<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Settings, Edit tab

On the Edit tab of the dialog box of the ribbon command File | Options , you can change settings for editing text:

Capitalize first letter of sentences

If this option is enabled, TextMaker automatically capitalizes the first letter of every sentence you type – even if you accidentally enter a lowercase letter.

If, for example, you typed the sentence "this is a new sentence.", it would be corrected automatically to "This is a new sentence.".

Correct first TWo UPpercase LEtters

If this option is enabled, TextMaker automatically corrects the case of words (such as proper nouns) whose first two letters have been capitalized inadvertently.

If, for example, you typed the word "HEnry", it would be corrected automatically to "Henry".

Tip: If you would like to exclude certain expressions from this correction (for example, "BSc"), then simply define a SmartText entry for this and enable the option Expand SmartText entries described below.

Expand SmartText entries

As described in SmartText, you can create SmartText entries with TextMaker (for example, "br" for "Best regards").

If this option is enabled, your SmartText entries can be directly expanded as the text is entered. To do so, simply type the abbreviation for the SmartText (for example, "br") and then a space, Enter↵ or a punctuation mark, and TextMaker will automatically replace the abbreviation with the SmartText content.

If this option is disabled, however, SmartText entries can only be inserted via the dialog box of the ribbon command Insert | group Text | SmartText.

Tip: The option "Expand SmartText entries" can also be enabled or disabled in this dialog box.

Smart quotes

TextMaker can automatically convert double quotes (") and single quotes (') as they are typed to ensure that they are typographically correct for the selected language. Here, set the desired language or select "None" if you want TextMaker to leave your quote marks unchanged.

If, for example, you type "Text" or 'Text', the relevant setting will produce the following results:

* A special position is assumed by the option Auto: If you select this option, TextMaker automatically determines the language and converts the quotes accordingly. This means that either the default language specified on the Language tab in File | Options is used or the language specified on the Font tab in the dialog box of the command group Home | Character .

** For the single quote in the French setting, please note the following: the closing quote is first executed as an apostrophe ('). If you press the single quote on the keyboard once again, it will be converted into the single guillemet (›).

Tip: You can use the command Undo (or the key combination Ctrl+Z) to convert smart quotes into "neutral" quotes immediately after typing. The simple smart quote then becomes an apostrophe, while the double smart quote becomes a normal double quote.

Automatically add spacing around punctuation marks (French only)

Enable the option to automatically add spaces both before punctuation marks : ; ! ? as well as between quotes « text » ‹ text ›. This option is only effective if French is the assigned language in the following settings:

▪In the dialog box of the command File | Options, Language tab: French

▪Also in the dialog box of the command group Home | Character on the Font tab: French or Default

Select whole words when selecting

Windows, Mac and Linux only: If this option is enabled, TextMaker automatically extends any selection that you make with the mouse to whole words. If it is not enabled, the selection is extended on a character-by-character basis.

Add or remove spaces when pasting

If this option is enabled, spaces before and after words are automatically added or removed when you delete, cut, or paste words from the clipboard.

If, for example, you select the word "is" in the sentence "This is a test" and cut it with the command Cut, TextMaker automatically deletes the space behind "is" that is now superfluous.

If you now insert the word "is" before another word using the command Paste, TextMaker automatically inserts a space after "is".

Middle mouse button

Mac and Linux only: Here, you can specify what should happen when you click somewhere using the middle mouse button. Available options:

▪No function: The middle mouse button doesn't have any function.

▪Paste selected content: If you click in the document with the middle mouse button, a copy of the currently selected content is inserted at this point (for example, the currently selected text).

Apply character formatting to entire words

Enabling this option has the following effect:

If the cursor is inside a word and you change the character formatting (for example, select a different font or enable bold), this will affect the entire word.

This allows you to quickly change the formatting of a single word without first having to select it.

Format URLs as hyperlinks

If this option is enabled, URLs (web page addresses) are automatically formatted as hyperlinks immediately after entering them.

If, for example, you type "www.softmaker.de" in the text, it will automatically be converted into a clickable hyperlink and displayed accordingly (usually blue and underlined).

Ordinal numbers with superscript

This option only supports the following languages: English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

In these languages, superscripts are usually added to abbreviated ordinal numbers – for example 1st, 2nd, 3rd in the English language.

If this option is enabled, superscripts are added automatically whenever you enter such a number. If, for example, you type "2nd" in an English text and then press the space bar, it will be automatically reformatted as "2nd" – the "nd" will be converted into a superscript.

Note: This option only works with text in one of the supported languages. For information on how to set the language of text, see Setting the language.

Set left and first-line indent with Tab and Backspace keys

If this option is enabled, you can use the Tab key and the Backspace keyÕ on the keyboard to change the indents of paragraphs.

To do so, either place the text cursor at the beginning of an existing paragraph or select multiple paragraphs. Then press Tab to increase the indent or press BackspaceÕ to decrease it.

Use the insert key to control overwrite mode

This option is enabled by default and has the effect that you can toggle between Insert mode and Overwrite mode with the Ins key (see section Insert or overwrite?).

If you remove the checkmark in front of this option, this typical function of the Ins key is disabled, when you are working in TextMaker. This prevents accidental switching to overwrite mode.

Insert frames and drawings immediately

This option determines what should happen if you insert a frame or a drawing into a document (text frame, picture frame, AutoShape, etc.) – for example, with the ribbon command Insert | Text frame:

▪Always: The corresponding object is inserted immediately. Its position and size are fixed without further action.

▪Never: Before the object is actually inserted, the mouse cursor changes to a crosshair. In order to proceed, drag a rectangle in the document to specify the desired position and size. The object will then be inserted exactly according to your specifications.

▪Auto: This is a smart combination of the two aforementioned options that is already preset in TextMaker for each specific object type. Objects such as charts or tables are inserted directly (as with Always), for example, while objects such as AutoShapes or text frames are inserted via the mouse cursor (as with Never).

Use left Alt as shortcut key

Mac only: This option determines which function the left Alt key on your keyboard should have:

▪Off: The left Alt key does the same as the right Alt key: It inserts icons into the text.

▪On: The left Alt key can be used to open menus in the classic menu.