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diff --git a/docs/faq.md b/docs/faq.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..8e33114b --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/faq.md @@ -0,0 +1,185 @@ +# FAQ + +**Q:** +If Textadept is so minimalist, why are the downloads around 10MB in size and the +unzipped folders 10s of MBs in size? + +**A:** +Each download contains 2 executables: a GUI version and a terminal version. +Furthermore, the Windows and macOS packages bundle in GTK runtimes, accounting +for some 3/4 of the total application size. (GTK is the cross-platform GUI +toolkit Textadept uses.) Then, starting in version 10, in order to be able to +run on older Linux systems whose libstdc++ does not support newer C++ symbols, +the Linux executables statically link in a newer version of libstdc++. Finally, +nightly builds are compiled with debug symbols enabled in order to aid debugging +of various issues. + +- - - + +**Q:** +On Linux I either get one of the following error messages when trying to run +Textadept, or I get odd behavior in the terminal version, even crashes. + +* `error while loading shared libraries: <lib>: cannot open shared object + file: No such file or directory` +* `/<path>/libc.so.6: version 'GLIBC_<version>' not found` + +How do I fix this? + +**A:** +Short answer: you will need to [compile][] Textadept manually for your system, +which is a very straightforward and easy process. + +Long answer: it is difficult to provide a binary that runs on all Linux +platforms since the library versions installed vary widely from distribution to +distribution. For example, "libpng14" was available for many distributions +starting in late 2009 while Ubuntu 12.04 (circa 2012) used "libpng12". More +recently, some distributions have started using "libncurses6" while many +distributions are still on "libncurses5". The only way to avoid problems that +stem from these cases is to compile Textadept for the target system. + +[compile]: manual.html#Compiling + +- - - + +**Q:** +On Windows my anti-virus software says Textadept contains a virus. Does it? Or +is this a false-positive? + +**A:** +Textadept does not contain any viruses and it certainly is a false positive. +The likely culprit is the `textadept-curses.exe` executable, which runs in the +Windows command prompt. + +- - - + +**Q:** +Why can't Textadept handle HUGE files very well? + +**A:** +Textadept is an editor for programmers. It is unlikely a programmer would be +editing a gigantic log file. There are other tools for that case. + +- - - + +**Q:** +When I open a file in a non-English language, I see a lot of strange characters. + +**A:** +Textadept was not able to detect the file's encoding correctly. You'll need to +[help it][]. + +[help it]: manual.html#Encoding + +- - - + +**Q:** +When I click the "Compile" or "Run" menu item (or execute the key command), +either nothing happens or the wrong command is executed. How can I tell +Textadept which command to run? + +**A:** +The LuaDoc describes [compile and run commands][] and you can configure them in +your [preferences][]. + +[compile and run commands]: api.html#_M.Compile.and.Run +[preferences]: manual.html#...textadept + +- - - + +**Q:** +In the terminal version on Linux, pressing `^Z` suspends Textadept instead of +performing an "Undo" action. How can I disable suspend and perform "Undo" +instead? + +**A:** +Place the following in your `~/.textadept/init.lua` file: + + events.connect(events.SUSPEND, function() + buffer:undo() + return true + end, 1) + +- - - + +**Q:** +In Linux, middle-clicking in the terminal version does not paste the primary +selection and selecting text does copy to the primary selection. All other +terminal apps support this functionality, why not Textadept? + +**A:** +It does; use the `Shift` modifier key with your middle-clicking and text +selecting. Textadept interprets non-`Shift`ed mouse events like a GUI +application. + +- - - + +**Q:** +The terminal version does not support feature _x_ the GUI version does. Is this +a bug? + +**A:** +Maybe. Some terminals do not recognize certain key sequences like `Shift+Arrow` +for making selections. Linux's virtual terminals (the ones accessible with +`Ctrl+Alt+FunctionKey`) are an example. GNOME Terminal, LXTerminal and XTerm +seem to work fine. rxvt and rxvt-unicode do not work out of the box, but may be +configurable. + +Please see the [terminal version compatibility][] section of the appendix. If +the feature in question is not listed there, it may be a bug. Please contact +me (mitchell.att.foicica.com) with any bug reports. + +[terminal version compatibility]: manual.html#Terminal.Version.Compatibility + +- - - + +**Q:** +Pressing `^O` in the terminal version on macOS does not do anything. Why? + +**A:** +For whatever reason, `^O` is discarded by the terminal driver. To enable it, run +`stty discard undef` first. You can put the command in your *~/.bashrc* or +*~/.bash_profile* to make it permanent. + +- - - + +**Q:** +How can I get the terminal version on macOS to show more than 8 colors? + +**A:** +Enable the "Use bright colors for bold text" setting in your Terminal.app +preferences. + +- - - + +**Q:** +Why does Textadept remember its window size but not its window position? + +**A:** +Your window manager is to blame. Textadept is not responsible for, and should +never attempt to set its window position. + +- - - + +**Q:** +I am not able to use the "Consolas" or [insert other Windows font package here] +on Windows. Textadept just uses a default font. How can I get it to use my font? + +**A:** +You'll have to provide the full name of the font, such as "Consolas Regular", +rather than just the name of the "ttf" file in your Fonts directory. + +- - - + +**Q:** +On my Windows HiDPI display, Textadept's fonts look fuzzy or blurred. How can I +make them crisp like other HiDPI-aware applications? + +**A:** +GTK 2.0, the cross-platform GUI toolkit Textadept uses, is not HiDPI aware, so +you need to instruct Windows to take over font rendering. Right-click on the +Textadept executable and select "Properties". Click on the "Compatibility" tab +and then the "Change high DPI settings" button. Check the "Override high DPI +scaling" checkbox towards the bottom of the pop-up dialog. The next time you +run Textadept, the fonts should look much better. You may have to tweak other +settings in the dialog, but the above worked for me. |