Note: The preference settings affect all datafiles.
Show Starting Points automatically
The Starting Points window only appears when no datafiles are open. It is suggested by Apple that an application should always have a window when the application is activated. This is to make it obvious which application is foremost. Enable this preference if you wish to have the Starting Points window appear when not datafiles are open and iData 2 is launched or brought forward.
If a datafile is set to automatically open when iData 2 launches, the Starting Points window will not appear, even if its preference is enabled. It will only appear in the following situation: close all datafiles and leave iData 2 running, switch to another application, then switch back to iData 2.
From the Starting Points window you can create a new datafile, open a datafile from the iData 2 Datafiles folder (Standard Location), or open a datafile that is some other location.
Highlight Find Box when window comes forward
If this preference is enabled, the
insertion point (where typing occurs) will always move to the Find Box
when you bring a datafile window forward. This is to keep you from
typing over data that might previously have been highlighted.
Highlight
field when field name is clicked in Basic View
If this preference is enabled, clicking a
field name in Basic View will cause the text in that field to be
highlighted. (This is what always happened in versions of iData prior
to 2.5. Now this behavior can be disabled.)
Quit iData when last file is closed
This option is for those who first started using QuickDEX in the days when it was a Desk Accessory. When Desk Accessory windows were closed, the application quit. If you want iData 2 to quit when you have closed all of its windows, enable this preference.
Perform case-sensitive searches
If this preference is enabled, the Find Box searches will match the case of the characters in the search. A search for "Tom" will not find "tomato", but it will find "Tomato". This preference is a holdover from earlier systems where searches involving two-byte character sets needed to be case-sensitive in order to work properly, but it is seldom needed in Unicode-based applications like iData 2. It is probably more convenient to do case-sensitive searching by using the Find and Replace function (in the Find sub-menu, under the Edit menu) than it is to switch this preference on and off repeatedly.
Open Datafiles with Spell Checker turned off
If you do not wish to have iData 2's built-in spell checking feature on, put a check mark in this preference.
Date/Time Format
This preference works with the Date/Time Stamp. It determines whether the Short date format (such as 07/25/2004) or the Long date format (such as Sunday, July, 25 2004) will be used when you click the Date/Time Stamp button, shown below, in the toolbar.
The exact nature of these formats is set by you in the Formats section of the International System Preferences.
If the Add time to Date Stamp checkbox is enabled, the time will be added after the date. For example: Sunday, July 25, 2004 8:02 PM
If the Include seconds in time checkbox is enabled, the seconds will be added to the time. For example: Sunday, July 25, 2004 8:02:03 PM
Restore Factory Settings
Clicking this button will set all General
Preferences to the default setting that came with iData 2. This button
will only affect General Preferences.
Set
Highlighter Color:
The color shown in the color well is the
one that will be used as the highlighter color when you select Toggle Highlighter in the Format menu, or click the
Toggle Highlighter button, shown below, in the toolbar.
Leave text selected after toggling
Highlighter Color
This lets you specify
whether or not the selected text will be deselsected after having the
Highlighter Color toggled. Deselecting the text (the default setting)
provides instant feedback that the color has been toggled, but some may
prefer that the text remain selected for further actions.
