General Preferences

CONText keeps a preferences file located within the Preferences Folder which is located inside the System Folder. This file contains information for default values and preferences which you set using the 'Preferences' menu commands located within the 'Edit' menu.

Smart Quotes

When this item is checked, CONText enters smart quotes (“ ”, ‘ ’) instead of dumb ones (" , '). This provides nicer looking and easier to read text. However, be aware that most communications packages don't support these characters for plain text transmission.

Smoother Updates

Check this control if you wish CONText to smooth out the updates of text within its window. When this is checked, CONText uses offscreen drawing to draw the text. This reduces screen flicker when scrolling and updating. If you are using a slower machine like a Mac Plus, then you might want to have this unchecked due to speed considerations.

Document Characteristics

The Finder uses the documents creator to determine which application to launch when it is double clicked, and to associate an icon with it.  You can, for example, save documents with the creator ‘MSWD’ (without the quotes) so when files are saved, they will appear like Microsoft™ Word documents.  Double clicking on them will launch Microsoft™ Word. Or, as another example, you can give the file a creator of 'ttxt' and a file type of 'ttro' to produce a TeachText™ read-only document.  

By pressing “File Select” in the preferences dialog, you can find the creator and type of a word processor or editor without having to use programs such as ResEdit.  Just select the file or application who’s signature you want and its creator will be placed in the Document Creator edit field of the preferences dialog. The file type is only set if the file selected is not an application or other executable. If the selected file is an executable file (i.e. and application, Control Panel or DA) the file's type is set to type 'TEXT'.  

Press the 'Default' button to return to CONText's default creator and file type ('CNT2' and 'TEXT' respectively).

Always Set Creator & Type When Saving

When this option is set, CONText will always set the files Finder information to that which is set under Document Characteristics when you save a file. This will happen even if you select 'Save' from the file menu. Use this if you read a lot of text files and don't wish to use the Save As... command continually to give the files CONText's icon. Under most situations, you would have this unchecked.

Default Tab Settings

In the edit field provided, enter the default tab width for newly created documents. The tab width is measured in pixels, not characters, so it might take some experimentation to get the right setting.

See "Tab Settings" in the "Misc. Commands" section to learn how to set the tab width for specific documents.

Remember Font & Size

Selecting this menu command will save the current document's font and size to the preferences file. The current font and size will now be the default font and size for new documents or documents never opened by CONText before.