The Arachne Text Editor

Common Features

Alt-Q and F4 can cut and paste to/from each other.

Both Alt-Q and F4 editors use the following commands:

Ctrl-X Cut/Copy to clipboard

Highlighted text will be Cut from it's present location and copied to the clipboard (clip.tmp). If you save the original file the text that was highlighted will be gone!

To store (COPY) the highlighted text to clipboard, use Ctrl-X, then escape (CANCEL) the document in which the text was highlighted, open the next document and PASTE the text into that document using "Ctrl-K C". The original document will not be altered if you did not save it after the "cut and copy to clipboard"!.

Ctrl-K C

"Ctrl-K C" will not only copy a block but it will also replace the contents of the "clipboard" (file:clip.tmp) with highlighted block.

Clipboard (and the clip.tmp file)

In fact all hightlighted contents found inside an input box or the Arachne editor will replace the old content as soon as some action (ie move, copy, copy to clipboard) is undertaken.

Alt-Q Quickpad

Alt-Q's default setting is quickpad.txt.

This means that Alt-Q always, and only, opens 'quickpad.txt in edit mode.'

This means that unless a different choice is made with Ctrl-W (Save AS), all changes will be saved to quickpad.txt

This feature does have benefits:

1. If you open a copy of some file (as quickpad.txt) with Alt-Q, then open a second file with F4, you effectively have two files opened for editing and you can cut and paste back and forth.
2. You can bookmark ('A' key) several files for editing with F4 and effectively edit or cut and paste back and forth by using the 'H' hotlist key and Alt-Q to go back and forth from any file.
3. Quickpad.txt can be 'loaded' (that means a file copied to it) with any reference file, such as HTML tags, currently used meta tags or dictionary that you may need use to cut and paste elsewhere or just view quickly for reference.
4. If you are doing alot of cut and paste work, use quickpad.txt as the target file by copying the file that you want to work on to quickpad.txt.

   To do this either:

   1. open the file with F4 and press Ctrl-W to save as quickpad.txt or
   2. if the file is viewable from Arachne, press F2 to save as quickpad.txt.

   Then when you press Alt-Q the file that you would like to edit will be right there. No searching your drive or file lists for it.

5. If you save quickpad.txt with Ctrl-W once in a while, you will have created a backup copy of it. It might be a good idea to save with a different name each time (ie: Write/Save as: c:\default1.htm, c:\default2.htm, c:\default3.htm or whichever extension is appropriate).

If you would like to delete quickpad.txt because it has become too long or is now obsolete, you can. As with any other file in Arachne, use F10-TextFiles to find the file, use Shift-Enter to highlight the filename (quickpad.txt) in the file list then press delete. Press 'R' to reload the list and pffft! it is gone.

When you use Alt-Q next quickpad.txt will be empty.

F4

As mentioned, F4 will open the file that Arachne is currently viewing at the time.

The file can be edited and saved with the same name by pressing F2
or alternatively, with Ctrl-W (Save As:) it can be save with a new name, the original file remaining unchanged. By default, Ctrl-W will save the file to quickpad.txt where it will be ready to edit again when you press Alt-Q.

Arachne External Editor

Arachne's F4 function of editing pages currently displayed by Arachne may be replaced by another DOS text editor or word processor if the user so chooses.

* Cut and paste

If you navigate in Arachne using the Tab, Shift and Arrow keys, you can mark a block of text using these keys. The way that I have Arachne setup, I simply mark the block by pressing Shift key followed by arrow key(s) till the correct portion is marked then I copy, move, cut with the other shortcut keys.

Conflicting Economies

What is good for the economy is not necessarily good for ME (or you).