diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/syntax/SyntaxDebug.java b/app/src/processing/app/syntax/SyntaxDebug.java
index 1883068e2..123afc314 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/syntax/SyntaxDebug.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/syntax/SyntaxDebug.java
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@ package processing.app.syntax;
 
 import javax.swing.JFrame;
 import javax.swing.WindowConstants;
-import java.awt.Dimension;
+import java.awt.*;
+import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
+import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
+import java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D;
 
 import processing.app.Platform;
 import processing.app.Preferences;
 import processing.app.ui.Editor;
 import processing.app.ui.Theme;
+import processing.app.ui.Toolkit;
 
 
 public class SyntaxDebug extends JFrame {
@@ -19,20 +23,55 @@ public class SyntaxDebug extends JFrame {
     Theme.init();
 
     area = new JEditTextArea(new PdeTextAreaDefaults(),
-      new PdeInputHandler(null));
+      new PdeInputHandler(null)) {
 
-    area.setText("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789");
+      protected TextAreaPainter createPainter(final TextAreaDefaults defaults) {
+        return new TextAreaPainter(this, defaults) {
+          public void paint(Graphics g) {
+//            System.out.println("painting");
+            super.paint(g);
+            showLatest();
+          }
+        };
+      }
+    };
+//    System.out.println(area.getPainter());  // not a PdeTextAreaPainter
+
+    String what = "Not Lucida Grande abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789";
+    area.setText(what);
+    area.select(12, 25);
+    System.out.println("should be selecting " + what.substring(area.getSelectionStart(), area.getSelectionStop()));
 
     add(area);
-    //setMinimumSize(new Dimension(500, 400));
     pack();
     setLocationRelativeTo(null);
     setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
+    Toolkit.registerWindowCloseKeys(getRootPane(), e -> System.exit(0));
     setMinimumSize(new Dimension(500, 400));
     setVisible(true);
   }
 
 
+  void showLatest() {
+    System.out.println("getting font is " + getFont());
+    FontMetrics metrics = getFontMetrics(area.getPainter().getFont());
+    System.out.println(metrics);
+
+    String what = area.getText();
+    System.out.println(what.length());
+    System.out.println(floatWidth(" "));
+    System.out.println(floatWidth(what));
+  }
+
+
+  float floatWidth(String what) {
+    FontMetrics metrics = getFontMetrics(area.getPainter().getFont());
+    // data, offset, offset + len, fm.getFontRenderContext());
+    Rectangle2D bounds = metrics.getStringBounds(what, getGraphics());
+    return (float) bounds.getWidth();
+  }
+
+
   /*
   void drawError() {
     PdeTextAreaPainter painter = (PdeTextAreaPainter) area.getPainter();