Text Editor
The *Text Editor*is mainly used to write scripts. And so the functionality orients towards this useage. But you can also use it to write any text. To store some notes for the scene for example. See Tip below.
Text Editor
The *Text Editor*is mainly used to write scripts. And so the functionality orients towards this useage. But you can also use it to write any text. To store some notes for the scene for example. See Tip below.
When you don't have a file loaded then the header content is rather small.
Once you create a new file, or load a file, you will see the toolbar change, and reveal further functionality.
Some text related functionality can also be found in the tool shelf at the right.
Tip: A Text window can be used to write in a README text explaining the contents of your blend file. Be sure to keep it visible when saving! And be sure to tell the receiver to activate Load UI to display the text file then. Bforartists has Load UI deactivated by default.
Slider snapping
Snapping also works at sliders. Hover with the mouse over the slider, start to slide, and holding down Ctrl will snap the sliders in incremental steps.
When it's a default value between 0 and 1 then it usually snaps in 0.1 steps. When it's a default value over 1 then it usually snaps in steps of 10.
The increment snapping also works at the frame slider.
Header - File Menu
The File menu contains the load and save functionality. But also some Python and OSL templates. And some general debug functionality.
When no text is loaded then the menu is reduced.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| New Text | Creates a new text file. |
| Open Text | Open a text file. |
Reload
It can happen that you work with an external script editor, like Visual Studio, and change your script there. The reload button reloads the current active text file from hard disk.
You will get a warning symbol in the header when the script in the text editor doesn't match with the external text anymore.
Edit Externally
Allows you to edit your file externally with a defined code editor like VS Code.
Note that you need to define the external editor in the preferences first.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save | Saves the text file. Overwrites the existing version immediately. |
| Save As | Save as opens a save as file dialog. |
Templates
The Templates category contains some example scripts. There are two kind of templates. Python scripts and Open Shading Language scripts. The name of the files should tell you what the script is good for.
Redraw Timer
This is a relict from early Blender days. A debugging timer for the UI where you can test the redraw time of different UI elements.
Debug Menu
Another development tool. Set the debug level.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reload Scripts | Reload Scripts reloads all active python scripts and addons. Including the Bforartists python UI files. This can be useful when you work at the UI or at an add-on. Then you don't have to close and reload Bforartists to see the changes. You can simply reload the scripts and keep Bforartists open. |
| Clean up Space Data | Remove unused settings for invisible editors. |
Memory Statistics
Print memory statistics to the console. You need to have the console open.
Clean Up Operator Presets
Remove outdated operator properties from presets that may cause problems. This is useful when an operator supports presets to customize settings need to be reset.
Header - View Menu
The View menu contains some view related functionality.
Sidebar
Opens or closes the sidebar.
Zoom In
Zooms in to adjust the font size to use for displaying the text. The font size can also be adjusted in the sidebar.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Zoom Out | Zooms out to adjust the font size to use for displaying the text. The font size can also be adjusted in the sidebar. |
| Top of File | Jumps to the top of the text file. |
| Bottom of File | Jumps to the bottom of the text file. |
Area submenu
Area is a menu with window related settings.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Split | Splits the editor horizontally into two editors. |
| Vertical Split | Splits the editor vertically into two editors. |
| Duplicate Area into new Window | Creates a floating window out of the current editor |
| Toggle Maximize Area | Displays the editor maximized with menus. To return to split view press hotkey Ctrl Up Arrow, or reuse the menu item in the View menu. |
| Toggle Fullscreen Area | Displays the editor maximized without menus. To return from the full screen view press hotkey Alt F10, or use the little button that appears up right when you move the mouse in this corner. |
| Close Area | Closes the area window. |
Header - Edit Menu
The Edit menu contains tools to modify the text.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cut | Cuts the selected text. |
| Copy | Copies the selected text. |
| Paste | Pastes copied text at Text cursor position. |
| Duplicate Line | Duplicates the line where the Text cursor currently is. |
| Move Line up | Moves the line where the Text cursor is one line up. |
| Move Line down | Moves the line where the Text cursor is one line down. |
Select Text submenu
Select text is a sub menu that contains selection functionality, starting from the current position of the Text cursor. The buttons should be self explaining. And usually you use the hotkeys for this functionality.
Move Cursor submenu
This sub menu contains all available methods and its hotkeys to set the mouse cursor in the text.
Delete
Delete is a sub menu with some special Delete methods, starting from the current position of the Text cursor. And usually you use the hotkeys for this functionality.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Select all | Selects all text. |
| Select Line | Selects the word under the mouse cursor. |
Word
Selects the line where the Text cursor. currently is
Go to Line
This tool opens a sub menu where you can type in the line number and jump to this line then.
Find
Find opens the Tool Shelf, where you can find a Find & Replace panel. The Find & Replace panel is explained in the tool shelf chapter.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Find & Set Selection | Finds and selects the next text element that matches with the current selection. It's the same functionality than the Find Next button in the Find & Replace panel. |
| Text Auto Complete | Auto Complete tries to complete your text input. |
Text to 3D Object
Text to 3D Object converts the text of the file to an editable 3D object in the 3D Viewport.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| One Object | Converts the whole text into one object. |
| One Object Per Line | Converts every line of the text into a separate object. |
Header - Format Menu
The format menu contains some formatting functionality.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Indent | Indents the text. Python requires proper indentation. |
| Unindent | Unindents the text. |
| Comment | Comments the text out. For Python usually with a # sign. |
| Uncomment | Uncomments commented text. |
| Toggle comments | Toggles the comments. |
| Whitespaces to Spaces | Converts Whitespaces in the text to Spaces. |
| Whitespaces to Tabs | Converts Whitespaces in the text to Tabs. |
Header - Tools
The Header tools provides you with quick access functionality.
Text Prop
List of text files
This is a list of the images in the scene. This list allows you to switch to other images.
Search form
Search for specific images.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text Edit Box | Read the name of the currently selected text. And you can rename the textfile here too. |
| Unlink Datablock | This closes the selected text. Attention, different from the rest of the UI this text really vanishes immediately from the list then. |
File selector property
File browser
The list of loaded text files.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fake User | Wit this button you assign a fake user to this selected image. Data, like images, that is not longer linked to anything else gets removed when you save and reload a scene. Bforartists has the concept of fake users to go around this behavior. An image with a fake user is in fact linked to something. And so it is not lost when you save and reload the scene. |
| New Text | Create a new text file. |
| Open Text | Open a text file. A file browser will open. |
| Remove | Close the text. It will be removed from the list. |
Run Script
This button is for python or OSL scripts. It executes the script.
Register
This checkbox is for Python or OSL Scripts. When checked the classes of the script gets registered in Bforartists.
Info String
Shows infos about the current text file. When it's an internal created file then it displays the String File: Internal. When it's an external loaded file, then the string displays the path to the location of the file.
Show Line Numbers, Wrap and Syntax Highlight
Show Line numbers displays a row of numbers at the left side of the text file.
Wrap words wraps the text to fit into the current editor size.
Syntax highlighting colors text parts fitting to the language.
Find and Replace
Calls a find and replace dialog.
Tool Shelf
The Tool Shelf is the place for some options and the text search panel.
Find & Replace Panel
In the find panel you will find tools with text search and replace functionality.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Find Edit Box | Here you can type in the string that you want to search. |
| Find set selected | Copies the currently selected text into the Find edit box, searches for a matching string in the text, and selects this match then. |
| Find Next | Searches for the next matching string in the text. |
| Replace Edit Box | Here you can type in the string that you want to replace in the text. |
| Replace set selected | Copies the currently selected text into the Find edit box, searches for a matching string in the text, and replaces this match with the string in the Replace edit box. |
| Replace | Searches for the next matching string in the text. And replaces it the string in the Replace edit box. |
Replace all
Searches for matching strings in the text. And replaces them all by the string in the Replace edit box.
Note: 
By default when the search does not find a matching string anymore in the text below the current selection, then you will get a warning that the search string is not present in the text file. It will not automatically start the search from the top again. You have to place the text cursor manually at the top of the text.
Or turn on the Wrap checkbox below.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Match case | When ticked then the search is Upper case sensitive. |
| Wrap | Starts the search from the top of the document when the search has reached the end of the document. |
| All | Search in all opened Text files, not just the currently active one. |
Properties Panel
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Highlight | Highlights the line where the text cursor is. |
| Live Edit | Updates the script while editing. |
| Font Size | The font size for the text editor |
| Tab width | Number of spaces to display tabs with. Default is four. |
Intendation
How to deal with intendation. Treating it as tabs or as spaces.
Show Margin
Shows a dotted line at the right. Note that we have currently a theming problem here with the default Bforartists theme. We have white text, means a white dotted line. And we have a white background. This means that the dotted line just shows with other themes where the header text color is black.
Margin Column
This edit box becomes visible when Show Margin is ticked.
Here you can adjust the width from the left at which the dotted margin line should show.
Footer
Info String
This string shows infos about the current text file.
When it's an internal created file then it displays the String File: Internal.
When it's an external loaded file, then the string displays the full path to the location of the file.
Context menu
When you right click into the text editor then a popup menu opens up. It is to 100% made of double menu entries.
| Entry | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cut | Cuts the selected text. |
| Copy | Copies the selected text. |
| Paste | Pastes copied text at Text cursor. position. |
| Move Line up | Moves the line where the Text cursor. is one line up. |
| Move Line down | Moves the line where the Text cursor. is one line down. |
| Indent | Indents the text. Python requires proper indentation. |
| Unindent | Unindents the text. |
| Toggle comments | Toggles the comments. |
| Text Auto Complete | Auto Complete tries to complete your text input. |