Built-in Function Summary







                 during normal text insertion (typing)

                 in length are automatically wrapped

wordWrap       • if true, lines exceeding 'fillColumn'

                 temporary memory with System 7.0.

useTempMem     • toggles whether Alpha will use

                 machines such as the IIsi.

                 refresh quite a bit on slow color

                 even if color is available. This speeds

useBWWindows   • if true, Alpha will use 1-bit windows

                 the folder specified by 'backupFolder'

useBackupFolder• if true, backup files are placed in

                 Useful when doing global replaces, etc.

                 is turned off, all undo info is lost.

undoOn         • used to turn undo on and off. When undo

tagFile        • complete path-name of tag file

tabSize        • Default number of characters per tab.

suppressHeader • Suppress header on printed pages.

                 'insertSuffix'.

suffixString   • string to use as suffix in

                 comes up w/ nothing.

                 a prompt for a file. When 2, ALPHA

                 buffer. When 0, ALPHA comes up w/

startWithNew   • When one, ALPHA comes up w/ new

                 function and section menus.

sortedIsDefault• if set, sorted is the default for

                 be selected from the title bar.

showMenuHeads  • If set, the function and mark menus can

                 displayed in the title bar.

showRowCol     • if set, row and col are continuously

                 windows before being switched out

saveOnSwitch   • if set, ALPHA will save all dirty

                 for a regular expression

regExpr        • flag set if searchAgain should look

protoFile      • name of file to dump prototypes into.

                 X11-twm lovers.

                 over a window activates. For those

posActivate    • If true, then merely moving the mouse

                 'insertPrefix'.

prefixString   • string to use as prefix in

                 for paragraph ends.

paraEnd        • regular expression to use in searching

                that contains lines longer than this.

paraColumn     • Alpha automatically wraps files

                 for paragraph beginnings.

paraBegin      • regular expression to use in searching

                 dead keys.

                 combinations with option chars are

                 combination. Note that some

                 is used instead of the option key

optionIsMeta   • If set, the key combination with escape

'TEXT'.

                 all types are openable, not just

of

openAllFIles   • if true, or it option key down, files

                 commands should affect.

numWinsToTile  • specifies the number of windows tile

                 on. Default: TRUE.

                 foreign keyboard will want this turned

                 sequences are not usable. Owners of

                 "dead keys". If TRUE, some option

                 resource w/ one that does not have

noRemapOption  • When set, does not overlay system

                 move the insertion point

moveInsertion  • if true, 'pageBack' and 'pageForward'

matchWords     • Match words on searches.

                 lines by 'fill' ACMDS.

leftFillColumn • Number of blanks left at beginning of

keepBackup     • Keeps old version in <file>.BAK

indentOnCR     • Auto-indent on carriage return.

                 "Disk:C:edit;Disk:C:THINK C:inc;;"

                 by using consecutive semi-colons as:

                 The current directory can be included

                   "Disk:C:edit;Disk:C:THINK C:include;"

                 as:

                 files, separated by semi-colons, such

                 directories to search for include

includePath    • A list of the path-names of the

ignoreCase     • Search is case-insensitive.

                 declarations.

                 ALPHA uses to find function

funcExpr       • Set to the regular expression that

                 'defWidth'.

                 specified by 'defHeight' and

                 same place, and have the dimension

fullScreen     • If on, all windows are start in the

                 mere file names.

fullNames      • Windows display pathnames instead of

                 before displaying.

                 'findFile' dialog always resets this

forward        • set when searching forward. The

                 files.

fontSize       • Default size of fonts used to display

                 or size is different than the default.

                 '0', Alpha saves font info if the font

                 if '1', Alpha always saves font info,

fontSaving     • if '-1', Alpha never saves font info,

                 "fill" ACMDS. See 'leftFillColumn'

fillColumn     • Number of columns use as limit for

electricSemi   • Electric 'C' semicolon on.

elecRBrace     • Electric 'C' right brace on.

elecLBrace     • Electric 'C' left brace on.

                 width in pixels.

defWidth       • If 'fullScreen' set, this is default

                 height in pixels.

defHeight      • If 'fullScreen' set, this is default

                 specification resources.

                 which don't have associated font

defaultFont    • font to use on new windows and files

                 garbage collection or autosave is done.

changesLim     • number of changes to a window before

                 'backupFolder'.

                 by the complete pathname in

                 files are placed in folder specified

backupFolder   • if 'useBackupFolder' is true, backup

                 saved every 'changesLim' changes.

autoSave       • If TRUE, a buffer is automatically

                 in view.

                 scroll horizontally to keep the cursor

autoHScroll    • if true, Alpha will automatically






Explanation of Variables





folder of user-contributed TeX/LaTeX macros.

In addition, distributions from after 4.0b2 include a



sections, for example, are to be included.

'sectionExpr' can you can specify that only full

and subsections in the menu, but by changing

with code. The default expression includes all sections

although this is probably of less use with LaTeX than

menu, holding down the shift key sorts the menu,

words the actual section title. As with the function

with the \section or \subsection... command, in other

menu is everything between the curly braces on the line

variable 'sectionExpr' and the text which is used in the

except that the regular expression is gleaned from the

This menu is analogous to the popup function menu,

control-click and hold in a file ending with '.tex'.

explained is the popup section menu. It appears if you

The only one of the above items that hasn't been



   hooks) that can automatically enable all this.

• suffix hook for .tex (see the section on suffix

• popup section menu.

   with tables and arrays.

• rectangular editing mode, useful for working

   so that a backslash limits paragraph extent.

• support for changing paragraph definitions

• fill paragraph and fill region commands.

• automatic word-wrapping.



users. For starters, LaTeX support includes:

Alpha may migrate increasingly into the realm of LaTeX

As I am starting to write papers on my Mac using OzTeX,




Using LaTeX



















hah!).

another way, and has many bugs (and it's  commercial,

fashion to that of Microsoft Word. Preditor does it in

aren't obvious. I chose to implement it in a similar

The most natural semantics of rectangular selection



rectangular selection usually fixes the problems.

spaces in the desired region before attempting

result may not be want you want. Converting tabs to

appear ragged. If some of the line contain tabs, the

However, if you use proportional fonts the selection may

as in LaTeX. Usually, the operation will be intuitive.

pasted. This is very useful for tables and arrays, such

The rectangular selection can be deleted, copied, and



option-shift-mouse, but not dragged further.

start. This selection can be extended by

The drag cannot end on a column or row less than the

column of the drag start and the column of the drag end.

over multiple lines, but contains only text between the

normal selection. This rectangular selection may extend

a rectangular section of text is selected instead of the

If the option key is pressed while the mouse is dragged,




Rectangular Editing





























version that makes use of their new-found reasonability.

Apple Events. If so, I will immediately  release a new

reveal support for third-party editors in the form of

• Hopefully their release of 5.0 (Real Soon Now) will



with Alpha.

source file list can be used to create file sets for use

of the source files from a Think 4.0 project file. This

• The "Think Project Files" ACMD can usually extract all



modification times for a build.

from the 'Build' menu item to force Think to check

• After editing with Alpha, hit the 'Use Disk' button



should help:

developer using other tools. However, the following tips

Closed environments like Think present problems to the




Using Think C