indentation
    [x] Automatically indent blocks
    [ ] Include trailing spaces when selecting words
    [x] Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving
    [ ] View in web browser
    [ ] Write Unicode and UTF-8 BOM
    [ ] Word wrap long lines
        (o) Save with no breaks in lines
    Check Spelling of
        [ ] Comments
        [x] Strings
        [ ] Words with underscores
    Default encoding
        (o) ANSI
        ( ) DOS
        ( ) UTF-8
    Create new files as
        (o) PC
        ( ) Unix
        ( ) Mac

    [x] Word break at column number:  80

Colors
    Keywords 3: maroon
    Keywords 4: purple
    Keywords 5: Navy   (default)
    Keywords 6: fuschia
    Comments:   olive
    Strings:    silver
    Comments 2: olive

Fonts
    Display: SAS Monospace, 12pt
    Printer: Courier, 10pt

Printing
    Header:  &i&l&f&r&t, &D_____        <5 spaces at end>
    Footer:  &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____ <5 spaces at end>
    Margins: 0.90  0.50
             0.30  0.25
    In Color: checked

Syntax
    [x] Enable syntax highlighing
    Syntax definition file: text.syn

Tabulation
    Default tabs spacing: 2 spaces
    Indent size: 2 spaces
    Convert new tabs to spaces: checked
    Convert existing tabs to spaces when saving: checked
Syntax (TextPad syntax files) (Setup not yet recorded here)
Text
Fonts
    Display: Letter Gothic MT, Bold, 11pt
    Printer: Courier New, Regular, 10pt

Printing
    Header: &i&l&f&r&D_____               <5 spaces at end>
    Footer: &i&l&F&rPage &p of &P_____    <5 spaces at end>
    [X] File Time    [ ] Print Time
    Margins:    .90     .50
                .50     .50
    All other options off (not checked)
6. Associated Files
General Items
Include all file extensions which you want to associate with TextPad, such as .txt, .bat, .css, .htm, .html, .sas, .lst, .log, .sps, .lst, etc.
7. Backup
General Items
[x] Backup files before saving changes
Backup FILE.EXT as:
(o) FILE.EXT in folder: C:\Backups
8. File Name Filters
Add filters as desired.
9. Folders
Change folders as desired.
10. Keyboard
Add or change keyboard bindings as desired. I have set my Analyze tool (see below), for example, to Alt-A. You can reassign nearly any key.
11. Language
User Interface Language:
English
12. Macros
Organize and edit macros as desired.
13. Spelling
Spell Checker Options:
[x] Auto correct
[x] Case sensitive
[_] Ignore capitolized workds (e.g., England)
[x] Ignore single letters
[_] Ignore words in capitals only (e.g., ASAP)
[_] Ignore words with mixed case (e.g., TextPad)
[x] Ignore words with numbers (e.g., Win98)
[x] Remember which workds to correct automatically
[x] Report doubled words (e.g., the the)
Suggestions for unrecognized workds
[_] Phonetic
[_] Split
[_] Typographical
    Faster                                V  More
    Search  . . . . . . . . . . . Accurate
14. Tools Menu

The tools options below include some redundancy. Under Preferences, the Menu Text is set on the Tools list, while the other options are set independently for each tool. To add a tool, from the Tools list, select Add and then Program.

The first option, Analyze, runs either SAS or Mplus, depending on the file extension. It runs a small Windows batch (.bat) or command (.cmd) file that picks the analyses type based on the file extension. This allows me to define one "Analyze" key in TextPad without worrying about which program I need to run. I define Alt-A to run this "Analyze" tool. The SAS and Mplus options that follow provide additional examples of how to setup tools.

Analyze (either SAS or Mplus)
        Menu Text:  Analyze (Low Priority)
          Command:  "C:\Program Files\Analyze.bat"     ←(click to view)
       Parameters:  $File Low
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
      Check boxes:  [X] Run minimized
Note. The file "Analyze.bat" runs either SAS or Mplus depending on the file extension (.sas, .lst, .log for SAS or .mpi, .mpo for Mplus), making the next two tools unnecessary. Click on the Analyze.bat file above to see the contents of the file. The Command lists the batch file's location and name, with its arguments listed after Parameters.
 
The batch file takes as arguments, the file name ($File) and an execution priority for Windows (Low). The priorities are set using the Windows "start" command within the Analyze.bat file. Without a priority listed here, it defaults to Low. If Analyze.bat did not use "start" to set the priority, the analysis programs would consume nearly all of the CPU , making other work difficult. With a low priority, PCs generally allow for work on other tasks during lengthy analyses with very little impact on the time it takes for SAS or Mplus to complete their work. Options other than "Low" include "BelowNormal," "Normal," "AboveNormal," and "High."

SAS System
        Menu Text:  SAS System
             Note:  On windows NT or XP: Choose "Add DOS Command"
          Command:  cmd.exe (grayed, not editable)
       Parameters:  Start "SAS Program" /low "{SASfolder}\Sas.exe"
                    $File -NOSPLASH -CONFIG "{SASfolder}\SASV8.CFG"
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
      Check boxes:  [X] Run minimized; [X] Close DOS window on exit
Note. This particular command was created using the Add button and then DOS Command on the Tools list in preferences. This will enter cmd.exe in the Command box and gray out the box; you can't change this option once it is set.
 
Running SAS without the "start" command (parameters section) consumes nearly all of the CPU time on a PC. The start command, added explicitly here, allows you to lower the priority so you can work on other tasks during long jobs. This only slightly lengthens the time for SAS to complete during normal work. Multiple SAS jobs, however, will slow each other down. Options other than "/low" include "/BelowNormal," "/Normal," "/AboveNormal," and "/High."

Mplus
        Menu Text:  Mplus
          Command:  C:\Mplus\Mplus.exe
       Parameters:  $File $BaseName.mpo
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
                    [x] Capture output
                    [x] Sound alert when completed
Regular expression
  to match output:  ^ +\(Output saved in\|Refer to\|An error has occurred, refer to\|Running input file\) \'\([^']+\)
  Registers, File:  2
             Line:  
           Column:  
        Alternate
          Command:  Start "Mplus Program" /low C:\Mplus\Mplus.exe
SPSS
        Menu Text:  SPSS
          Command:  C:\Program Files\SPSS\runsyntx.exe
       Parameters:  $File
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
SPSSwin
        Menu Text:  SPSSwin
          Command:  C:\Program Files\SPSS\spsswin.exe
       Parameters:  $File
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
Install INF
        Menu Text:  Install INF
          Command:  C:\WINNT\system32\rundll32.exe
       Parameters:  setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 $File
   Initial Folder:  $FileDir
                    [x] Run Minimized


These pages are provided by Keith Smolkowski. My views do not necessarily represent those of Oregon Research Institute, its affiliated entities, or its other members. I also make no claims about the accuracy of the information presented here.