# Includes

Function to dynamically include files in your document. Let's say you have a document where one part contains information which is updated frequently while the rest is almost never changed. You can let the part which changes often be in another file and insert 'include tags' in the original document. As another example, let's say some information is used in more than one document, perhaps if you make two versions of your home page, one with frames and one without. You can then have this information in a separate file and and insert 'include tags' in the other ones. In this way you only have to make a change at one place. You can later quickly update your files and replace the text between the 'include tags'.

When you define a home page folder, you can also define an include folder for it, where you can put all the 'include files'. Although you can put the include files anywhere you like, the include folder has certain advantages when the include files contain links. When Alpha inserts the include file it automatically builds the relative links for you. To see what I mean, consider the following example:

- Suppose you have a home page folder for http://www.net/ and have defined a corresponding include folder.
- Open a new file 'include.html' in the include folder.
- Make a couple of links from include.html. Use the file dialog and select files in the home page folder. The links will now be like HREF=":HOMEPAGE:somefile.html".
- Now open a new file hi.html in the home page folder. Use 'Insert include tags' and select the file include.html in the include folder. The part :HOMEPAGE: in the links will now be replaced by the correct relative path to somefile.html.

This feature lets you include the same file in many files in different places in the folder hierarchy, without having to worry about that the links are correct. Alpha takes care of that for you.

Recursive including of files is possible. You can include another file in include.html, which in turn includes another file, which includes another file...

A few of other things:

- If you check links in include.html Alpha will look for files in the home page folder.
- If you cmd-double-click a link in include.html, Alpha will open the file in your home page folder.

Insert Include Tags...
Asks you for a file to include, and inserts two tags inside comments,

`<!-- #INCLUDE FILE="path to file" -->`
content of file
`<!-- /#INCLUDE -->`

Depending on your preferences, the content of the file may not be inserted until you update the window.

If the file to include is in the include folder, the path in the tag will begin with :INCLUDE: This is resolved by Alpha to the path to the include folder. This makes it easier if you want to move the include folder. All you have to do is to redefine it in the Home Pages dialog.

If you change the content of the included file, you can quickly update your documents with the update functions below.

When you use character translation, the opening include tag is not translated to avoid making the path incorrect.

If the path contains any of the characters <">#, they are translated like
`# -> #;
< -> #lt;
> -> #gt;
" -> #qt;
` in order to make the tag unambiguous.

Update Window
Replaces the text between all pairs of 'include tags' with the content of the file specified in the opening tags.

Update Home Page
Replaces the text between all pairs of 'include tags' in HTML files in a home page folder with the content of the file specified in the opening tags.

Update Folder
The same function for a folder.

Update File
The same function for a single file.

If you write anything between the 'include tags', it is only a temporary change. The next time you update your document everything between the tags is replaced.

If you remove 'include tags' in a document, make sure you remove both the opening tag and the corresponding closing tag.

If a file contains 'last modified date' tags, the date is changed if the file has been modified.