ntextBindings(n)   Alternative Bindings for the Text Widget   ntextBindings(n)



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NAME
       ntextBindings - Alternative Bindings for the Text Widget

SYNOPSIS
       package require Tcl  8.5

       package require Tk  8.5

       package require ntext  ?0.81?

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DESCRIPTION
       The ntext package provides a binding tag named Ntext for use by text
       widgets in place of the default Text binding tag.

       The Text binding tag provides around one hundred bindings to the text
       widget (the exact number is platform-dependent).  A few of these behave
       in a way that is different from most contemporary text-editing
       applications.  Ntext aims to provide more familiar behaviour.

       Features of the Ntext bindings that differ from the default Text
       bindings:

       o      Clicking near the end of a (logical) line moves the cursor to
              the end of that line (not the start of the next line).  If the
              widget is in -wrap word mode, the same rule applies to display
              lines.

       o      Double-clicking or dragging near the end of a (logical) line
              will highlight/select characters from the end of that line (not
              the next line, or the region at the end of the line where there
              are no characters).  If the widget is in -wrap word mode, the
              same rule applies to display lines.

       o      The End key implements "Smart End" (successive keypresses move
              the cursor to the end of the display line, then to the end of
              the logical line); the Home key implements "Smart Home" (which
              is similar to "Smart End", but also toggles between the
              beginning and end of leading whitespace).

       o      When a selection exists, a <<Paste>> operation (e.g. <Control-
              v>) overwrites the selection (as most editors do), and does so
              on all platforms.

       o      The <Insert> key toggles between "Insert" and "Overwrite" modes
              for keyboard input.  (In contrast, the Text binding tag uses
              <Insert> as a method to paste the "primary selection", a task
              that can be accomplished instead by mouse middle-click.)

       o      The <Escape> key clears the selection.

       o      Selecting with <Shift-Button1> selects from the previous
              position of the insertion cursor. (In the Text binding tag, the
              selection anchor may be the position of the previous mouse
              click.)

       o      <Shift-Button1> operations do not alter the selection anchor.
              (In the Text binding tag, they do.)

       o      By default, the Ntext binding tag does not provide several of
              the Control-key bindings supplied by the Text binding tag.
              Modern keyboards offer alternatives, such as cursor keys for
              navigation; modern applications often use the Control-key
              bindings for other purposes (e.g. <Control-p> for "print").

       The last three cases, the behavior of Text is often useful, so Ntext
       gives you the option of retaining it, by setting variables defined in
       the ::ntext namespace to 1 (instead of their default 0).  Explaining
       these features in more detail:

       o      If the mouse is clicked at position A, then the keyboard is used
              to move the cursor to B, then shift is held down, and the mouse
              is clicked at C: the Text binding tag gives a selection from A
              to C; the Ntext gives a selection from B to C.  If you want
              Ntext to behave like Text in this respect, set
              ::ntext::classicMouseSelect to 1.

       o      The Text binding tag allows successive <Shift-Button-1> events
              to change both ends of the selection, by moving the selection
              anchor to the end of the selection furthest from the mouse
              click.  Instead, the Ntext binding tag fixes the anchor, and
              multiple Shift-Button-1 events can only move the non-anchored
              end of the selection.  If you want Ntext to behave like Text in
              this respect, set ::ntext::classicAnchor to 1.  In both Text and
              Ntext, keyboard navigation with the Shift key held down alters
              the selection and keeps the selection anchor fixed.

       o      The following "extra" Text bindings are switched off by default,
              but can be activated in Ntext by setting ::ntext::classicExtras
              to 1: <Control-a>, <Control-b>, <Control-d>, <Control-e>,
              <Control-f>, <Control-h>, <Control-i>, <Control-k>, <Control-n>,
              <Control-o>, <Control-p>, <Control-t>, <Control-space>,
              <Control-Shift-space>.

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
       Ntext provides alternatives to a number of behaviours of the classic
       Text binding tag.  Where there is an option, the Ntext behaviour is
       switched on by default, except for display-line indentation which is
       discussed on a separate page at ntextIndent.

       The behaviour of Ntext may be configured application-wide by setting
       the values of a number of namespace variables:

       ::ntext::classicAnchor

       o      0 - (default value) selects Ntext behaviour, i.e. the anchor
              point is fixed

       o      1 - selects classic Text behaviour, i.e. the anchor point is
              variable

       ::ntext::classicExtras

       o      0 - (default value) selects Ntext behaviour, i.e. several
              "extra" Text bindings are de-activated

       o      1 - selects classic Text behaviour, i.e. the "extra" Text
              bindings are activated

       ::ntext::classicMouseSelect

       o      0 - (default value) selects Ntext behaviour, i.e. the anchor
              point for mouse selection operations is moved by keyboard
              navigation

       o      1 - selects classic Text behaviour

       ::ntext::overwrite

       o      0 - (initial value) text typed at the keyboard is inserted into
              the widget

       o      1 - text typed at the keyboard overwrites text already in the
              widget

       o      The value is toggled by the Insert key.

EXAMPLE
       To use Ntext but keep classic Text 's variable-anchor feature:


              package require ntext
              text .t
              set ::ntext::classicAnchor 1
              bindtags .t {.t Ntext . all}


BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK
       This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly contain
       bugs and other problems.  Please report such in the category ntext of
       the Tklib Trackers [http://core.tcl.tk/tklib/reportlist].  Please also
       report any ideas for enhancements you may have for either package
       and/or documentation.

SEE ALSO
       bindtags, ntext, ntextIndent, text

KEYWORDS
       bindtags, text



tklib                                0.81                     ntextBindings(n)
