Work faster with TextRay

Try it yourself

Start here. Start in a blank TextRay window.

Practice file: harbor-plan.txt in the practice pack.

1. Type or paste a few paragraphs. Check “Stored in TextRay” in Document Safety; a filename is optional.
2. Open Document Actions → Display Title. Give the draft a short label without changing its text.
3. Press ⌘S, choose a folder and save as harbor-plan.txt. The file can now be opened by other applications.
4. Press ⌘T for another draft. Choose a language from the status bar, or let a filename extension select it when saving.

Try it yourself

Start here. Create a second tab using harbor-log.txt, then close that tab.

Practice file: harbor-log.txt in the practice pack.

1. Press ⌘P and search for Harbor trace. Open Documents does not include a closed tab.
2. Choose “Search Library, Including Closed Documents”. The query stays in place; open the closed result.
3. Use Find → Search & Views to search inside text. Select All retained documents to include closed sessions.
4. For a folder on disk, use Library actions → Open Project Folder. Select that project as a search scope; its files stay in their folder.

Try it yourself

Start here. Open harbor-plan.txt and harbor-log.txt in the same session. Each contains TODO markers.

Practice file: harbor-log.txt in the practice pack.

1. Open Find → Search & Views. Search TODO: and choose Current session.
2. Choose Save as View, name it Harbor actions, and select Keep this target. It remains attached to that session.
3. Choose Follows the active session only for a search that should change targets when you switch sessions. Read the fixed/following label.
4. Select a log match and Resume its session. Replace TODO: with DONE: in the draft, then return to the View.

Try it yourself

Start here. Choose Start a Session from the first-screen invitation or File menu.

1. Name a session Harbor weekly review. Choose Meeting & follow-up; include a return note and a TODO View.
2. Replace the return-note prompts with a concrete next action, unresolved question and recent decision.
3. Open File → Sessions & History and choose Close Session. This preserves its arrangement and search membership.
4. Search for Harbor and choose Reopen, or use the visible session selector to Resume it. Open the pinned reminder to continue.

Try it yourself

Start here. Start with the Harbor weekly review session from the previous tutorial.

1. Show Library with ⌥⌘L. Choose Library actions → New Workspace with This Window, and name it Review desk.
2. Select Decisions, then Window → Move Tab to New Window. The document becomes a free window.
3. Open File → Workspaces → Manage Members. Link the Decisions window; whole-window links include future tabs. Individual tab links can overlap other workspaces.
4. Use Focus Workspace to hide unrelated TextRay editor windows. Show all restores them. Membership never copies the text.

Try it yourself

Start here. Open harbor-plan.txt and leave the file unchanged on disk while following the exercise.

Practice file: harbor-plan.txt in the practice pack.

1. Choose Document Actions → Keep Current Version. Name the checkpoint Before changing the announcement.
2. Add “Revision: lead with the community story.” to the document. Leave this revision unsaved.
3. Open Document History and select the named checkpoint. Compare the earlier and current text.
4. Choose Restore as New Copy. Return to the original window and confirm the revision is still there.

Try it yourself

Start here. Open article.md from the practice files.

Practice file: article.md in the practice pack.

1. Use Document Actions → Show Markdown Preview. Tables, code and Unicode render beside the source.
2. Choose Find → Headings & Symbols, search Checklist, and press Return to jump to that heading.
3. Change the opening sentence and watch the preview update. Undo restores both source and preview.
4. Expand Preview for reading, choose 125%, and scroll through the table and code. Return to Editor and select text to see its word count.

Try it yourself

Start here. Open terms.txt and summarize.py from the practice files.

Practice file: summarize.py in the practice pack.

1. In Search & Views, use Current file on terms.txt, search consumer, enable Whole word and set replacement receiver. Preview Replacements finds one match.
2. Review and apply it. The standalone word changes; consumer_id stays intact. Save is still required to change the disk file.
3. In summarize.py, go to 3:15 with ⌘L. Use ⌘D, then ⌃⌘G to select the four readings occurrences. Paste samples; Undo restores all four.
4. Escape returns to one caret. Format → Fold All Blocks collapses the function, and Unfold All restores it. Headings & Symbols finds summarize.

Try it yourself

Start here. Start with a blank tab. Default Meeting notes and Count words tools are available.

1. Choose Edit → Insert Snippet and search meeting. Press Return to insert the starter.
2. Type the title, then press Tab between participant, notes and action fields. Finish the snippet before running a command.
3. Choose Edit → Run Command → Count words. Its output is a named new draft; Document Safety identifies the command and source.
4. Edit → Snippets & Commands opens the tool library. Review scripts, input and output choices. Import/Export shares selected tools as JSON without running them.

Try it yourself

Start here. Use TextRay Settings → iCloud. For actual syncing, both Macs need the same Apple account.

1. Enable Sync with iCloud on each Mac when you want to sync. This recording shows the controls with sync off; it is not a transfer demonstration.
2. Review session/history inclusion and per-document or per-View exclusions on each Mac. Excluding content does not delete existing cloud copies.
3. Read Document Safety: stored locally, original-file status and iCloud status are separate. Synced means iCloud has that version; the other Mac still needs to sync.
4. Settings → Storage → Export Backup creates an independent library snapshot. Import adds separate copies. Keep backups outside your working library.