Narrator > Preferences Index

General Preferences

The Preferences window is displayed via the Narrator > Preferences... menu item. This is the General page. It includes some options to control how Narrator handles new and existing documents.

Check spelling as you type

This checkbox will have Narrator highlight misspelt words in the usual Mac OS X way while you're typing. Uncheck it if you prefer to not have your spelling checked. This and the other For New Documents options apply only to new documents; existing documents individually remember the state of these options.

Check grammar with spelling

If selected, some grammatical errors will also be indicated while you're typing.

Show ruler

This checkbox controls whether or not the ruler is shown by default for new documents. This is also remembered for saved documents. You can toggle it via the Text > Show Ruler command. On by default.

Smart copy/paste

If selected, copying and pasting text will intelligently insert or remove spaces around the words, allowing less precise selection while editing.

Smart quotes

Similar to smart copy/paste, this option replaces dumb straight quotes with the appropriate curly editions.

Smart links

This option detects URLs typed in the text and automatically converts them to links, allowing you to go to the corresponding web page with a click.

Font

Click the Change... button to choose a default font for new documents. Narrator documents support rich text, so you can use as many fonts and styles as desired.

Save text selection

This checkbox indicates whether or not to remember the chapter and text selection when saving a document, so it is restored when opening. On by default.

Read from start of chapter

This radio button will make speaking start from the beginning of the current chapter. (If some text is selected, that text is spoken irrespective of this preference.) Off by default.

Read from insertion point

This radio button will make speaking start from the insertion point, if there is no selection. Useful if you save the text selection, to resume reading where you left off. On by default.

Start reading automatically

If this is selected, opened documents will start playing the speech without needing to manually play. This is off by default.

Confirm chapter deletion

When deleting a Chapter, you are normally asked if you're sure you want to do that. The confirmation sheet has a checkbox to avoid being asked again in the future. This preference lets you disable or re-enable that confirmation.

Confirm character deletion

This is similar to the above option, but for Characters in the source list.

Automatically start when you log in to the computer

This checkbox will control whether or not Narrator is automatically launched after you log in to your Mac. Checking it is equivalent to adding Narrator to the Login Items in your System Preferences. The default value reflects whether or not Narrator is currently in your Login Items.

Open documents that were open last time you quit

When you quit Narrator, the documents that are open at the time are remembered. If this checkbox is selected, when you next start Narrator those same documents will be re-opened, so you can continue working on them. On by default.

Create a new document if nothing else to open

If you start Narrator by double-clicking on one of its documents, or drop one on the application icon, it will open that document. If you have the above preference to re-open documents, and there were any, they are re-opened. Otherwise, this preference gives you the choice to make a new, untitled document, or not open anything. On by default.

Show a quit confirmation

This checkbox controls whether or not Narrator displays a sheet to confirm quitting. Since Narrator is designed to remain running all the time normally, this confirmation sheet will help you avoid accidentally quitting the application. The sheet has a don't ask again checkbox that turns off this preference; you can make it ask again by turning this preference back on. This defaults to on.

Show a confirmation when restoring defaults

This checkbox controls whether or not Narrator displays a sheet to confirm restoring defaults. This confirmation helps avoid accidentally losing your preference customizations. This preference applies to the confirmations for all preference pages. The sheet also has a don't ask again checkbox. This defaults to on.

Restore Defaults

Click this button to change the preferences on this page back to the factory-set values. Preferences on other pages are not affected. A confirmation sheet is presented, unless it was disabled.