Batch Documents

Overview	Creating A New Batch Document	Opening Batch Documents
Saving Batch Documents	Closing Batch Documents	Editing Batch Documents
Batch Filtering

Overview

This chapter introduces you to the basics of using TextSpresso batch documents. A batch document is a document which contains a list of text files on disk to operate on. When you apply a filter to a batch document all of the text files listed in the document are filtered. Batch documents make it easy to quickly process a set of files. Rather than having to open and filter each one individually, as you would have to do with some of our competitors, you can filter all of them at once with a single click.

Creating A New Batch Document

To create a new TextSpresso batch document, do the following:

• Select New Batch from the File menu. This creates a new, unsaved batch document.

You will see a new document window for viewing and editing your new batch document.

Opening Batch Documents

Batch documents which have been saved to disk are opened the same way that normal text files are opened. To open an existing batch file do the following:

1. Select Open... from the File menu.
2. Using the standard Mac OS open file dialog which appears, navigate to and select the file you wish to open. Double click the file in the scroll list or click the Open button.

The batch file will be opened up into a new batch document window.

Saving Batch Documents

Batch documents can be saved to disk. A batch file does not contain the text of each file in its list. Instead it contains an alias to each file so that it can find the file again when opened.

To save a batch document, do the following:

• Select Save from the File menu. If there is already a file on disk for the front document, it is saved. If not, then the actions in the next step are automatically taken.
• Select Save As... from the File menu. This allows you to save your document to a new file on disk. TextSpresso will present you with a standard Mac OS save dialog. Using that dialog, navigate to the place on your disk where you would like to save the document, type in a name for the file, and click the Save button.
• Select Save All from the File menu. This saves all open documents which already have disk files.

Closing Batch Documents

To close an open TextSpresso batch document, do one of the following:

• Select Close from the File menu.
• Click the close box in the upper left hand corner of the document window.

If you have not saved the document since the last change, TextSpresso will first ask you if you would like to save it.

Holding down the option key while selecting Close or clicking the close box closes all open documents.

Editing Batch Documents

There are basically only two things you can do to a batch document. You can add files to the list of files to be processed. Or you can remove files from the list.

Adding Files: To add one or more files to a batch document, do the following:

1. Click the Add button.
2. Use the multiple file dialog which appears to select the files you wish to add.

Removing Files: To remove one or more files from a batch document, do the following:

1. Select the file or files to be removed.
2. Click the Remove button.

Note that this does not delete the files from disk. It only removes them from the batch document.

Batch Filtering

Applying a filter to a batch document is very easy. When you apply a filter to a batch document, all of the listed files are filtered. Please note that undo support is not available for batch documents. Be sure to back up your files before batch processing them!

Applying A Filter: To apply a filter to all of the files in a batch document, do one of the following with the batch document in front:

• Select the filter from the Filter menu.
• Double-click the filter in the Filter Palette.

Controlling Filters: The document statistic fields at the top of the batch document window will mark the progress of the filter, displaying the name of the current file being filtered, the name of the filter being applied, and the percent completed. You can control the filter by doing the following:

• To pause a running filter, select Pause Filter from the Filter menu or click the Pause button. The filter will pause, and the menu command Pause Filter will have a check mark by it. The document will sit idle until you decide to resume or stop the filter.
• To resume a paused filter, select Pause Filter or click Pause once more.
• To stop a running filter, select Stop Filtering from the Filter menu or click the Stop button. This will stop the filter but does not restore files already filtered.

Counting: You can use Replace Text and Replace Pattern filters to count the number of occurrences to be filtered in batch documents as well. With the batch document in front:

1. Select the filter to count with in the Filter Palette.
2. Select the Count command from the palette command menu. (Be careful not to accidentally select Apply!)