WinEdt™ is a powerful, extremely flexible and versatile native editor and shell for MS Windows with a strong predisposition towards the creation of [La]TeX documents (and much more!)...
WinEdt provides an integrated development environment and is widely used as a front-end for compilers and typesetting systems, such as TeX. WinEdt’s highlighting schemes can be customized for different modes. WinEdt’s Spell Checking functionality supports multi-lingual setups, and dictionaries (word-lists) are available for many languages.
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 the means to customize its keyboard interface, allowing you to use double keystroke shortcuts that can be associated with any menu item.
What is WinEdt?
WinEdt (shareware) is a powerful, extremely flexible and versatile 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 your own (free) Win32 TeX system (eg. MiKTeX, or fpTeX/web2c) from CTAN.
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 (GUI) for the MiKTeX (freeware) distribution. However, it is quite straightforward to make any modifications (through the Options| Menu Setup Dialog) and thus configure WinEdt for a different TeX package (eg. fpTeX), or even define a completely different set of accessories.
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 the 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 most 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.
WinEdt 5 series has been around for over nine years and it is time to move on, do away with some legacy issues, and start the WinEdt 6 project. Before proceeding to install WinEdt 6, please read the following important information pertaining to upgrading:
WinEdt 6 is installed parallel to WinEdt 5 and you can continue to use WinEdt 5 and possibly uninstall WinEdt 6 if you prefer the old version. You should not attempt to install WinEdt 6 over the existing WinEdt 5.x on your system!
Major new features in WinEdt 6.0:
WinEdt’s Interface (toolbar) has changed. A single button is now used to select and start the TeX Compiler of your choice. The drop-down menu allows you to choose from PDFLaTeX, LaTeX, XeTeX, TeX, AMSTeX, etc... Once you make your choice you can start the selected compiler by clicking on the button...
The new interface also features context-sensitive Compile and Preview buttons. Their meaning for TeX documents can be configured through the Execution Modes Interface...
Configuration Filters are used to make Menu Items and Toolbars visible or invisible depending on the configuration choice (MiKTeX, Tex Live, HTML, etc...)
Console Applications are by default executed in WinEdt’s own Console Window. This can be customized in the Execution Modes interface.
Highlighting now allows specification of environment-sensitive background colors.
Support for compiling MetaPost documents and Documented LaTeX (DTX)...
And there is more... Click on the link What’s New in WinEdt 6.0, below, for the complete list of all new features, bug fixes and changes!
IMPORTANT: All Images and Icons used by WinEdt have been redesigned and the overall appearance of WinEdt and consistency of its GUI has changed quite a bit (hundreds of hours of work went into this!).
Most users should find this an improvement (especially on Windows with Themes enabled). And for others: WinEdt 5.5 is still there (exactly as it was) and you can, of course, continue to use your current (customized) version of WinEdt indefinitely. No need to upgrade if you are happy with what you have!!!
Below is WinEdt 6.0 on Windows XP. Note the drop-down menu in the button that starts TeX;
The image above uses a (default) 2-row toolbar and has background schemes and effects (gradient background for
special environments, right margin and current line) enabled. It is easy to enable
or disable such effects through the Options Interface (Highlighting)...
WinEdt 6.0 was actually pretty ready for beta testing at the end of September 2008.
However, I decided instead to take the opportunity to eliminate the Menu Setup,
Preferences, Settings and Appearance Dialogs and replace them with a new
interface that allows you to edit configuration scripts where any customizations
should be made. The new Options Interface should be used to manage settings.
Read the Help sections dealing with the new Options Interface and you will learn
how to customize WinEdt 6!
Help and Documentation is in the process of being updated (not everything in the
current Help applies to the new version).
This version may not be for everyone! Before installing the new version read
carefully what is new in this build (including changes to the upgrade policy!).
