Frontier: Hidden Features

Hidden Features

Features that aren't easily visible thru Frontier's user interface.

NAVIGATING THRU OUTLINES

1. When you see a dark wedge next to a line, double-click on it to expand the line. Double-click again to collapse it.

CMD-DOUBLE-CLICKING

1. Hold down the cmd key and double click on a name.

2. If it's the name of an object database cell, Frontier will take you there.

CONTROL-DOUBLE-CLICKING

1. Want to know how a verb works?

2. Hold down the Control key and double click on its name.

3. The DocServer application launches and explains the verb.

PRESS CMD-PERIOD TO DISMISS ANY DIALOG IN FRONTIER

1. Esc does something similar. Cmd-period is stronger. Even if the dialog has a script running, it will stop the dialog.

RUNNING EXAMPLES FROM AN OUTLINE

1. You can type one-line scripts into outlines and run them by pressing cmd-/.

2. Your Notepad is a good place for one-line scripts.

3. Press Cmd-Y, or select "Open Notepad" from the Custom menu.

THE ENTER KEY IS VERY IMPORTANT

1. In outlines, it toggles between text and structure mode.

2. In tables, it allows you to edit the text or value of a cell.

CMD-ENTER "DIVES", CMD-SHIFT-ENTER "SURFACES"

1. Instead of double-clicking on a cell, you can type cmd-Enter.

2. This also works in the menu editor, to open the attached script.

CMD-SHIFT-ENTER DOES THE OPPOSITE

1. If you press cmd-shift-enter in a window.

2. Frontier will open its parent's table.

3. Repeat until you get to the main window.

4. Cmd-enter will then retrace your steps back to this line.

TO SET A BREAKPOINT, CMD-CLICK ON THE WEDGE NEXT TO THE LINE

1. It's a toggle -- clear the breakpoint by cmd-clicking again.

TO INSTALL A CHANGED SCRIPT, CLICK ON THE COMPILE BUTTON.

1. This recompiles the script.

2. If you don't, the old version of the script will run.

3. There's a practical reason for this.

4. It makes it possible to work on scripts that are called from agents.

HOLD DOWN OPTION KEY

1. When selecting a menu item to look at the script.

2. It opens the menu bar window that the script comes from.

3. Puts the cursor on the command.

4. Click on the Script button to zoom the linked script.

5. Works for shared menus too.

USE SHIFT-RETURN TO MAKE A COMMENT LINE

1. This works in any outline window.

2. But makes most sense when editing a script.

ADDING AN ITEM TO A TABLE

1. Press Cmd-Return to create a new cell.

2. Enter the name of the object in the name column.

3. Select one of the data types from the Kind popup menu.

4. Or double-click on the wedge to choose from a dialog.

PRESS CMD-EQUALS TO LOOK UP A FRONTIER VERB

1. Prompts you for the verb you want to look up.

2. Launches DocServer (in the UserLand Utilities folder).

3. Sends it an Apple Event message to look up the verb.

IN OUTLINES, CMD-U,D,R,L ARE KEYS TO FAST REORGS

1. Cmd-U moves the headline up, swapping with its previous sibling.

2. Cmd-D moves it down, swapping with its next sibling.

3. Cmd-L moves it left, it becomes the next sibling of its parent.

4. Cmd-R moves it right, it becomes the last child of its previous sibling.

CMD-DOUBLE-CLICKING

1. Hold down the cmd-key and double-click on any name.

2. Frontier will take you to that place in the object database.

ENGLISH-LIKE SYNONYMS FOR SOME LANGUAGE OPERATORS

1. You can say "equals" instead of "==".

2. You can say "notequals" instead of "!=".

3. You can say "and" instead of "&&".

4. You can say "or" instead of "||".

5. You can say "not" instead of "!".

DOUBLE-CLICK ON A WINDOW'S TITLE BAR

1. This opens up the window's parent window.

2. For example, if you double-click on the title bar of helptext.tips, the helptext table window opens up.

3. Another example, if you double-click on a menu script the menu bar window that contains it will open.

4. Hold down the option key and 2click in the title bar and the window you 2clicked on closes, and the parent is zoomed.

CMD-CLICK ON A WINDOW'S TITLE

1. This pops up a menu of the window's parents.

2. For example, if you cmd-click on the title bar of helptext.userlandmenu a menu pops up containing helptext, userlandmenu and root.

3. Hold down the option key and cmd-click on the title and the current window will be closed as the selected window is zoomed.

WHEN YOU'RE DEBUGGING

1. Select a name and click the "lookup" button.

2. The value of the variable is displayed.

3. Or cmd-double-click the name to look it up.

TO MAKE A NEW SUITE

1. Type "samples.basicStuff.createNewSuite ()" into the Quick Script Window.

2. Look for a new menu in the menu bar. Choose Edit Table from the menu to see what was created.

3. It does lots of cool stuff for you.

THE JUMP COMMAND (CMD-J) DOESN'T NEED A FULL PATH.

1. You can enter a partial path in this table.

2. Any address in the paths table, system.misc.paths, is global.

3. This works for cmd-2clicking as well.

4. And every other place an address is resolved.

THERE ARE EXAMPLES IN APPS TABLES!

1. If you want to know about scripting a particular program, say BBEdit, a good way to start is to Cmd-J to BBEdit.examples.

NEW IN 4.1: CMD KEY IN ERROR INFO WINDOW

1. When you get a runtime error, hold down the Cmd key while clicking on the Go To button.

2. You get a popup menu showing the call stack. You can trace back thru the logic that got you the runtime error.

© Copyright 1996-97 UserLand Software. This page was last built on 5/7/97; 1:03:08 PM. It was originally posted on 9/27/96; 4:00:12 AM. Internet service provided by Conxion.