PageLiner's Settings menu allows you to set various program options and save them as the default.

• Show Invisibles: Toggles the display of symbols to represent spaces, tabs and ends of paragraphs.
• Colors: Choose colors for parts of PageLiner's interface.
• General: Set the cursor width, cursor flash rate, tab spaces, text margins, invisible symbols and window size.
• Paths: Set the paths for text files and the spelling dictionaries.
• Function Keys: Assign external ARexx scripts and/or text strings to insert to function keys.
• Load Settings: Choose a settings file to load.
• Save Settings: Save program settings to the PageLiner.prefs file.
• Save Settings As: Save program settings to a file.

Show Invisibles

When the Show Invisibles command has a checkmark beside it in the menu, symbols will be shown for tabs, spaces and ends of paragraphs. The symbols to use can be set in the General Preferences requester.

Colors

The Colors command in the Settings menu opens a requester to set the colors of the PageLiner interface. Click on the box beside the interface element you wish to set, and then drag the slider bar to change the color assigned to it. The Paper color is for the background of text windows, and the Text color is for text. The margin color is for the margin lines, and the Highlight colors is for the selection of text.

General

The General command in the Settings menu opens a requester to set window and cursor options. You can change the cursor width, the rate at which it flashes (set it to 0 to stop it from flashing), and the number of spaces to use for a tab, by dragging the sliders at the top of the requester. Enter the amount to offset text from the left and right margins by entering a value in pixels into the Margin text gadget. This does not affect the text, but merely changes the aesthetic appearance of a text window.

PageLiner defaults to Auto margins, which means that the text is reflowed to fit inside the text window whenever the window is resized. This does not affect text from PageStream because the line breaks of the text are set in PageStream, not in PageLiner. If you change the margin type to Fixed, you can set how far text text should run from the left margin. Set is similar to fixed, but sets it to match the current right margin. A Fixed margin type prevents text from being reflowed when the window is resized and is useful only when using PageLiner as a text editor.

The Window text gadgets allow you to set the window's size and position in pixels. Enter -1 into the Top text gadget to force the window to open immediately below the title bar, regardless of the system font size.

You can also enter the Amiga character to use for displaying invisible symbols by typing a character into the Paragraph, Space and Tab text gadgets.

Paths

The Paths command in the Settings menu opens a requester to set the file path to use for text files and the spelling dictionary files. Enter the full path names into the text gadgets, or click on the "?" gadgets to choose a path from a file requester.

Function Keys

The Function Keys command in the Settings menu opens a requester to assign external ARexx scripts and text strings to the ten function keys. Change the cycle gadget for a function key to ARexx and enter the name and path of an ARexx script into the associated text gadget. Alternatively, click on the "?" gadget to choose an ARexx script from a file requester. You can also assign a text string to insert instead of an ARexx script. Change the cycle gadget for a function key to Text and enter the text string to insert.

Preferences file

PageLiner offers some additional settings which can only be changed by editing the Preferences file. Load the PageLiner.prefs file (or any preferences file you have created and use) into PageLiner or another text editor to edit the preferences.

• FONT=fontname,size: Sets the Amiga font for text windows.
  Example: FONT=topaz.font,11
• PARENTWIN=left,top: Sets the default position of the PageLiner title bar.
  Example: PARENTWIN=0,200
• PORTNAME=name: Sets the ARexx port name.
  Example: PORTNAME=PAGELINER
• PUBSCREEN=name: Sets the existing public screen on which to open.
  Example: PUBSCREEN=PageStream4

Startup Options

If the PageLiner.prefs file exists in the same directory as PageLiner, startup options entered in the file will be used when PageLiner is started. A PageLiner preferences file should start with:

;PageLiner Preferences File

The syntax of all options is COMMAND=data. The case is irrelevant. The commands which can be used are:

• PORTNAME=name: the ARexx port name. (Default=PAGELINER)
  ie: PORTNAME=PLPORT
• FILES=path: the default path used in the file requester
  ie: FILES=Work:Text
• SPACE=char: the character displayed for a space for Show Invisibles
  ie: SPACE=^
• SHOWINV=yes|no: the default Show Invisibles setting
  ie: SHOWINV=no
• LF=char: the character displayed for a line feed for Show Invisibles
  ie: LF=¶
• TAB=char: the character displayed for a tab for Show Invisibles
  ie: TAB=»
• MARGIN=o,i: the margins: o=outside, i=inside or AUTO or SET
  ie: MARGIN=5,AUTO
• PAPER=pen: the paper color
  ie: PAPER=2
• EDGE=pen: the edge color
  ie: EDGE=3
• TEXT=pen: the text color
  ie: TEXT=1
• HILITE=pen: the highlight text color
  ie: HILITE=3
• WINDOW=l,t,w,h: the default window position: l=left edge, t=top edge, w=width, h=height
  ie: WINDOW=-1,-1,640,389
• FLASH=x: the interval between cursor flashes 0=no flash
  ie: FLASH=3
• TABSPACES=x: the number of spaces to show per tab
  ie: TABSPACES=8
• CURSORWIDTH=x: the width of the cursor in pixels
  ie: CURSORWIDTH=2
• PUBSCREEN=name: the name of the existing public screen to open on (screen names are case sensitive)
  ie: PUBSCREEN=PAGESTREAM4
• SPELLPATH=path: the directory containing the dictionary files
  ie: SPELLPATH=softlogik:Engines
• FONT=name,size: the name and of the display font
  ie: FONT=topaz.font,11
• STARTUP=script: the name of the ARexx script to run at startup
  ie: STARTUP=PageStream:Macros/PLstartup.rexx
• PARENTWIN=l,t: the left and top position of the title bar
  ie: PARENTWIN=0,11
• F1-F10=action,string: the action and text for a function key (action=AREXX | TEXT)
  ie: F1=AREXX;PageStream:macros/PLcmdshell.rex
  ie: F6=TEXT;desktop publishing
• SETTINGS=file: the name of the preferences file to load (when starting PageLiner from a shell)
  ie: SETTINGS=PageStream:PageLiner.prefs

The following is an example of a common preferences file:

;PageLiner Preferences File

FONT=topaz.font,8
FILES=Work:PageStream/Text
PAPER=2
TEXT=1
EDGE=1
HILITE=3
SPELLPATH=softlogik:Engines
FLASH=3
CURSORWIDTH=2
TABSPACES=4
SHOWINV=NO
MARGIN=5,AUTO
SPACE=^
LF=¶
TAB=»
WINDOW=-1,-1,-1,-1
PARENTWIN=0,0
PORTNAME=PAGELINER
F1=AREXX;PageStream:macros/PLcmdshell.rexx
F2=AREXX;PageStream:macros/PLdate.rexx
F3=AREXX;PageStream:macros/PLmath.rexx
F4=AREXX;PageStream:macros/PLtime.rexx
F5=TEXT;PageLiner
F6=TEXT;desktop publishing
F7=TEXT;<N>
F8=TEXT;<B>
F9=TEXT;<I>
F10=AREXX;pgsm:test.rexx
PUBSCREEN=PageStream

Previous section: Scripting
Exit: Table of Contents