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

On the General tab in the dialog box of the ribbon command File | Options , you can make general settings:

Maximum number of undo steps

Here, you can set how many actions can be undone with the command Undo (in the Quick access toolbar). You can increase this number up to a maximum of 999 undo operations.

Note: On devices with little main memory, it is not recommended to increase this value.

For information on the command Undo, see Undoing changes.

"User info" button

Here, you can enter your name, address and other contact information. This information is used, for example, by the supplied document templates to automatically fill letterheads with your address. For more information, see also Document templates.

Note: In older versions of TextMaker, there were two buttons at this point because you could specify your user info separately for your home address and company address. Since TextMaker 2018, only one user info record is supported in order to improve compatibility with Microsoft Word.

Enable dictation support

Mac only: If you enable this option, you can make better use of the macOS dictation feature in TextMaker. However, you must expect the program to run more slowly as a result.

Extended support for Asian fonts

If this option is enabled, three lists for selecting font, font size, font style and language appear on the Font tab in the dialog box of the command group Home | Character :

▪For Latin scripts (for example, German, English)

▪For East Asian scripts (Chinese, Japanese and Korean)

▪For complex scripts (for example, Arabic)

Thus, you can make the settings for each type of script separately.

If, for example, you set the font to "Arial" for Latin scripts and the font to "SimHei" for Asian scripts, all Latin scripts that you type will automatically appear in Arial, and all Asian scripts will appear in SimHei.

TextMaker recognizes automatically whether the characters entered are Latin, Asian or complex (for example, Arabic) scripts.

Extended support for Arabic text

If you enable this option, some additional features will become available for editing text in Arabic script. For more information, see Working with Arabic text.

Display of digits

This option allows you to specify which type of numerals to use when displaying numbers in your documents:

▪Arabic: Display Arabic numerals (1234567890), as used in English, for example. This is the default setting.

▪Hindi: Display Hindi numerals, as used in Arabic, for example.

▪Context: Adapt automatically from the context. (If the number is surrounded by Arabic text, Hindi numerals are used, otherwise Arabic numerals are used.)

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".

Default paste option

Here, you can define how the formatting of the text should behave by default when content from the clipboard is pasted into the document after choosing the ribbon command Home | group Edit | Paste. For more information, see also Paste special.

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.

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 toggle overwrite mode

This option is enabled by default and allows you to use the Ins key on your keyboard to switch between insert mode and overwrite mode (see also Insert or overwrite?).

If you remove the check mark in front of the option, this typical function of the Ins key will be disabled when 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).

"Auto correction" button

TextMaker can automatically correct common typos and also provides other useful auto correction functions. If you click on the Auto correction button, the program opens an additional dialog box in which you can make the appropriate settings.

Tip: The ribbon command Review | group Spelling | Auto correction can also be used to open the auto correction dialog box.

For more information on this topic, see Auto correction.

Use left Alt for shortcut keys

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.

Show warning when loading OLE objects

For Mac, Linux and Android/iOS: If this option is enabled, the program displays a warning that OLE objects cannot be displayed when you open a document containing such objects. (OLE objects can only be displayed on Windows.)