.. _Editing_Files:

*************
Editing Files
*************

.. index:: editing
.. _General_Information:

General Information
===================

Source editing is one of the central parts of GPS, giving in turn access to
many other functionalities, including extended source navigation and source
analyzing tools.

.. image:: source-editor.png

The source editor provides an extensive set of features, including:

*Title bar*
  Showing the full name of the file including path information in the title
  bar of the GPS window.

*Line number information*
  This is the left area of the source editor.  :index:`Line numbers <single:
  preferences; editor --> display line numbers>` can be disabled with the
  :menuselection:`Editor --> Display line numbers` preference.  Note that this
  area can also display additional information, such as the current line of
  execution when debugging, or cvs annotations.

*Scrollbar*
  Located on the right of the editor, it allows you to scroll through the
  source file. When you scroll, GPS displays a convenient tooltip that shows
  the subprogram the cursor currently is in.

*Speed column*
  This :index:`column <single: preferences; editor --> speed column policy>`,
  when visible, is located on the left of the editor. It allows you to view all
  the highlighted lines in a file, at a glance. For example, all the lines
  containing compilation errors are displayed in the Speed Column. The
  preference :menuselection:`Editor --> Speed column policy` can be used to
  control the display of this area. It can sometimes be convenient to keep it
  visible at all time (to avoid resizing of the editors when new information
  becomes available), or on the other hand to hide it automatically when it is
  not needed to save some space on the screen.

*Status bar*
  Giving information about the file. It is divided in two sections, one
  on the left and one on the right of the window.

  - the left part of the status bar shows the current :index:`subprogram
    <single: preferences; editor --> display subprogram names>` name for
    languages that support this capability. Currently `Ada`, `C` and `C++` have
    this ability. The preference :menuselection:`Editor --> Display subprogram
    names` controls this display.


  - The right section contains multiple pieces of information:

    * The box displays the position of the cursor in the file by a line and a
      column number. When a selection is performed in the editor, this area
      also displays the size of the selection (number of lines and number of
      characters).

    * next to it is an icon that shows whether the file is writable or
      read-only.  You can change this state by clicking on the icon directly:
      this will toggle between *Writable* and *Read Only*.  Note that this will
      not change the permissions of the file on disk, it will only change the
      writable state of the source editor within GPS.

      When trying to save a file which is read only on the disk, GPS will ask
      for confirmation, and if possible, will force saving of the file, keeping
      its read only state.

    * If the file is maintained under version control, and version control is
      supported and enabled in GPS, the next icon will show VCS information on
      the file: the VCS kind (e.g. CVS or subversion), followed by the revision
      number, and if available, the status of the file.

*Contextual menu*
  Displayed when you right-click on any area of the source editor.  See in
  particular :ref:`Contextual_Menus_for_Source_Navigation` for more details.

*Syntax highlighting*
  Based on the programming language associated with the file, reserved words
  and languages constructs such as comments and strings are highlighted in
  different colors and fonts.

  By default, GPS knows about many languages. You can also easily add support
  for other languages through plug-ins. Most languages supported by GPS will
  provide syntax highlighting in the editor.

*Automatic indentation*
  When enabled, lines are automatically :index:`indented <indentation>` each
  time you press the :kbd:`Enter` key, or by pressing the indentation key.  The
  indentation key is :kbd:`Tab` by default, and can be changed in the key
  manager dialog, :ref:`The_Key_Manager_Dialog`.

  If a set of lines is selected when you press the indentation key, this whole
  set of lines will be indented.

*Tooltips*
  When you leave the mouse over a word in the source editor, a small
  :index:`window <tooltip>` will automatically pop up if there are relevant
  contextual information to display about the word.

  The type of information displayed depends on the current state of GPS.

  In normal mode, the entity kind and the location of declaration is displayed
  when this information is available. That is, when the cross-reference
  information about the current file has been generated. If there is no
  relevant information, no tooltip is displayed.  See
  :ref:`Support_for_Cross-References` for more information.

  .. highlight:: ada

  In addition, the documentation for the entity is displayed. This is the block
  of comments just before or just after the entity's declaration of body. There
  mustn't be any blank line between the two. For instance, the following are
  valid documentation for Ada and C::

    --  A comment for A
    A : Integer;

    B : Integer;
    --  A comment for B

    C : Integer;

    --  Not a comment for C, there is a blank linke

  When comments appear both before and after the entity, GPS will chose the one
  given by the :index:`preference <preferences; documentation --> leading
  documentation>` :menuselection:`Documentation --> Leading documentation`.

  In debugging mode, the value of the variable under the mouse is displayed in
  the pop up window if the variable is known to the debugger.  Otherwise, the
  normal mode information is displayed.

  You can disable the automatic pop up of tool tips via the :index:`preference
  <preferences; editor --> tooltips>` :menuselection:`Editor --> Tooltips`.

*Code completion*
  GPS provides two kinds of code :index:`completion`: a :ref:`smart code
  completion <Smart_Completion>` based on semantic information, and a text
  completion.

  The simple text completion is useful when editing a file and using often the
  same words to get automatic word completion. This is possible by typing the
  :kbd:`Ctrl-/` key combination (customizable through the key manager dialog)
  after a partial word: the next possible completion will be inserted in the
  editor. Typing this key again will cycle through the list of possible
  completions.

  Text completions are searched in all currently open source files, by first
  looking at the closest words and then looking further in the source as
  needed.

*Delimiter highlighting*
  When the cursor is moved before an opening :index:`delimiter` or after a
  closing delimiter, then both delimiters will be highlighted. The following
  characters are considered delimiters: ()[]{}.  You can disable highlighting
  of delimiters with the :index:`preference <preferences;editor --> highlight
  delimiters>` :menuselection:`Editor --> Highlight delimiters`.

  You can also jump to a corresponding delimiter by using the :kbd:`Ctrl-'`
  key, that can be configured in the shortcuts editor. Typing twice on this key
  will move the cursor back to its original position.

*Current line highlighting*
  You can configure the editor to highlight the :index:`current line` with a
  certain color (see the :index:`preference <preferences;
  editor --> fonts & colors --> current line color>` :menuselection:`Editor -->
  Fonts & Colors --> Current line color`).

*Current block highlighting*
  If the :index:`preference <preferences;editor --> block highlighting>`
  :menuselection:`Editor --> Block highlighting` is enabled, the editor will
  highlight the current block of code, e.g. the current `begin...end` block, or
  loop statement, etc... with a vertical bar to its left side.

  The block highlighting will also take into account the changes made in your
  source code, and will recompute automatically the current block when needed.

  This capability is currently implemented for Ada, C and C++ languages.

*Block folding*
  When the :index:`preference <preferences;editor --> block folding>`
  :menuselection:`Editor --> Block folding` is enabled, the editor will display
  `-` icons on the left side, corresponding to the beginning of subprograms. If
  you click on one of these icons, all the lines corresponding to this
  block are hidden, except the first one. As for the block highlighting,
  these icons are recomputed automatically when you modify your sources and are
  always kept up to date.

  This capability is currently implemented for Ada, C and C++ languages.

*Auto save*
  You can configure the editor to periodically save modified files.  See
  :ref:`Autosave delay <autosave_delay>` for a full description of this
  capability.

*Automatic highlighting of entities*
  When the cursor is positioned on an entity in the source editor, GPS will
  highlight all references to this entity in the current editor.

  When the cursor moves away from the entity, the highlighting is removed.

  .. index:: plug-ins; auto_highlight_occurrences.py

  This is controlled by the plugin :file:`auto_highlight_occurrences.py`: it
  can be deactivated by disabling the plugin (:ref:`The_Plug-ins_Editor`).

  Details such as presence of indications in the Speed Column or highlighting
  color can be customized in the `Plugins` section of
  :ref:`The_Preferences_Dialog`.

.. index:: emacs

GPS also integrates with existing third party editors such as `Emacs` or `vi`.
:ref:`Using_an_External_Editor`.

.. index:: editing
.. index:: source file
.. _Editing_Sources:

Editing Sources
===============

.. index:: key

Key bindings
------------

In addition to the standard keys used to navigate in the editor (up, down,
right, left, page up, page down), the integrated editor provides a number of
key bindings allowing easy navigation in the file.

There are also several ways to define new key bindings, see
:ref:`Defining_text_aliases` and :ref:`Binding_actions_to_keys`.

.. index:: hexadecimal
.. index:: ASCII


+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-Shift-u`     | Pressing these three keys and then holding Ctrl-Shift allow you to enter |
|                         | characters using their hexadecimal value. For example, pressing          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-Shift-u-2-0` | will insert a space character (ASCII 32, which is 20 in hexadecimal).    |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-x`           | Cut to clipboard                                                         |
| :kbd:`Shift-delete`     |                                                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-c`           | Copy to clipboard                                                        |
| :kbd:`Shift-insert`     |                                                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-v`           | Paste from clipboard                                                     |
| :kbd:`Shift-insert`     |                                                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-s`           | Save file to disk                                                        |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-z`           | Undo previous insertion/deletion                                         |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-r`           | Redo previous insertion/deletion                                         |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Insert`           | Toggle overwrite mode                                                    |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-a`           | Select the whole file                                                    |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Home`             | Go to the beginning of the line                                          |
| :kbd:`Ctrl-Pgup`        |                                                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`End`              | Go to the end of the line                                                |
| :kbd:`Ctrl-Pgdown`      |                                                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-Home`        | Go to the beginning of the file                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-End`         | Go to the end of the file                                                |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-up`          | Go to the beginning of the line, or to the previous line if already at   |
|                         | the beginning of the line.                                               |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-down`        | Go to the end of the line, or to the beginning of the next line if       |
|                         | already at the end of the line.                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-delete`      | Delete end of the current word.                                          |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| :kbd:`Ctrl-backspace`   | Delete beginning of the current word.                                    |
+-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

.. _Menu_Items:

Menu Items
==========

The main menus that give access to extended functionalities related to source
editing are described in this section.

.. _The_File_Menu:

The :menuselection:`File` Menu
------------------------------

.. index:: menu; file --> new

:menuselection:`File --> New`
  Open a new untitled source editor.  No syntax highlighting is performed until
  the file is saved, since GPS needs to know the file name in order to choose
  the programming language associated with a file.

  When you save a new file for the first time, GPS will ask you to enter the
  name of the file. In case you have started typing Ada code, GPS will try to
  guess based on the first main entity in the editor and on the current naming
  scheme, what should be the default name of this new file.

.. index:: menu; file --> new view

:menuselection:`File --> New View`
  Create a new view of the current editor. The new view shares the same
  contents: if you modify one of the source views, the other view is updated at
  the same time. This is particularly useful when you want to display two
  separate parts of the same file, for example a function spec and its body.

  A new view can also be created by keeping the :kbd:`shift` key pressed while
  drag-and-dropping the editor (see :ref:`Moving_Windows`). This second method
  is preferred, since you can then specify directly where you want to put the
  new view. The default when using the menu is that the new view is put on top
  of the editor itself.

.. index:: menu; file --> open

:menuselection:`File --> Open...`
  Open a file selection dialog where you can select a file to edit. On
  Windows, this is the standard file selector. On other platforms, this is a
  built-in file selector described in :ref:`The_File_Selector`.

.. index:: menu; file --> open from project
.. _open_from_project:

:menuselection:`File --> Open From Project...`
  Moves the focus to the :ref:`omni_search` field, where you can immediately
  start typing part of the file name you wish to open. This is the fastest
  way to select files to open.

.. index:: menu; file --> open from host
.. _Open_From_Host:

:menuselection:`File --> Open From Host...`
  Open a file selector dialog where you can specify a remote host, as defined
  in :ref:`The_remote_configuration_dialog`. You have access to a remote host
  file system, can specify a file which can be edited in GPS. When you hit the
  save button or menu, the file will be saved on the remote host.

  See also :ref:`Using_GPS_for_Remote_Development` for a more efficient way to
  work locally on remote files.

.. index:: menu; file --> recent

:menuselection:`File --> Recent`
  Open a sub menu containing a list of the ten most recent files opened in GPS,
  so that you can reopen them easily.

.. index:: menu; file --> save

:menuselection:`File --> Save`
  Save the current source editor if needed.

.. index:: menu; file --> save as

:menuselection:`File --> Save As...`
  Same current file under a different name, using the file selector dialog.
  :ref:`The_File_Selector`.

.. index:: menu; file --> save more

:menuselection:`File --> Save More`
  Give access to extra save capabilities:

  - :menuselection:`File --> Save More --> All`
     Save all items, including projects, etc...

  - :menuselection:`File --> Save More -->Desktop`
     Save the desktop to a file. The desktop includes information about files,
     graphs, ... and their window size and position in GPS. The desktop is
     saved per top level project, so that if you reload the same project you
     get back to the same situation you were in when you left GPS. Instead, if
     you load a different project another desktop will be loaded (or the
     default desktop).  Through the :index:`preference <preferences; general
     --> save desktop on exit>` :menuselection:`General-->Save Desktop On
     Exit`, you can also automatically save this desktop when you quit GPS.

.. index:: menu; file --> change directory

:menuselection:`File --> Change Directory...`
  Open a directory selection dialog that lets you change the current working
  directory.

.. index:: menu; file --> locations

:menuselection:`File --> Locations`
  This sub menu gives access to functionalities related to the
  :guilabel:`Locations` window.

  - :menuselection:`File --> Locations --> Export Locations to Editor`
     List the contents of the :guilabel:`Locations` view in a standard text
     editor.

.. index:: menu; file --> print
.. index:: print

:menuselection:`File --> Print`
  Print the current window contents, optionally saving it interactively if it
  has been modified. The Print Command specified in the preferences is used if
  it is defined. On Unix this command is required; on Windows it is optional.

  On Windows, if no command is specified in the preferences the standard
  Windows print dialog box is displayed. This dialog box allows the user to
  specify the target printer, the properties of the printer, which pages to
  print (all, or a specific range of pages), the number of copies to print,
  and, when more than one copy is specified, whether the pages should be
  collated.  Pressing the :guilabel:`Cancel` button on the dialog box returns
  to GPS without printing the window contents; otherwise the specified pages
  and copies are printed on the selected printer. Each page is printed with a
  header containing the name of the file (if the window has ever been saved).
  The page number is printed on the bottom of each page.

  See also:ref:`Print Command <Print_Command>`.

.. index:: menu; file --> close

:menuselection:`File --> Close`
  Close the current window. This applies to all GPS windows, not just source
  editors.

.. index:: menu; file --> exit

:menuselection:`File --> Exit`
  Exit GPS after confirmation and if needed, confirmation about saving modified
  windows and editors.

.. _The_Edit_Menu:

The :menuselection:`Edit` Menu
------------------------------

.. index:: menu; edit --> cut

:menuselection:`Edit --> Cut`
  Cut the current selection and store it in the clipboard.

.. index:: menu; edit --> copy
.. index:: yank

:menuselection:`Edit --> Copy`
  Copy the current selection to the clipboard.

.. index:: menu; edit --> paste

:menuselection:`Edit --> Paste`
  Paste the contents of the clipboard to the current cursor position.

.. index:: menu; edit --> paste previous

:menuselection:`Edit --> Paste previous`
  GPS stores a list of all the text that was previously copied into the
  clipboard through the use of :guilabel:`Copy` or :guilabel:`Cut`.

  By default, if you press :guilabel:`Paste`, the newest text will be copied at
  the current position. But if you select :guilabel:`Paste Previous`
  immediately after (one or more times) you can instead paste text that was
  copied previously in the clipboard.

  For instance, if you copy through :menuselection:`Edit --> Copy` the text
  "First", then copy the text "Second", you can then select
  :menuselection:`Edit --> Paste` to insert "Second" at the current
  location. If you then select :menuselection:`Edit --> Paste Previous`,
  "Second" will be replaced by "First".

  Selecting this menu several times will replace the text previously pasted by
  the previous one in the list saved in the clipboard. When reaching the end of
  this list, GPS will started from the beginning, and insert again the last
  text copied into the clipboard.

  The size of this list is controlled by the :menuselection:`General -->
  Clipboard Size` :index:`preference <preferences; general --> clipboard
  size>`.

  For more information, :ref:`The_Clipboard_View`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> undo

:menuselection:`Edit --> Undo`
  Undo previous insertion/deletion in the current editor.

.. index:: menu; edit --> redo

:menuselection:`Edit --> Redo`
  Redo previous insertion/deletion in the current editor.

.. index:: menu; edit --> rectangles

:menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles...`
  See the section :ref:`Rectangles` for more information on rectangles.

.. index:: menu; edit --> rectangles --> serialize

:menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles... -> Serialize`
  Increment a set of numbers found on adjacent lines.  The exact behavior
  depends on whether there is a current selection or not.

  If there is no selection, then the set of lines considered is from the
  current line on and includes all adjacent lines that have at least one
  digit in the original columns. In the following example, '|' marks the
  place where the cursor is at the beginning::

     AAA |10 AAA
     CCC 34567 CCC
     DDD DDD

  then only the first two lines will be modified, and will become::

     AAA 10 AAA
     CCC 11 CCC
     DDD DDD

  If there is a selection, all the lines in the selection are
  modified. For each line, the columns that had digits in the first
  line are modified, no matter what they actually contain. In the
  example above, if you select all three lines, the replacement becomes::

     AAA 10 AAA
     CCC 11567 CCC
     DDD 12D

  ie only the fifth and sixth columns are modified since only those
  columns contained digits in the first line. This feature assumes that
  you are selecting a relevant set of lines. But it allows you to
  transform blank lines more easily. For instance, if you have::

     AAA 1
     BBB
     CCC

  this is transformed into::

     AAA 1
     BBB 2
     CCC 3

.. index:: menu; edit --> select all

:menuselection:`Edit --> Select all`
  Select the whole contents of the current source editor.

.. index:: menu; edit --> insert file

:menuselection:`Edit --> Insert File...`
  Open a file selection dialog and insert the contents of this file in the
  current source editor, at the current cursor location.

.. index:: menu; edit --> insert shell output

:menuselection:`Edit --> Insert Shell Output...`
  Open an input window at the bottom of the GPS window where you can specify
  any external command. The output of the command will be inserted at the
  current editor location in case of success. If text is selected, the text is
  passed to the external command and replaced by the command's output.

.. index:: menu; edit --> format selection

:menuselection:`Edit --> Format selection`
  Indent and format the selection or the current line.
  :ref:`The_Preferences_Dialog`, for preferences related to source formatting.

.. index:: menu; edit --> smart completion
.. index:: completion
.. _Smart_Completion:

:menuselection:`Edit --> Smart completion`
  Complete the identifier prefix under the cursor, and list the results in a
  pop-up list. Used with Ada sources this command can take advantage of an
  entity database as well as Ada parsers embedded in GPS which analyze the
  context, and offer completions from the entire project along with
  documentation extracted from comments surrounding declarations. To take full
  advantage of this feature, the smart completion preference must be enabled,
  which will imply the computation of the entity database at GPS startup.

  .. index:: gcc; -fdump-xref

  The support for C and C++ is not as powerful as the support for Ada since it
  relies completely on the xref information files generated by the compiler,
  does not have into account the C/C++ context around the cursor, and does not
  extract documentation from comments around candidate declarations. To take
  advantage of this feature, in addition to enable the smart completion
  preference, the C/C++ application must be built with `-fdump-xref`.

  In order to use this feature, open any Ada, C or C++ file, and begin to type
  an identifier. It has to be an identifier declared either in the current file
  (and accessible from the cursor location) or in one of the packages of the
  project loaded. Move the cursor right after the last character of the
  incomplete identifier and hit the completion key (which is :kbd:`control-space`
  by default).  GPS will open a popup displaying all the known identifiers
  beginning with the prefix you typed. You can then browse among the various
  proposals by clicking on the  :kbd:`up` and :kbd:`down` keys, or using the
  left scrollbar. For each entity, a documentation box is filled. If the
  location of the entity is known, it's displayed as an hyperlink, and you can
  jump directly to its declaration by clicking on it.

  Typing new letters will reduce the range of proposal, as long as there remain
  solutions. Once you've selected the expected completion, you can validate by
  pressing :kbd:`Enter`.

  Typing control characters (ie, characters which cannot be used in
  identifiers) will also validate the current selection.

  GPS is also able to complete automatically subprogram parameter or dotted
  notations. For example, if you type::

    with Ada.

  the smart completion window will appear automatically, listing all the child
  and nested packages of Ada. You can configure the time interval after which
  the completion window appears (:ref:`The_Preferences_Dialog`).

  You can also write the beginning of the package, e.g.::

    with Ada.Text

  pressing the completion key will offer you Text_IO.

  If you are in a code section, you will be able to complete the fields of a
  record, or the contents of a package, e.g.::

     declare
       type R is record
          Field1 : Integer;
          Field2 : Integer;
       end record;

       V : R;
    begin
       V.

  Completing V. will propose Field1 and Field2.

  The smart completion can also give you the possible parameters of a call
  you're currently making. For example, in the following code::

       procedure Proc (A, B, C : Integer);
    begin
       Proc (1,

  If you hit the completion key after the comma, the smart completion engine
  will propose you to complete with the named parameters "B =>", "C =>" or
  directly to complete with all the remaining parameters, which in this case
  will be "B =>, C => )".

  .. image:: smart-completion.jpg

  Limitations:

  * This feature is currently only available for Ada, C and C++. Using the smart
    completion on sources of other languages behaves as the :ref:`identifier
    completion <Complete_Identifier>` does.

  * Smart completion for C and C++ is based on the xref information generated by
    the compiler. Therefore, GPS has no knowledge on recently edited files. You
    must rebuild with `-fdump-xref` to update the completion database.

  * Smart completion for C and C++ is only triggered at the beginning of an
    expression (that is, it is not triggered on special characters such as '(',
    '->', or the C++ operator '::') and it may propose too much candidates since
    it does not have into account the C/C++ syntax context. Typing new letters
    will reduce the range of proposal, as long as there remain solutions.

  * Smart completion of subprogram parameters, fields and dotted notation are not
    available yet for C and C++.


.. index:: menu; edit --> more completion

:menuselection:`Edit --> More Completion`
  This submenu contains more ways to automatically complete code

  .. index:: menu; edit --> more completion --> expand alias

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> More Completion --> Expand alias`

    Consider the current word as an alias and expand according to aliases
    defined in :ref:`Defining_text_aliases`.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> more completion --> complete identifier
  .. index:: complete identifier
  .. _Complete_Identifier:

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> More Completion --> Completion Identifier`

    Complete the identifier prefix under the cursor. This command will cycle
    through all identifiers starting with the given prefix.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> more completion --> complete block
  .. index:: complete block

  * :menuselection:`Edit -- >More Completion --> Complete block`

    Close the current statement (if, case, loop) or unit (procedure,
    function, package). This action works only on an Ada buffer.

.. index:: menu; edit --> selection

:menuselection:`Edit --> Selection`
  This submenu contains actions that apply to the current selection in the
  editor.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> comment lines

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Comment lines`

     Comment the current selection or line based on the current programming
     language syntax.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> uncomment lines

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Uncomment lines`

     Remove the comment delimiters from the current selection or line.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> refill

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Refill`

     Refill text on the selection or current line: rearrange line breaks in
     the paragraph so that line lengths do not exceed the maximum length, as
     set in the "Right margin" preference (:ref:`The_Preferences_Dialog`).

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> sort

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Sort`

      Sort the selected lines alphabetically. This is particularly useful when
      editing non source code, or for specific parts of the code, like with
      clauses in Ada.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> sort reverse

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Sort Reverse`

      Sort the selected lines in reverse alphabetical order

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> pipe in external program

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Pipe in external program...`

      Open an input window at the bottom of the GPS window where you can
      specify any external command, which will take the current selection as
      input. The output of the command will replace the contents of the
      selection on success.

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> untabify
  .. index:: tabs

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Untabify`

      Replace all tabs in the current selection (or in the whole buffer if
      there is no selection) by the appropriate number of spaces

  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> move right
  .. index:: menu; edit --> selection --> move left

  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Move Right`
  * :menuselection:`Edit --> Selection --> Move Left`

      Shift the currently selected lines (or the current line if there is no
      selection) one character to the right or to the left

.. index:: menu; edit --> fold all blocks
.. index:: code folding

:menuselection:`Edit --> Fold all blocks`
  Collapse all the blocks in the current file.

.. index:: menu; edit --> unfold all blocks

:menuselection:`Edit --> Unfold all blocks`
  Uncollapse all the blocks in the current file.

.. index:: menu; edit --> create bookmark

:menuselection:`Edit --> Create bookmark`
  Creates a new Bookmark at cursor position. For more information,
  :ref:`Bookmarks`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> pretty print
.. index:: pretty print
.. index:: gnatpp

:menuselection:`Edit --> Pretty Print`
  Pretty print the current source editor by calling the external tool `gnatpp`.
  It is possible to specify `gnatpp` switches in the switch editor.
  :ref:`The_Switches_Editor`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> generate body
.. index:: generate body
.. index:: gnatstub

:menuselection:`Edit --> Generate Body`
  Generate Ada body stub for the current source editor by calling the external
  tool `gnatstub`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> edit with external editor

:menuselection:`Edit --> Edit with external editor`
  :ref:`Using_an_External_Editor`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> aliases
.. index:: alias

:menuselection:`Edit --> Aliases`
  Display the Aliases editor. :ref:`Defining_text_aliases`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> key shortcuts
.. index:: key shortcuts

:menuselection:`Edit --> Key shortcuts`
  Give access to the key manager dialog, to associate commands with special
  keys. :ref:`The_Key_Manager_Dialog`.

.. index:: menu; edit --> preferences

:menuselection:`Edit --> Preferences`
  Give access to the preferences dialog. :ref:`The_Preferences_Dialog`.


.. index:: rectangle
.. index:: menu; edit --> rectangles
.. _Rectangles:

Rectangles
==========

Rectangle commands operate on a rectangular area of the text, that is all the
characters between two columns in a certain range of lines.

.. index:: plug-ins; emacs.py

A rectangle is selected using the standard selection mechanism. You can
therefore use either the mouse to highlight the proper region, or :kbd:`shift`
and the cursor keys to extend the selection, or the Emacs selection (with the
mark and the current cursor location) if you have activated the
:file:`emacs.py` plugin.

Visually, a selected rectangle is exactly the same as the standard selection.
In particular, the characters after the last column, on each line, will also be
highlighted. The way the selection is interpreted (either as a full text or as
a rectangle) depends on the command you then chose to manipulate the selection.

If you chose one of the commands from the :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles`
menu, the actual rectangle will extend from the top-left corner down to the
bottom-right corner.  All characters to the right of the right-most column,
although they are highlighted, are not part of the rectangle.

Consider for instance the following initial text::

  package A is
     procedure P;

     procedure Q;
  end A;


and assume we have selected from the character "p" in "procedure P", down to
the character "c" in "procedure Q".

The following commands can then be used (either from the menu, or you can
assign key shortcuts to them via the usual :menuselection:`Edit --> Key
shortcuts` menu.

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Cut` or :menuselection:`Edit -->
  Rectangles --> Delete`

  These commands will remove the selected text (and have no effect on empty
  lines within the rectangle). The former will in addition copy the rectangle
  to the clipboard, so that you can paste it later. In our example, we end up
  with::

    package A is
       edure P;

       edure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Copy`
  This command has no visual effect, but copies the contents of the rectangle
  into the clipboard.

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Paste`
  Pastes the contents of the clipboard as a rectangle: each line from the
  clipboard is treated independently, and inserted on successive lines in the
  current editor. They all start in the same column (the one where the cursor
  is initially in), and existing text in the editor lines is shifted to the
  right). If for instance you now place the cursor in the second line, first
  column, and paste, we end up with::

    package A is
    proc   edure P;

    proc   edure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Clear`
  Replaces the contents of the selected rectangle with spaces. If we start
  from our initial exmaple, we end up with the following. Note the difference
  with :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Delete`::

    package A is
           edure P;

           edure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Open`
  Replaces the contents of the selected rectangle with spaces, but shifts the
  lines to the right to do so. Note the difference with :menuselection:`Edit
  --> Rectangles --> Clear`::

    package A is
           procedure P;

           procedure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Replace With Text`
  This is similar to :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Clear`, but the
  rectangle is replaced with user-defined text. The lines will be shifted left
  or right if the text you insert is shorter (resp. longer) than the width of
  the rectangle. If for instance we replace our initial rectangle with the text
  TMP, we end up with the following. Note that the character "c" has
  disappeared, since TMP is shorter than our rectangle width (4
  characters). This command will impact lines that are empty in the initial
  rectangle::

    package A is
       TMPedure P;
       TMP
       TMPedure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Insert Text`
  This inserts a text to the left of the rectangle on each line. The following
  example inserts TMP. Note the difference with :menuselection:`Edit -->
  Rectangles --> Replace With Text`. This command will also insert the text on
  lines that are empty in the initial rectangle::

    package A is
       TMPprocedure P;
       TMP
       TMPprocedure Q;
    end A;

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Sort`
  This sorts the selected lines according to the key which starts and ends on
  the corresponding rectangle's columns::

    aaa 15 aa
    bbb 02 bb
    ccc 09 cc

  With a selection starting from the 1 on the first line and ending on the 9 on
  the last one, sorting will result with the following content::

    bbb 02 bb
    ccc 09 cc
    aaa 15 aa

* :menuselection:`Edit --> Rectangles --> Sort reverse`

  As above but in the reverse order.



.. index:: macros
.. _Recording_and_replaying_macros:

Recording and replaying macros
==============================

It is often convenient to be able to repeat a given key sequence a number of
times.

GPS supports this with several different methods:

* Repeat the next action

  .. index:: action; repeat next

  If there is a single key press that you wish to repeat a number of times, you
  should first use the GPS action `"Repeat Next"` (bound by default to
  :kbd:`control-u`, but this can be changed as usual through the
  :menuselection:`Edit --> Key Shortcuts` menu), then entering the number of
  times you wish to repeat, and finally pressing the key you want.

  For instance, the following sequence :kbd:`control-u 79 -` will insert
  79 characters '-' in the current editor. This proves often useful to insert
  separators.

  If you are using the emacs mode (see :menuselection:`Tools --> Plug-ins`
  menu), you can also use the sequence :kbd:`control-u 30 control-k` to delete
  30 lines.

* Recording macros

  .. index:: menu; tools --> macros

  If you wish to repeat a sequence of more than 1 key, you should record this
  sequence as a macro. All macro-related menus are found in
  :menuselection:`Tools --> Macros`, although it is often more convenient to
  use these through key bindings, which you can of course override.

  You must indicate to GPS that it should start recording the keys you are
  pressing. This is done through the :menuselection:`Tools --> Macros --> Start
  Keyboard Macro` menu.  As its name indicates, this only records keyboard
  events, not mouse events.  Until you select :menuselection:`Tools --> Macros
  --> Stop Macro`, GPS will keep recording the events.

  In Emacs mode, the macro actions are bound to :kbd:`control-x (`,
  :kbd:`control-x )` and :kbd:`control-x e` key shortcuts. For instance, you
  can execute the following to create a very simple macro that deletes the
  current line, wherever your cursor initially is on that line:

  *  :kbd:`control-x (`     start recording
  *  :kbd:`control-a`      go to beginning of line
  *  :kbd:`control-k`      delete line
  *  :kbd:`control-x )`     stop recording


.. index:: automatic casing; exceptions
.. _Contextual_Menus_for_Editing_Files:

Contextual Menus for Editing Files
==================================

Whenever you ask for a contextual menu (using e.g. the right button on your
mouse) on a source file, you will get access to a number of entries, displayed
or not depending on the current context.

Menu entries include the following categories:

*Source Navigation*
  :ref:`Contextual_Menus_for_Source_Navigation`.

*Dependencies*
  :ref:`The_Dependency_Browser`.

*Entity browsing*
  :ref:`Entity_Browser`.

*Project view*
  :ref:`The_Project_View`.

*Version control*
  :ref:`The_Version_Control_Contextual_Menu`.

*Debugger*
  :ref:`Using_the_Source_Editor_when_Debugging`.

*Case exceptions*
  :ref:`Handling_of_case_exceptions`.

*Refactoring*
  :ref:`Refactoring`.

.. index:: language, editor
.. index:: character set

In addition, an entry :guilabel:`Properties...` is always visible in this contextual
menu. When you select it, a dialog pops up that allows you to override the
language used for the file, or the character set.

This can be used for instance if you want to open a file that does not belong
to the current project, but where you want to benefit from the syntax
highlighting.

It is not recommended to override the language for source files that belong to
the project. Instead, you should use the :menuselection:`Project --> Edit
Project Properties` menu and change the naming scheme if appropriate. This will
ensure better consistency between GPS and the compiler in the way they
manipulate the file.

.. index:: casing; automatic
.. _Handling_of_case_exceptions:

Handling of case exceptions
===========================

GPS keeps a set of case exceptions that is used by all case insensitive
languages. When editing or reformatting a buffer for such a language the case
exception dictionary will be checked first. If an exception is found for this
word or a substring of the word, it will be used; otherwise the specified
casing for keywords or identifiers is used. A substring is defined as a part of
the word separated by underscores.

.. index:: preferences; editor --> ada --> casing policy
.. index:: preferences; editor --> ada --> reserved word casing
.. index:: preferences; editor --> ada --> identifier casing

Note that this feature is not activated for entities (keywords or identifiers)
for which the casing is set to :guilabel:`Unchanged` in the preferences
:menuselection:`Editor --> Ada --> Reserved word casing` or
:menuselection:`Editor --> Ada --> Identifier casing`.

A contextual menu named :menuselection:`Casing` has the following entries:

:menuselection:`Casing --> Lower *entity*`
  Set the selected entity in lower case.

:menuselection:`Casing --> Upper *entity*`
  Set the selected entity in upper case.

:menuselection:`Casing --> Mixed *entity*`
  Set the selected entity in mixed case (set the first letter and
  letters before an underscore in upper case, all other letters are set
  to lower case).

:menuselection:`Casing --> Smart Mixed *entity*`
  Set the selected entity in smart mixed case. Idem as above except that
  upper case letters are kept unchanged.

:menuselection:`Casing --> Add exception for *entity*`
  Add the current entity into the case exception dictionary.

:menuselection:`Casing --> Remove exception for *entity*`
  Remove the current entity from the case exception dictionary.

To add or remove a substring exception into/from the dictionary you need to
first select the substring on the editor. In this case the last two contextual
menu entries will be:

:menuselection:`Casing --> Add substring exception for *str*`
  Add the selected substring into the case substring exception dictionary.

:menuselection:`Casing --> Remove substring exception for *str*`
  Remove the selected substring from the case substring exception dictionary.


.. index:: refactoring
.. _Refactoring:

Refactoring
===========

GPS includes basic facilities for refactoring your code. Refactoring is the
standard term used to describe manipulation of the source code that do not
affect the behavior of the application, but help reorganize the source code to
make it more readable, more extendable, ...

Refactoring technics are generally things that programmers are used to do by
hand, but which are faster and more secure to do automatically through a tool.

One of the basic recommendations when you refactor your code is to recompile
and test your application very regularly, to make sure that each of the small
modifications you made to it didn't break the behavior of your application.
This is particularly true with GPS, since it relies on the cross-references
information that is generated by the compiler. If some of the source files have
not been recompiled recently, GPS will print warning messages indicating that
the renaming operation might be dangerous and/or only partial.

One of the reference books that was used in the choice of refactoring methods
to implement is "Refactoring", by Martin Fowler (Addison Wesley).

.. _Rename_Entity:

Rename Entity
-------------

Clicking on an entity in a source file and selecting the
:menuselection:`Refactoring --> Rename` contextual menu will open a dialog
asking for the new name of the entity. GPS will rename all instances of the
entity in your application.  This includes the definition of the entity, its
body, all calls to it, etc...  Of course, no comment is updated, and you should
probably check manually that the comment for the entity still applies.

GPS will handle primitive operations by also renaming the operations it
overrides or that overrides it. This means that any dispatching call to that
operation will also be renamed, and the application should still work as
before. If you are renaming a parameter to a subprogram, GPS can also rename
parameters with similar names in overriding or overridden subprograms.

The behavior when handling read-only files can be specified: by default, GPS
will not do any refactoring in these files, and will display a dialog listing
all of them; but you can also choose to make them writable just as if you had
clicked on the "Read-Only" button in the status bar of the editor and then have
GPS perform the renaming in them as well.

.. _Name_Parameters:

Name Parameters
---------------

If you are editing Ada code and click on a call to a subprogram, GPS will
display a contextual menu :menuselection:`Refactoring --> Name parameters`,
which will replace all unnamed parameters by named parameters, as in::

     Call (1, 2)
  =>
     Call (Param1 => 1, Param2 => 2);


.. _Extract_Subprogram:

Extract Subprogram
------------------

This refactoring is used to move some code from one place to a separate
subprogram. The goal is to simplify the original subprogram, by moving part of
its code elsewhere.

Here is an example from the "Refactoring" book. The refactoring will take place
in the body of the package :file:`pkg.adb`, but the spec is needed so that you
can compile the source code (a preliminary step mandatory before you can
refactor the code)::

  pragma Ada_05;

  with Ada.Containers.Indefinite_Doubly_Linked_Lists;
  with Ada.Strings.Unbounded;

  package Pkg is

     type Order is tagged null record;
     function Get_Amount (Self : Order) return Integer;

     package Order_Listsis new
        Ada.Containers.Indefinite_Doubly_Linked_Lists (Order);

     type Invoice is tagged record
        Orders : Order_Lists.List;
        Name   : Ada.Strings.Unbounded.Unbounded_String;
     end record;

     procedure Print_Owing (Self : Invoice);

  end Pkg;

The initial implementation for this code is given by the following code::

  pragma Ada_05;
  with Ada.Strings.Unbounded;  use Ada.Strings.Unbounded;
  with Ada.Text_IO;            use Ada.Text_IO;

  package body Pkg is
     use Order_Lists;

     ----------------
     -- Get_Amount --
     ----------------

     function Get_Amount (Self : Order) return Integer is
     begin
        return 0;
     end Get_Amount;

     -----------------
     -- Print_Owing --
     -----------------

     procedure Print_Owing (Self : Invoice) is
        E : Order_Lists.Cursor := First (Self.Orders);
        Outstanding : Natural := 0;
        Each : Order;
     begin
        --  <<< line 30
        --  Print Banner

        Put_Line ("");
        Put_Line (" Customer Owes         ");
        Put_Line ("");  --  << line 35

        --  Calculate Outstanding

        while Has_Element (E) loop
           Each := Element (E);
           Outstanding := Outstanding + Each.Get_Amount;
           Next (E);
        end loop;

        --  Print Details

        Put_Line ("Name: " & To_String (Self.Name));
        Put_Line ("Outstanding:" & Outstanding'Img);
     end Print_Owing;
  end Pkg;

The procedure `Print_Owing` is too long and does several independent actions.
We will perform a series of three successive refactoring steps to extract the
code and move it elsewhere.

The first is the code that prints the banner. Moving it is easy, since this
code does not depend on any context. We could just do a copy-paste, but then we
would have to create the new subprogram. Instead, we select lines 30 to 35, and
then select the contextual menu :menuselection:`Refactoring --> Extract
Subprogram`.  GPS will then automatically change `Print_Owing` and create a new
procedure `Print_Banner` (the name is specified by the user, GPS does not try
to guess it). Also, since the chunk of code that is extracted starts with a
comment, GPS automatically uses that comment as the documentation for the new
subprogram.  Here is part of the resulting file::

  package body Pkg is

     procedure Print_Banner;
     --  Print Banner

     ------------------
     -- Print_Banner --
     ------------------

     procedure Print_Banner is
     begin
        Put_Line ("");
        Put_Line (" Customer Owes         ");
        Put_Line ("");
     end Print_Banner;

     ... (code not shown)

     procedure Print_Owing (Self : Invoice) is
        E : Order_Lists.Cursor := First (Self.Orders);
        Outstanding : Natural := 0;
        Each : Order;
     begin
        Print_Banner;

        --  Calculate Outstanding

        while Has_Element (E) loop
           Each := Element (E);
           Outstanding := Outstanding + Each.Get_Amount;
           Next (E);
        end loop;

        --  Print Details   <<< line  54

        Put_Line ("Name: " & To_String (Self.Name));
        Put_Line ("Outstanding:" & Outstanding'Img);  --  line 57
     end Print_Owing;
  end Pkg;

A more interesting example is when we want to extract the code to print the
details of the invoice. This code depends on one local variable and the
parameter to Print_Owing. When we select lines 54 to 57 and extract it into a
new `Print_Details` subprogram, we get the following result. GPS automatically
decides which variables to extract, and whether they should become parameters
of the new subprogram, or local variables. In the former case, it will also
automatically decide whether to create `"in"`, `"out"` or `"in out"`
parameters. If there is a single `"out"` parameter, it will automatically
create a function rather than a procedure.

GPS will use, for the parameters, the same name that was used for the local
variable. Very often, it will make sense to recompile the new version of the
source, and then apply the :menuselection:`Refactoring --> Rename Entity`
refactoring to have more specific names for the parameters, or the
:menuselection:`Refactoring --> Name Parameters` refactoring so that the call
to the new method uses named parameters to further clarify the code::

     ... code not shown

     procedure Print_Details
       (Self : Invoice'Class;
        Outstanding : Natural);
     --  Print Details

     -------------------
     -- Print_Details --
     -------------------

     procedure Print_Details
       (Self : Invoice'Class;
        Outstanding : Natural)
     is
     begin
        Put_Line ("Name: " & To_String (Self.Name));
        Put_Line ("Outstanding:" & Outstanding'Img);
     end Print_Details;

     procedure Print_Owing (Self : Invoice) is
        E : Order_Lists.Cursor := First (Self.Orders);
        Outstanding : Natural := 0;
        Each : Order;
     begin
        Print_Banner;

        --  Calculate Outstanding

        while Has_Element (E) loop
           Each := Element (E);
           Outstanding := Outstanding + Each.Get_Amount;
           Next (E);
        end loop;

        Print_Details (Self, Outstanding);
     end Print_Owing;

Finally, we want to extract the code that computes the outstanding amount. When
this code is moved, the variables `E` and `Each` become useless in
`Print_Owing` and are moved into the new subprogram (which we will call
`Get_Outstanding`. Here is the result of that last refactoring (the initial
selection should include the blank lines before and after the code, to keep the
resulting `Print_Owing` simpler). GPS will automatically ignore those blank
lines::

     ... code not shown

     procedure Get_Outstanding (Outstanding : in out Natural);
     --  Calculate Outstanding

     ---------------------
     -- Get_Outstanding --
     ---------------------

     procedure Get_Outstanding (Outstanding : in out Natural) is
        E : Order_Lists.Cursor := First (Self.Orders);
        Each : Order;
     begin
        while Has_Element (E) loop
           Each := Element (E);
           Outstanding := Outstanding + Each.Get_Amount;
           Next (E);
        end loop;
     end Get_Outstanding;

     procedure Print_Owing (Self : Invoice) is
        Outstanding : Natural := 0;
     begin
        Print_Banner;
        Get_Outstanding (Outstanding);
        Print_Details (Self, Outstanding);
     end Print_Owing;

Note that the final version of `Print_Owing` is not perfect. For instance,
passing the initial value 0 to `Get_Outstanding` is useless, and in fact that
should probably be a function with no parameter. But GPS already saves a lot of
time and manipulation.

Finally, a word of caution: this refactoring does not check that you are giving
a valid input. For instance, if the text you select includes a `declare` block,
you should always include the full block, not just a part of it (or select text
between `begin` and `end`). Likewise, GPS does not expect you to select any
part of the variable declarations, just the code.


.. index:: external editor
.. _Using_an_External_Editor:

Using an External Editor
========================

.. index:: preferences; editor --> external editor

GPS is integrated with a number of external editors, in particular `Emacs` and
`vi`. The choice of the default external editor is done in the preferences,
via :menuselection:`Editor --> External editor`.

The following values are recognized:

.. index:: gnuclient

:guilabel:`gnuclient`
  This is the recommended client. It is based on Emacs, but needs an extra
  package to be installed. This is the only client that provides a full
  integration in GPS, since any extended lisp command can be sent to the Emacs
  server.

  By default, gnuclient will open a new Emacs frame for every file that is
  opened. You might want to add the following code to your :file:`.emacs` file
  (create one if needed) so that the same Emacs frame is reused every time::

       (setq gnuserv-frame (car (frame-list)))

  See `http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/ange/gnuserv/home.html
  <http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/ange/gnuserv/home.html>`_ for more
  information.


.. index:: emacsclient

:guilabel:`emacsclient`
  This is a program that is always available if you have installed Emacs. As
  opposed to starting a new Emacs every time, it will reuse an existing Emacs
  session. It is then extremely fast to open a file.


.. index:: emacs

:guilabel:`emacs`
  This client will start a new Emacs session every time a file needs to be
  opened. You should use `emacsclient` instead, since it is much faster, and
  makes it easier to copy and paste between multiple files. Basically, the only
  reason to use this external editor is if your system doesn't support
  `emacsclient`.


.. index:: vi

:guilabel:`vim`
  `Vim` is a vi-like editor that provides a number of enhancements, for
  instance syntax highlighting for all the languages supported by GPS.
  Selecting this external editor will start an xterm (or command window,
  depending on your system) with a running `vim` process editing the file.

  Note that one limitation of this editor is that if GPS needs to open the same
  file a second time, it will open a new editor, instead of reusing the
  existing one.

  To enable this capability, the xterm executable must be found in the PATH,
  and thus is not supported on Windows systems. Under Windows systems, you can
  use the `custom` editor instead.

:guilabel:`vi`
  This editor works exactly like vim, but uses the standard `vi` command
  instead of `vim`.


.. index:: preferences; editor --> custom editor command

:guilabel:`custom`
  You can specify any external editor by choosing this item. The full command
  line used to call the editor can be specified in the preference
  :menuselection:`Editor --> Custom editor command`.

:guilabel:`none`
  No external editor is used, and the contextual menus simply won't appear.

In the cases that require an Emacs server, the project file currently used in
GPS will be set appropriately the first time Emacs is spawned. This means that
if you load a new project in GPS, or modify the paths of the current project,
you should kill any running Emacs, so that a new one is spawned by GPS with the
appropriate project.

Alternatively, you can reload explicitly the project from Emacs itself by using
the menu :menuselection:`Project --> Load` in emacs (if the ada-mode was
correctly installed).

.. index:: preferences; editor --> always use external editor

The preference :menuselection:`Editor --> Always use external editor` lets
you chose to always use an external editor every time you double-click on
a file, instead of opening GPS' own editor.


.. index:: clipboard
.. index:: cut
.. index:: copy
.. index:: yank
.. index:: paste
.. _Using_the_Clipboard:

Using the Clipboard
===================

This section concerns X-Window users who are used to cutting and pasting with
the middle mouse button. In the GPS text editor, as in many recent X
applications, the *GPS clipboard* is set by explicit cut/copy/paste actions,
either through menu items or keyboard shortcuts, and the *primary clipboard*
(i.e. the 'middle button' clipboard) is set by the current selection.

Therefore, copy/paste between GPS and other X applications using the *primary
clipboard* will still work, provided that there is some text currently
selected. The *GPS clipboard*, when set, will override the *primary clipboard*.

By default, GPS overrides the X mechanism. To prevent this, add the following
line: `OVERRIDE_MIDDLE_CLICK_PASTE = no` to your :file:`traces.cfg` file
(typically in :file:`~/.gps/`). Note, however, that the X mechanism pastes all
attributes of text, including coloring and editability, which can be confusing.

See `http://standards.freedesktop.org/clipboards-spec/clipboards-latest.txt
<http://standards.freedesktop.org/clipboards-spec/clipboards-latest.txt>`_ for
more information.


.. index:: saving
.. _Saving_Files:

Saving Files
============

.. index:: menu; file --> save

After you have finished modifying your files, you need to save them. The basic
method to do that is to select the menu :menuselection:`File --> Save`, which
saves the currently selected file.

.. index:: menu; file --> save as

You can also use the menu :menuselection:`File --> Save As...` if you want to
save the file with another name, or in another directory.

.. index:: menu; file --> save more --> all

If you have multiple files to save, another possibility is to use the menu
:menuselection:`File --> Save More --> All`. This will open a dialog listing
all the currently modified editors that need saving. You can then select
individually which one should be saved, and click on :guilabel:`Save` to do the
actual saving.

.. index:: preferences; editor --> autosave delay
.. index:: saving; automatic

When calling external commands, such as compiling a file, if the
:menuselection:`Editor --> Autosave delay` preference is set to 0, this same
dialog is also used, to make sure that e.g.  the compiler will take into
account your local changes.  If the preference is enabled, the saving is
performed automatically.

.. image:: save-dialog.jpg

You can conveniently select or unselect all the files at once by clicking on
the title of the first column (labeled :guilabel:`Select`). This will toggle the
selection status of the first line, and have the same status for all other
editors.

If you press :guilabel:`Cancel` instead of :guilabel:`Save`, no saving will
take place, and the action that displayed this dialog is also canceled. Such
actions can be for instance starting a compilation command, a VCS operation, or
quitting GPS with unsaved files.
