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Textpad

Textpad is a text editor you can download for free from http://www.textpad.com.

Its kind of like notepad except with a lot more functions, but basis is still that you edit basic text files. Which is what we do on the mud whenever we code something.

Setting up textpad

After downloading, installing and starting the program some extra setup is useful. This will make it easier for you to work with LPC documents and code. It will support highlighting of keywords and ensure you adhere to some basic standards.

1. Download lpc.syn to .../textpad/system
   • The lpc.syn file for Tharsis is located in /open/lpc.syn and can be downloaded from here. It is generated from the docs in the helpengine and thus includes all efuns and currently about five hundred lfuns from our documented modules.
   • There is another one here (the textpad site) but it is not customised for Tharsis.
2. Go to Configure in the menu and choose "New Document Class"
3. Name the class "LPC".
4. Fill in "*.c, *.h" as class members.
5. Check syntax highlighting and select the lpc.syn file.
6. Press finish and click Ok on the warnings.
7. Go to Configure in the menu and choose Preferences...
8. Select File in the list and fill in "c" as Default file extension.
9. Expand "Document Classes" and select C/C++ in the list.
10. In the file class list, select *.C and press delete. Do the same to *.H
11. Select LPC in the document class list.
12. Check "Strip trailing spaces from lines when saving." and "Create new files as: UNIX".
13. Expand the LPC list and select colors. Set them to colors of your liking. Keywords 6 are not used.
14. Select Tabulation, set Default tab spacing to 3 or 4.
    • Me - I like to kill anyone who uses tabs instead of spaces. This is because it looks shit in the variety of places we view code - IE half the people use 8 space tabs in "ed" and then when they type their own lines they use some tabs and some spaces to line things up and then I open it with my 3 space tabs and their code doesn't line up. Ditto sending code via mail, ditto viewing code in zmud's editor, ditto viewing it in VI on the machine, etc -- FantoM - 12 May 2004
15. Check both the convert boxes.
    • If you miss this step I kill you, but only after I make you watch me deleting your code :) -- FantoM - 12 May 2004
    • The anger... ;) -- PumaN - 18 May 2004
16. You're done setting Textpad up to work with LPC files.

• Other things you might want to fix under Preferences...
  • Associated Files: Add .c and .h to make those open in Textpad when doubleclicking.
  • Backup: Dont lose your work again, autosave it every few minutes.
  • Folders: Setup to your liking.

Explanation of lpc.syn:

• This file will allow syntax highlighting of words/formatting as you write it. It will help you to avoid some spelling mistakes. Setup the colors under Configure->Preferences->Document Classes->LPC >Colors.
• [Syntax] - some basic formatting rules
• [Preprocessor keywords] - words used by the preprocessor, they are always prepended by #
• [Keywords 1] - Flow controllers
• [Keywords 2] - Variable types and variable/function modifiers
• [Keywords 3] - All efuns and sefuns
• [Keywords 4] - A lot of lfuns, as documented by the autodoccer
• [Keywords 5] - Old functions that should not be used, mark these with some obscure color
  • I guess we could use a list of global __DEFINES__ too...those have some use nowaday... -- PumaN - 18 May 2004

-- PumaN - 04 May 2004