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WinEdt 6

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 default compiler can be changed:

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. Below is a working version of this interface:

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!).

REGISTRATION: WinEdt 6 series requires a new registration number. You can take advantage of the trial period and see if you want to use this version or you prefer the older WinEdt 5.x series. Should you opt for WinEdt 6 and already have a license for WinEdt 5, you will need to purchase an upgrade license from www.winedt.com (see the Tables at the Registration page: upgrade rates are at the bottom). Exceptions will be made (upon request) to users that have purchased a license or an upgrade within the last year and to users that make contributions to winedt.org, or help with WinEdt project in some other way... This is your chance to get involved!

Restoring your old WinEdt 5.x settings does require manual work (especially when it comes to customized menus and toolbar!). Some default settings (most notably those pertaining to execution of TeX accessories) have been changed (the default preferences cannot please everyone):

What's New in WinEdt 6.0?

Now you are ready to install the new version. Have fun!

WinEdt 6.0 is currently only available from a local server with limited download capabilities:

WinEdt 6.0: [Build: 20100317] (winedt60.exe 7.32 MB)

What would I like to hear at this stage?

Any bugs and problems with the new version...

Comments on the new default settings and appearance...

Any problems with installation...

Confirmed fixes...

Problems or confirmations of fixes can be reported directly to alex@winedt.com or else they can be communicated on WinEdt's Mailing List.

Avoid sending major feature requests: they will have to wait for version 6.1 (unicode, folding and all)! At this stage updating the documentation and fixing any remaining problems or rounding up the existing functionality is a priority...

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