# Preferences

HTML mode is highly customizable. You can modify its behavior in several ways. This page describes all settings you can do using the Preferences menu of the HTML menu.

## General

Bring browser to front when sending a window to it
If checked, when you send a file to the browser, the browser will be brought to the foreground. If you have lots of screen space and are just validating, uncheck this flag to leave the browser in the background and Alpha in the foreground. By default the browser is brought to the foreground.
Save window without asking when sending it to the browser
If checked, when you send a file to the browser, the window is saved automatically without asking you. By default you are asked if you want to save the window.
Set tags in lower case
If not checked, elements will be like <P>; if checked, like <p>. By default upper case is used in HTML. In XHTML lowercase is required.
Add extra space before /> in empty XHTML elements
If checked, elements such as <br/> will get an extra space before />, like <br /> in XHTML. This for better compatibility with some browsers.
Use template stops (•)
If checked, will insert the • characters. By default the • characters are inserted.
Electric Braces, Electric Semicolon, Indent On Return
See the Electrics page.
Give attributes in dialog boxes/status bar
To choose whether you want to use dialog boxes or the status bar when you give attributes to an HTML element. By default dialog boxes are used.
Change attributes in dialog boxes/status bar
To choose whether you want to use dialog boxes or the status bar when you change the attributes in an existing HTML element by using Edit Tag in the Editing menu or by cmd-double clicking on an opening tag. By default dialog boxes are used.
Beep for first attribute (applies only if you use the status bar)
If checked, and you input element attributes from the status bar, Alpha will beep when asking for element attribute information there. By default Alpha will beep. This applies only if you use the status bar.

Use old style Comment Paragraph
In HTML mode 3.0 I made a change in (Un)Comment Paragraph, which made Uncomment Paragraph incompatible with comments created by Comment Paragraph in older versions of HTML mode. If you have old paragraph comments enable this preference to ignore the change in (Un)Comment Paragraph.
Auto-indent when typing > of a tag
See the Electrics page.
Adjust current line indentation when inserting a template
If this preference is enabled Alpha adjusts the indentation of the current line when inserting a template at the beginning of the line. This applies both when you insert a template using a menu item and when you use word completion. This behavior helps you to make sure the code is indented according to your preferences. By default Alpha adjusts the indentation.
Open attribute dialog after completing an element
When checked Alpha will open an attribute dialog - or ask you for the attributes in the status bar - when you uniquely word complete an opening element tag <ELEM to a template including a closing tag. Uncheck if you prefer to type the attributes too, and do not want the dialog.
Create missing file without asking when cmd-double-clicking a link
If checked and you cmd-double-click a link pointing to a file which does not exist, Alpha will create an empty file and open it without first asking you if you want to create the file. By default you are asked before the file is created.
Cmd-double-clicking on non-text file link opens file
If checked, and you cmd-double-click on a link pointing to a non-text file it is opened in the application it was created in. If not checked, nothing happens when you click on such a link. By default the file is opened. This setting also applies when you use Follow Link in the contextual menu.
Return on non-text file in home page window opens file
If checked, and you hit return on a non-text file in a home page window it is opened in the application it was created in. If not checked, nothing happens when you hit return on such a file. By default the file is opened.
'Insert include tags' only insert tags
If checked, Alpha will only insert the include tags when you use 'Insert include tags', and not insert the file to be included until you update the window. But default only the tags are inserted.
Preserve line endings when updating includes or moving files
If checked, Alpha will make sure the type of line endings used in each file - Mac, Windows, or Unix - is preserved when updating files with include tags or when moving files. By default line endings are not preserved, because this slightly slows down the updating.
Update META tags with NAME="DATE" attributes when saving
If checked, HTML mode will look for tags <META CONTENT="2001-01-14" NAME="DATE"> in the document every time you are saving and update the date. By default this is not done.

'Last modified' text
The default text when you insert last modified tags.
HTML menu icon
The icon for the HTML menu.
HTML Utilities menu icon
The icon for the HTML Utilities menu.

## Attributes Globally

See the section Deciding which attributes to be asked about.

## Use Attributes

See the section Deciding which attributes to be asked about.

## Indentation

See the section Indentation.

## Layout

See the section Controlling the layout of the code.

## Optional Closing Tags

Lets you specify if you want to use the closing tag of those elements which have an optional closing tag.

## Home Pages

See the section Configuring HTML mode.

## Key Bindings

See the section Key bindings.

## Coloring

See the section Coloring.

## Checking Links

See the section Checking links.

## Word Wrapping

Line width
Determines at which position lines are wrapped. This is the HTML mode specific version of the variable Fill Column in the global settings dialog Config -> Preferences -> Interface Preferences -> Text.
wordBreak
This controls which characters build up words,
wrapBreak
wrapBreakPreface
and these ones control word wrapping.

Read about them in the general manual if you want to change them (should usually not be needed).

## Content Types, Media Descriptors, Link Types

To edit the list of content types, media descriptors, and link types, which appear in the popup menus of the attribute dialog boxes. A window is opened where you can edit these list. Separate each item in the list with a space or a new line. Anything item containing spaces must be put within quotes.

Close the window to save the changes. Cancel the changes by holding down the shift key while clicking the window's close box.

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