--- Shareware Version ---
Copyright © 1993-2008 by Aleksander Simonic. All rights reserved.
E-mail: support@winedt.com
WinEdt (shareware) is a powerful and versatile ASCII editor and shell for MS Windows with a strong predisposition towards the creation of [La]TeX documents.
DO NOT, however, mistake WinEdt itself for a TeX system! You'll have to download and install a (free) Win32 TeX system of your choice MiKTeX, or TeX Live).
Check out WinEdt's Downloads page for more information on WinEdt, TeX and links to other programs needed to make TeX operational on Win32 platform.
By default WinEdt's Menu is configured to run as a front end for MiKTeX. However, it is quite straightforward to configure WinEdt for a different TeX System (eg. TeX Live), or even define a completely different set of accessories. By default, Options -> Configurations -> Maintenance Menu already contains a few alternative configurations...
As an editor WinEdt allows you to exploit its intuitive (customizable) predefined interface and graphic controls. However, if you are not too keen on the mouse interface, don't worry: WinEdt also provides means to customize its keyboard interface, allowing you to use double keystroke shortcuts that can be associated with any menu item (macro, command, utility). Menu Setup and, in particular, the (invisible) popup menus, are available to provide this functionality...
Unlike many MS Windows editors, WinEdt is not based on Windows Edit or RichEdit controls but has been written from scratch (providing custom responses to Mouse and Keyboard Input and implementing its own Paint procedure which analyzes the text and determines the colors). While these features make it possible to do almost anything (while keeping the source files 100% ASCII) it also implies that WinEdt has to provide support for any language- or sometimes even hardware-specific behavior which applications based on standard controls transparently inherit (for example, Bidirectional text). Assuming there is enough interest in any such new feature I will usually implement it, following reports and suggestions from interested users. However, such an implementation is not always straightforward and it may take time. Please be patient!
WinEdt is currently lacking support for UNICODE and bidirectional text.
For most users the latest release WinEdt 5 is the best choice. WinEdt 5 is a native 32-bit application compiled with Borland's Delphi 7 Pro. WinEdt 5 runs only on Windows Vista/XP/2000 or (with some restrictions) NT/ME/98.
WinEdt 5 does run on weaker systems as long as your system is properly configured and you have Windows installed on your computer. You should not expect extensive support with issues related to Win9x/ME or old hardware that does not meet the above requirements.
If you upgraded your computer to Win XP from a previous version of Windows it is recommended that you re-install WinEdt 5. In particular, on Windows XP WinEdt 5 should not be run with Win9x compatibility layer (after all it is a native Win32 application!). Compatibility layer may cause problems with basic functionality (such as Copy, Cut, and Paste).
WinEdt has been thoroughly tested on all Windows platforms. It has proved to be very stable and reasonably fast. All reported bugs from the previous release have been eliminated. However, should you encounter a bug or (god-forbid) experience a crash, please send me a report containing as many details as possible. I'll do my best to track down the problem and fix it for the next release.
If you have trouble setting up WinEdt for a particular task, first read the relevant information in WinEdt's Documentation, Help Menu and Configuration Wizards. If all this proves to be insufficient to address your problem, consult the section on "Mailing List and Support" and proceed accordingly...
Always on the alert: WinEdt Team at their HQ
Every picture tells a story: click here, if you will....
WinEdt was originally developed in 1993 as a simple text editor and shell for Windows 3.1. I embarked on the project with a student edition of Borland's TPW 1.5 while working on my Ph.D. thesis (it is so easy to get distracted with something you are not supposed to be doing while "officially" working on a thesis). I was quite happy with the result of a few months of part-time programming and indeed WinEdt was used to typeset my thesis without any major incident. In the process I made a few enhancements and fixed the few bugs that now and then emerged.
When in 1995 I hit hard times, I decided to upload WinEdt to CTAN as shareware, hoping that a few bucks from registrations would help with the rent. The money certainly didn't start rolling in: WinEdt had exactly five registered used by the end of 1995, counting me, my brother and a free copy requested by/donated to some university research center in US. The rest has has been the most peculiar experience: a long and winding road...
Here is a summary of all public releases (and flops) of WinEdt:
*** April 1995: WinEdt 1.0 (for Windows 3.1)
*** October 1995: WinEdt 1-a (for Windows 95,3x)
*** November 1995: WinEdt 1-b (for Windows 95,3x)
*** December 1995: WinEdt 1-c (for Windows 95,3x)
*** February 1996: WinEdt 1-d (for Windows 95,3x)
*** June 1996: WinEdt 1.4-a (Windows 95,3.x)
WinEdt 1.4-a is the first serious attempt to turn WinEdt into an
easy-to-use Shell for Windows. Users can modify almost every
aspect of the Shell's behavior through very intuitive Dialogs.
All Dialogs come with a context sensitive help...
*** July 1996: WinEdt 1.4-b (Windows 95,3.x)
WinEdt 1.4-b supports long file names on Win95...
*** August 1996: WinEdt 1.4-c (Windows 95,3.x)
Bug Fixes and a few enhancements...
*** February 1997: WinEdt Shell 1.41-a (Windows NT,95,3.x)
A major upgrade. Many new features and enhancement...
Built in spell checker, Configurable Menu, Popup Menus,
Context Sensitive Response and much more...(different
language dictionaries are also available in a related
WinEdt/... directory - see CTAN address, below)
*** March 1997: WinEdt Shell 1.41-b (Windows NT,95,3.x)
Bug Fixes, Extended Help and a few enhancements...
*** April 1997: WinEdt Shell 1.41-c (Windows NT,95,3.x)
Major problems on Win3x and WinNT have been resolved
New appearance of Dialogs and 32-bit Common Dialogs
Bug Fixes, Extended Help and a few enhancements...
*** September 1997: WinEdt Shell 1.41-d (Windows NT,95,3.x)
Major problems with the Korean version of Windows have been
resolved. WinEdt can be configured to run with non-standard
alphabets. Improved Interface. Font attributes can be used in
combinations with colors for syntax highlighting and for printing.
Numerous minor bugs and inconsistencies have been resolved...
*** June 1998: WinEdt Shell 1.41-e (Windows NT,95,98,3.x)
This is the last version of WinEdt compiled with Borland's
TPW. The new release WinEdt32 (compiled with Delphi) is now
the official version of the program and will be further
developed and supported only for 32-bit windows platform. If
running WinEdt on a 16-bit OS is your priority or if your
system does not meet the minimal requirements for WinEdt32
you should install this version - it is well tested, stable,
fast and bug-free...
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*** June 1998: WinEdt32 1.414 (Windows NT,98,95)
After more than three months of beta testing a brand new
release of WinEdt (compiled with Borland's Delphi 3) is
officially released. Plenty of new features and extended
functionality: Setup with Install Shield...
*** October 1998: WinEdt32 1.414 (19-8) (Windows NT,98,95)
Native 32-bit application compiled with (brand new)
Borland's Delphi 4 (Pro):
- Decreased startup time
- Minor bug fixes
- New import/ export functionality
easy exchange of configuration components
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*** March 1999: WinEdt2K 1.4142 alpha (Windows NT,98,95)
Alpha testing goes on while new features are being added.
Major new features include:
- New (advanced) project management
- Record and Play Macro facility
- Aligned Controls and Forms
- Improved appearance and the default setup
- Extended Macro Language abilities...
*** November 1999: WinEdt2K 1.4142 beta (Windows 2000,NT,98,95)
Compiled with Delphi 5 (Pro)
- Plenty of enhancements and new features
- Bug fixes and better overall performance
- Improved appearance and default setup
- Predefined Configurations
*** April 2000: WinEdt 5 (v. 5.1) (Windows 2000,NT,98,95)
The name WinEdt2K has been dropped because of the similarity
with another well established text editor WinEdit 2000.
Official release of WinEdt 5 with the new default setup...
*** January 2001: WinEdt 5 (v. 5.2) (Windows 2000,NT,ME,98,95)
- More pre-defined support for pdf conversion
- Error Log parsing in subdocuments
- New active response to referencing commands
- New interface for Delete Output files
- New interface for icons and filetype associations
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*** April 2002: WinEdt 5 (v. 5.3) (Windows XP,2000,NT,ME,98,95)
After more than a year of alpha and beta testing:
- Updated Help and Documentation
- New Installation Script
- Configuration Wizards...
- Automatic Profile Creation and Network Installation
- New Setup for TeX compilation
- Visual Bookmarks
- Plenty of new macros and features
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*** July 2005: WinEdt 5 (v. 5.4) (Windows XP,2000,NT,ME,98)
After more than two years of alpha and beta testing:
- New HTML Help System and documentation
- Execution Modes Interface
- Support for HTML Help Authoring
- New Setup for TeX compilation
- Enhanced Tree control and Navigation Bar
- Improved/ Enhanced XP Appearance
- Background Modes
- Redesigned and simplified interfaces and dialogs
- Plenty of new macros and features
... etc ...
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*** April 2007: WinEdt 5 (v. 5.5) (Windows Vista,XP,2000)
After more than a year of beta testing:
- Support for variable-width fonts and dynamically expanded tabs
(including the new mode-dependent font schemes)
- Improved Execution Modes Interface with an easy interface to
manually change PATH or location of common executables...
- Built-in MUI (My User Interface) - documented in the Macro Manual
- New Configuration for Gather Control and GUI Page Control
- Environment-sensitive formatting/ wrapping rules and selected
editor properties (more to come!)...
- Some capability to handle UTF-8 (UNICODE) files...
and more...
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THIS PROJECT DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED USERS!
If you decide to use the program, please register your copy and support
further development of WinEdt!
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