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Editor Preferences


This tab allows you to specify settings for the built-in IDL Editor and control the way IDL compiles files loaded in editor windows. On Microsoft Windows systems, this tab also allows you to specify syntax-highlighting and other editor features.

Backup on Save

Select the Backup on Save / Make backup copy of source file check box to cause IDL to create a backup of the original file when saving a file in an IDL editor window.

Compiling Section

Select the Ask to save changes before compiling radio button if you would like to save changes when you compile a program in an IDL editor window. This is the default.

Select the Automatically save changes before compiling radio button if you do not want to be prompted each time you compile, but do want to save the changes.

Select the Compile from memory (don't save before compile) radio button if you do not want to save files before compiling them.

Note
You can override your default selection by selecting the appropriate menu item from the Run menu.

Microsoft Windows Editor Configuration

On Microsoft Windows systems, you can choose to use syntax highlighting in IDL editor windows. If syntax highlighting is turned on, IDL statements are displayed in different colors. Select the Enable colored syntax checkbox to enable syntax highlighting.

If you want IDL to open the source file for a program that generates an error in an IDL editor window, select the Enable Open on debug checkbox.

Tabs Section

You can specify the width of the white space to be used when you press the Tab key in an IDL editor window. Enter a number in the Number of spaces to indent for each tab field to specify the width of the indent to be used.

If you want the IDL editor to insert a tab character (ASCII 9) when you press the Tab key, select the Use tabs radio button. If you want IDL to insert the specified number of space characters (ASCII 32) when you press the Tab key, select the Use spaces radio button.

If you have selected the Use spaces radio button, you have the option to convert tab characters to spaces when the file is saved by selecting the Convert tabs to spaces on save checkbox.

Colors Section

Use this section to select the colors that will be used in the IDL editor when syntax highlighting is enabled. To set colors, select a type of IDL statement from the scrolling listbox at left, then select the foreground and background colors for that type of statement.


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