DraftPad
The DraftPad offers an extra text editing pane beneath the current article. You may keep it displayed while changing articles, and hide it when you need the full height of the Article pane. You can adjust the proportional sizes of the Article pane and the DraftPad by dragging the horizontal divider between them up or down. TreePad remembers the position of this divider, as well as the DraftPad's contents, for each file.
The DraftPad keeps key information in front of you at all times. Unlike the Windows Clipboard, you can directly view and edit text stored in the DraftPad. You can create, insert and activate hyperlinks in it. The DraftPad also supports tables, but not images. It is not limited in size.
Uses for the DraftPad
- As a jotter ("scratchpad") for rough notes, ideas, names and addresses.
- As a to-do list.
- For storing frequently re-used ("boilerplate") text (in addition to the Windows Clipboard) without having to change to another article. This also frees the Windows Clipboard for storing images and other text.
- For storing hyperlinks to frequently accessed nodes, external files, Web pages and Autodial telephone numbers.
- For storing lookup tables.
To open the DraftPad
- Click the DraftPad button in the Article Button Bar; or
- Press Ctrl+Alt+D; or
- Click Menu: View⁄Accessory pane⁄DraftPad.
(To reopen the DraftPad if it was the last accessory viewed, press Ctrl+F9.)
To close the DraftPad
- Click Menu: View⁄Accessory pane⁄DraftPad to uncheck it; or
- Click the Article button in the Article Button Bar, or
- Press Ctrl+Alt+D again; or
- Press Ctrl+F9; or
- Press Esc if the DraftPad pane has focus.
DraftPad features
- Text may be cut⁄copied⁄pasted from the current article to the DraftPad and vice versa.
- The DraftPad also supports Drag-and-drop (see Drag-and-drop support). I.e., a block of text selected by highlighting it may be copied from the Article pane to the DraftPad (or vice versa) by dragging it from one pane and dropping it on the other. Similarly, dropping it on any node in the Tree pane will create a new child node containing the highlighted text in its article. This can also be either a move or copy operation depending on whether or not the Alt key is held depressed, providing a quick way to transfer text. Holding down the Ctrl or Shift keys make the new node a sibling node (above or below) instead.
- Although the DraftPad is primarily meant as a scratchpad for temporary notes, it can be put to other uses as well. E.g. you can convert the DraftPad into an additional Bookmarks pane by putting a large number of hyperlinks in it. Look for instance at this image of the DraftPad serving as an alphabetical index:
- Right-clicking the Draftpad opens its context menu, which is very similar to the Article context menu as it contains mostly text editing commands. These items are described in detail in the relevant sections of The Article pane.
