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I'm trying to decide if TextPad is a good replacement for my long-time-but-stagnant friend, UltraEdit.

While I'm pretty excited about TextPad's features and I've found the transition to the 30-day demo relatively painless, I still have a few things I need to know how to do before I can relegate UE to the Recycle Bin.

- I can "Find in Files," but how do I "Replace in Files"? In UE this feature is easy to find, but TextPad's corresponding function eludes me. This is almost a deal-breaker by itself, so I work with scads of little source code files.

- How do I replace the annoying border around the current line with just a nice pastel yellow like UE? I can't even see the border well on my LCD monitor, and it does not "anchor" the line well.

- I figured out the "Block Mode" equivalent to UE's "Column Mode", but something seems to be missing: the ability to select a column position on a few consecutive rows and type into all of them at the same time. The Tab/Shft-Tab keys work like they "should." but not the others.

- How can I disable the "Email Send" feature or remap the menu option to another key? I keep hitting it while ding my regular OCD-like Alt-F-S to save.

- Is there an option to make tabs close with the middle mouse button (wheel) single-click or left double-click like in Mozilla?

- How can I set up multiple SYN files to be used in the same document class? I program *alot* in ASP.NET, so my code often includes XHTML, XML, CSS, and VB.NET all in the same file, and I can't seem to mix the modes to get everything highlighted correctly.

- Where is the line-spacing option? The lines on-screen are too scrunched to my taste. I found the option for printing, but I want to *edit* my code using a line spacing of about 1.5.

- UE has a great little (newer) feature that, when mousing over an end-brace character "})]" it places a block cursor over the corresponding start character. I've become more dependent on this feature than I expected, but I can't find how to do it in TP.

- UE's "To Uppercase" option will capitalize the character at the cursor position if no text is selected. Is this behavior possible in TP? I find it useful for correcting case in variable names, etc.

- Any way to make it auto-clear the Find In Files history when performing a new search, and possibly to dock/tile that window below the one being edited so I don't have to flip back and forth?

- Collapse/expand blocks and bookmarks: coming? already here but hard to find?

- Reformat Paragraph keeps chopping my words in two. How can I set it to only wrap at word delimiters, and preferably not even "-" (which ends up looking funny in HTML).

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on these questions. If anyone is interested in the "back-story" to my current attempts to change editors, below are some links to my blog:

http://www.tallent.us/weblogx/commentvi ... d436a12b00
http://www.tallent.us/weblogx/commentvi ... 77647bc93f

Unfortunately I mangled my original response. It was far more detailed but I don't have the time to spend the fourty-five minutes or so being verbose. That said, Textpad is superior to UE IMAO. I'll address what I can and hopefully someone else will correct my mistakes and fill in the blanks.

{edit}
It may not be what you are looking for, but if you open all the files containing the thing you'd like to search and replace, there is an option in TP for All Documents.
{/edit}

The Email Send shouldn't be mnemoniced to Alt-F-S. If so, check out Configure, Preferences, Keyboard. There you want a category of File and a Command of FileSave In the Shortcut key box, you can make whatever keystroke map to save file. It will warn you if you are overwriting a previous keystroke. Dig around in there, there's lots of goodies to be found/experimented with. My favourite is the text navigation. Much of it is similar to VI which, according to the feedback I received, was the author's original editor of choice.

Multiple Syntax files --- don't think it can be done. You might be able to cobble the three files together to get what you want. I know, probably more effort than you like to expend but that's what I'd do if I were so inclined. Personally, I set the syntax highlight for ASP to be whatever server-side scripting language I use (VB, JScript, Perl, Python) and live with boring html

ctrl-M will match bracings include < > Simply have your cursor before the thing you'd like matched and hit ctrl-M It handles embeded bracing just fine e.g. place your cursor in this mess and it'll find the match or warn you that it's unmatched. [([{<[this is[way[in here]]]>}])]

Edit, Change Case has more options than you'll ever want to use for changing case. It applies to either the next character or the highlighted text. It sounds like you are looking for ctrl-U

The only way I know of to clear the search results page is to close it out. As for having it docked, it's just a read-only text window so you're left with manually mashing it down and placing it at the bottom of your screen.

Not sure why it'd be chopping words in the middle. As far as I can tell, it always breaks my words on whitespace although it would be a neat feature to be able to provide line breaking rules.

/bill

It may not be what you are looking for, but if you open all the files containing the thing you'd like to search and replace, there is an option in TP for All Documents

You can also search first by using the Find in Files then..
Use Shift+F10 and choose Open All from the popup menu or right clik the search results window for the option to open all. Now you have all files open you can use the replace in all documents from the replace dialog.

richardtallent wrote:I'm trying to decide if TextPad is a good replacement for my long-time-but-stagnant friend, UltraEdit.

Welcome to TextPad. Bwaaaaaahaaaaahaaa (evil laugh) :' )

Some of these answers may be redundant.

richardtallent wrote:- I can "Find in Files," but how do I "Replace in Files"? In UE this feature is easy to find, but TextPad's corresponding function eludes me. This is almost a deal-breaker by itself, so I work with scads of little source code files.

I am quite comfortable with "Find in Files", Open All Files (by either right clicking, or using the existing key command [as stated] or by setting your own) and then replacing in all files (In the search dialog: Alt+L, A, Enter).

richardtallent wrote:- How do I replace the annoying border around the current line with just a nice pastel yellow like UE? I can't even see the border well on my LCD monitor, and it does not "anchor" the line well.

Either turn off the lines altogether (uncheck Configure menu/Preferences menu item/View branch/Checkbox: Highlight the line containing the cursor), or go into the Document Class of your choice (Configure/Preferences/Document Class branch/[whatever] sub-branch/Colors sub-branch/Select "Current line" from list at right), and set whatever color you like (I use RGB 232/11/16).

If you want to set the same color for all Document Classes, go into the Default Document Class, click the "Apply these settings to all Document Classes" checkbox, then change the line color to whatever you want and Apply.

If you only want to use the line-highlight for certain Document Classes, then go into the Document Class you *don't* want to use it in, and set it to the same color as the background (I don't think this is common knowledge).

Special note: Preferences changes do not permanently apply (ie: not written to the registry) until you exit TextPad. I'll save you a few hours of head banging.

richardtallent wrote:- I figured out the "Block Mode" equivalent to UE's "Column Mode", but something seems to be missing: the ability to select a column position on a few consecutive rows and type into all of them at the same time. The Tab/Shft-Tab keys work like they "should." but not the others.

Not possible. :' (

I've never felt the need for this, although I'm sure if provided the functionality, I'd think it was pretty cool. :' )

Consider making a suggestion in the Enhancement Suggestions sub-forum (and use the standard five-option poll!).

richardtallent wrote:- How can I disable the "Email Send" feature or remap the menu option to another key? I keep hitting it while doing my regular OCD-like Alt-F-S to save.

Configure/Preferences/Keyboard/File on mid-right list/FileSend on far-right list

Select whatever key-command you don't like, then press [Remove].

richardtallent wrote:- Is there an option to make tabs close with the middle mouse button (wheel) single-click or left double-click like in Mozilla?

Not sure about this.

richardtallent wrote:- How can I set up multiple SYN files to be used in the same document class? I program *alot* in ASP.NET, so my code often includes XHTML, XML, CSS, and VB.NET all in the same file, and I can't seem to mix the modes to get everything highlighted correctly.

Not possible, but it is among the most requested features (vote for it here). Check out the latest enhancement request rankings to get a feel for what users want.

richardtallent wrote:- Where is the line-spacing option? The lines on-screen are too scrunched to my taste. I found the option for printing, but I want to *edit* my code using a line spacing of about 1.5.

Interesting idea. Again, not possible (another feature I've never wanted, but think I probably *would* use), but suggest it with a poll, if you like.

richardtallent wrote:- UE has a great little (newer) feature that, when mousing over an end-brace character "})]" it places a block cursor over the corresponding start character. I've become more dependent on this feature than I expected, but I can't find how to do it in TP.

Another most-requested feature (vote for it here), but the "mouse-over" idea you say here is novel. That specifically has not been suggested, and I personally think is a very cool idea. Consider adding it as a reply to that suggestion post.

richardtallent wrote:- UE's "To Uppercase" option will capitalize the character at the cursor position if no text is selected. Is this behavior possible in TP? I find it useful for correcting case in variable names, etc.

Exactly the behavior, although you may have to create these key commands. I use ALT+1 as uppercase, ALT+2 as lowercase, ALT+3 as ToGgLeCaSe ALT+4 as Sentence Case

richardtallent wrote:- Any way to make it auto-clear the Find In Files history when performing a new search, and possibly to dock/tile that window below the one being edited so I don't have to flip back and forth?

Just close the results window before running another search. This has become second nature to me. Although I do believe that an option to do this is worthy of a suggestion post.

richardtallent wrote:- Collapse/expand blocks and bookmarks: coming? already here but hard to find?

Another most-requested feature. Vote for it here.

richardtallent wrote:- Reformat Paragraph keeps chopping my words in two. How can I set it to only wrap at word delimiters, and preferably not even "-" (which ends up looking funny in HTML).

I have never seen TextPad chop a word in two. However, I do know, if a word is split onto two lines *before* reformatting, then after formatting, there is a space left there. In other words, there is a space left between each line.

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Again, welcome!