dtterm Global Options

There are four areas that you can control from the Global Options dialog box:

• Cursor control

• Color control

• Scroll behavior

• Bell control

To display the Global Options dialog box, choose Global from the Options menu.

Cursor Control

You can control three aspects of the dtterm cursor: the cursor style, whether the cursor blinks, and the blink rate.

To Determine Cursor Style

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Cursor Style button and choose the cursor style option you want:

   • Box (the default)

   • Underline

   • None (the cursor is invisible)

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

   The changes you make will be visible on existing dtterm windows; you don't have to start a new one.

To Determine Cursor Blinking

The dtterm cursor blinks by default. You can turn off the blinking or change the blink rate (see "To Set the Cursor Blink Rate").

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Blinking Cursor button in the Cursor Control section and choose to either have the cursor blink (Enabled) or not blink (Disabled).

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

   Note that when this option is set to Disabled, the Blink Rate option and text field are both inactive.

To Set the Cursor Blink Rate

The blink rate determines how often the dtterm window's cursor blinks. The default blink rate is 250 milliseconds. To change the cursor blink rate:

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. In the Blink Rate text field, type the value in milliseconds that you want.

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

   The changes you make will be visible on existing dtterm windows; you don't have to start a new one.

To Switch Foreground and Background Colors (Color Control)

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Window Background button in the Color Control section and choose the color display you want:

   • Normal displays the foreground and background colors normally.

   • Inverse switches the foreground and background colors.

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

To Determine Scroll Behavior

Smooth scrolling displays each line sent to the Terminal window immediately, rather than storing it in a buffer. This results in scrolling that is more pleasing to the eye, but is slower. The default is smooth scrolling disabled. To enable smooth scrolling:

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Smooth Scrolling button and choose the type of scrolling you want:

   • Disabled (the default) disables smooth scrolling.

   • Enabled starts smooth scrolling.

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

Bell Control

There are three types of Bell Control options in dtterm:

• Bell type

• Margin warning

• Margin distance

To Set the Bell Type

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Bell Type button in the Bell Control section and choose the type of bell you want:

   • Audible (the default) causes the bell to make a sound.

   • Visible causes the bell to blink the background color.

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

To Set the Margin Warning

The Margin Warning option is used in conjunction with the Margin Distance option to warn the user either visually or aurally that the cursor is within a specified distance from the right margin. To set the margin warning:

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click the Margin Warning button in the Bell Control section.

3. Choose Enabled or Disabled.

4. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

   Note that the Margin Distance option (see "To Set the Margin Distance") is inactive when Margin Warning is disabled.

To Set the Margin Distance

The Margin Distance option is only active when the Margin Warning option is set to Enabled. You set the distance from the right margin of the dtterm window at which you want the bell to ring (or appear, if Bell Type is set to Visible). The default value is 10 characters.

To change the distance:

1. If the Global Options dialog box is not displayed, choose Global from the Options menu.

2. Click inside the Margin Distance text field in the Bell Control area and type the number of characters from the right margin of the window at which you want the margin warning to be issued.

3. Click OK at the bottom of the Global Options dialog box or press Return to save your selection and exit the window.

   To save your selection and retain the window, click Apply.

   The changes you make will be visible on existing dtterm windows; you don't have to start a new one.