# General preferences

The General preferences control various overall behaviors of CotEditor.

□ Create a new document on startup
  When this option is selected, a new blank document will be opened when you launch CotEditor.

□ Open blank window with a reopen AppleEvent
  With this option selected, you can open a blank document by clicking CotEditor's icon in the Dock, provided you had no window already open.

□ Smart insert and delete
  With this option turned on, when you paste or drag a word in between other words, a halfwidth space will be automatically added between the words to maintain that boundary. Meanwhile, any extra spaces will be automatically removed when you cut/delete a word. (This function only has meaning when you edit in English.)

□ Check spelling as you type
  This option allows you to automatically check your spelling as you type.

□ Drag selected text immediately (just like in Carbon applications)
  In order to drag selected text, you need to hold the mouse button pressed more than 0.3 seconds before starting dragging, but with this option turned on, you can reduce the waiting time and start dragging immediately. (This is an experimental implementation.)

□ Swap "¥" and "\" keys
  With this option selected, you can input a backslash (\) using the key binding for the Yen sign (¥), and vice versa.

□ Highlight matching braces "( )" "[ ]" "{ }"
  With this option turned on, CotEditor briefly highlights the corresponding opening brace when you write a closing brace.
  □ Highlight "< >"
    If this is on, highlighting will apply to angle brackets “< >” as well.

□ Count each line ending as one character
  With this option selected, the character count displayed in the Get Info drawer and the status bar includes line endings.

□ Sync Find strings with other applications
  With this option selected, the Find panel automatically retrieves the latest Find string searched in another Cocoa application.

□ Inline Script menu items into contextual menu
  With this option turned on, the contents of the Script menu items, which are in the Script submenu by default, appear inlined in the contextual menu.

Type and Creator on Saving
  Here, you can control how CotEditor sets its type and creator codes when saving a file.
  ○ Keep the originals (if any, otherwise set CotEditor's codes)
    If the file already has its type and creator codes, CotEditor leaves them as is. Otherwise, CotEditor sets its own codes.
  ○ Always set CotEditor's codes
    CotEditor always sets its type and creator codes. If the file you are saving had been created by another application, the codes will be replaced.
  ○ Set no codes
    CotEditor never sets or modifies the codes.

Completion List
  Here, you can change the range of possible completions that appear in the completion list.
  ○ Show Document's words only
    The list shows only the words appear in your document.
  ○ Show Document's words + Syntax Style's words
    In addition to the in-document words, the words defined by your syntax style appear in the list (in the case you've not specified any completions, the words generated by the syntax coloring rule appear).
  ○ Show Document's words + Syntax Style's words + Standard words
    In addition to all of the above, the list shows standard English words as well.

## See also

- preferences