Filter Basics

Overview	Filter Facts	Using The Filter Menu
Using The Filter Palette	The Main Filters

Overview

This chapter introduces you to filters, shows you how to use filters on an open document, and explains some of the primary filters you will likely find useful. (For detailed explanations see the notes attached to each filter in TextSpresso.)

Filter Facts

All TextSpresso filters can be applied to either an entire document or to a selected portion of the document text. If no text is selected then TextSpresso assumes you want to filter the entire document. If a subset of the document text is selected, then only that subset is filtered. Unselected text remains untouched.

TextSpresso filters are multi-threaded. This means that you can perform other tasks, including filtering other documents, while a filter is running. You can also pause, resume, and stop a running filter. Of course most filters finish in a fraction of a second, but the multi-threading and control features are very useful when applying complex filters to large documents or when batch processing a series of files.

Using The Filter Menu

All TextSpresso filters are listed under the Filter menu. The menu is arranged into 4 subsections. The first section contains filter editing commands. These are covered in the chapter Editing Filters.

The second section contains the filter control commands Pause Filter and Stop Filtering. These commands are only available if a filter is running on the front document.

The third section lists favorite filters. A filter is listed here for rapid access if it is marked as a favorite. You will learn how to mark your favorite filters in a later chapter.

Finally, the fourth section contains a listing of all available filters. The filters are organized into submenus by category.

Applying Filters: To apply a filter to the front document, do the following:

1. Make sure the document you wish to filter is in front. If you only wish to filter a subset of the document, select the portion of text you wish to filter before proceeding.
2. Select the filter you wish to apply from the Filter menu.

The filter is applied to the document. For most filters and documents the results will be immediately available. The text will simply be transformed without wait and you can continue to work with your document.

If, however, you are applying a complex filter to a large document the filter will be threaded and the document window will display the text "Processing...". During the filter you cannot see the document text or perform any actions on it. You can, however, open other documents and work in them.

Controlling Filters: The document statistic fields at the top of the document window will mark the progress of the filter, displaying the name of the filter being applied and the percent completed. You can control the filter by doing the following:

• To pause a running filter, select Pause Filter from the Filter menu. The filter will pause, and the menu command Pause Filter will have a check mark by it. The document will sit idle until you decide to resume or stop the filter.
• To resume a paused filter, select Pause Filter once more.
• To stop a running filter, select Stop Filtering from the Filter menu. This will stop the filter and restore the document to its form prior to the filter.

Using The Filter Palette

Applying Filters: The Filter Palette is a floating palette that allows you to quickly access and apply filters to your text. To apply a filter using the Filter Palette, do one of the following:

• Double-click the filter you wish to apply in the palette.
• Select the filter or filters you wish to apply, in the order in which you want them applied, and select Apply from the palette command menu in the top right corner of the palette.

Counting With Filters: You can also use filters to count the number of occurrences of a particular string or pattern. To count the number of occurrences found by a filter using the Filter Palette, do the following:

• Select the filter or filters you wish to count with, and select Count from the palette command menu in the top right corner of the palette.

The Main Filters

TextSpresso includes several 'main' MultiFilters for performing common tasks such as cleaning up Internet text or preparing a text file for publishing. Most users will find these main 'do all' filters to be sufficient for all their needs. Because TextSpresso allows the user to create and edit their own filters, users may tweak the following filters to exactly fit their needs.

• Mac To PC Text - This filter converts a Macintosh text file to a PC text file. It attempts to preserve all high ASCII characters and inserts line feeds as appropriate.
• Net To Text - This filter works from all types of Internet text (HTML, E-mail, Usenet) to produce generic Mac text. It strips tags, converts escape codes, and cleans up excess spacing and forwarding characters. It soft wraps the text, but maintains 2 CR's per paragraph so that the text is easier to read. (Soft Wrap or Text To Print will completely soft wrap if desired.)
• PC To Mac Text - This filter converts a PC text file to a Macintosh text file. It strips line feeds and attempts to preserve all high ASCII characters.
• Text To Net - This filter produces text which is safe for Internet use, particularly E-mail and Usenet. Text processed by this filter should remain readable and consistent after Internet transport to any platform. This filter converts En and Em dashes to hyphens; converts bullets to dashes; converts smart quotes to dumb quotes; converts ellipsis to three periods; converts ligatures to letters; converts the copyright and registered symbols to words; strips diacritical marks; strips high ASCII characters; and converts each tab to 4 spaces.
• Text To Print - This filter prepares generic text for publishing. It is a must for producing typographically correct layouts and implements many of the rules of graphic design. This filter strips excess space around carriage returns; soft wraps the text; intelligently converts hyphens to En and Em dashes; strips excess space from around hyphens and tabs; converts dumb quotes to smart quotes; corrects apostrophes for years; corrects inch/foot marks; and creates both ellipsis and ligatures.