Ed's Free Editor

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This editor presents the user with all of the HTML tags and CSS attributes organized by function. This makes it easy for the beginner to find the tags he needs to create Web Pages quickly and easily. Once the desired tag is found, a simple keypress or mouse-click adds the tag into the HTML file - with the cursor positioned in the most logical place for the next task at hand.

The expert will appreciate the ease of configuring the editor to his exact requirements. Shortcut keys are customizable, frequently used text can be added to the configuration file, and any desired tools can be easily added to the tools menu.

And of course, it's free!

• Hold the <Ctrl> key down while pressing the left mouse button (In the left or right pane).
• Press the left AND right mouse button simultaneously, in the left pane.
• Press the F12 key. This shortcut will always insert the currently selected item into the text.
• Press the right button to access the pop-up menu, and select the "insert text" option.

If you SELECT text before using one of the insert methods, the defined txt1 and txt2 items will be inserted so as to "surround" the selected text.

• Find matching tags, braces, parentheses, brackets, quotes (single or double), or comments.
  Position the cursor to the LEFT of a "{" " (" "[", or to the left of the "<" of an opening HTML tag, then hold down the <Ctrl>+<Right Arrow> keys, and all the code between the matching character start-end pair will be selected. If there is no match, you will receive an error message. Similarly, you can place the cursor to the RIGHT of a "}" a ")" or a "]" or to the right of the closing ">" of an html end tag, and press the <Ctrl>+<Left Arrow> keys.
• Eliminate problems with mismatched quotes.
  The Edit/Find menu option brings up a very powerful "Find" menu. By selecting "Search for Next Single Quote Pair" or "Search for Next Double Quote Pair," and repeatedly clicking the "Find" button, any mismatched quotes will be made apparent almost immediately. We recommend searching up and down the file, searching for Single quotes on the first pass, and double quotes on the second pass. This feature is extremely helpful to PHP programmers.
• Special Tags and Symbols
  • <br /> tags can be inserted at the current cursor position, as well as a carriage return/line feed, by pressing<Ctrl>+<Enter> .
  • <br /> tags, WITHOUT a skip to a new line can be inserted in your document, by pressing <Ctrl>+<Shift>+<Enter> .
  • Non-breaking spaces (&nbsp;) can be inserted into the text, by pressing <Ctrl>+<Space> .
  • Special characters can automatically be changed to their HTML equivalents.
    These characters are < > & "     This feature is enabled via the Options menu
• Auto Indent
  • Auto indent- will automatically indent a new line so it starts directly below the first character of the previous line. This feature can be turned on and off in the Options menu. (It does not work with the "Word Wrap" View option.)
  • Auto backspace feature - will cause the backspace key to line up the cursor under the starting character of the block above it.
• Shortcuts
  • Pressing a function key from F5-F24 (with the exception of F12 - see above) will insert the text defined in the user defined configuration file into the text at the current cursor position. You may also select <Ctrl> key combinations, to insert any tag of your choice. (For instance, you can have <Ctrl>+B insert the <b></b> tags to mark Bold text
• Word Wrap
  • You can choose Word Wrap via the View menu, or by pressing <Ctrl>+W. Note: The Auto Indent feature does not work with Word Wrap on.
• Auto Backup
  • The user can define a time interval after which the current files are backed up. (Two backup files are created, so you have a choice of restore points if necessary.).
    This is done by placing a default value in the DefaultConfig.txt file. (This default value is used when the program is opened. Any other config file read will not affect the Auto Backup time interval.) This value can be overwritten in the Options menu. The data you are editing can be restored to the time it was last saved, the time it was last opened, or the times of the last two automatic backups, via options in the File menu.
• Test with several browsers.
  • F4 key automatically opens your file with in the browser you specified in the "Tools " file, or as specified via the Options - Browser/Server Info menu option.
    This lets you easily test your HTML and scripts to see how they behave with different browsers, or different versions of browsers.
  • <Ctrl>+<F4> opens the file using the test server you specified in the "Tools" file
• User definable Treeview configuration files, and a Tools configuration file.
  • The Treeview configuration files are text files that allow you to create the hierarchal display you see in the left hand pane. The file that loads at start up is named DefaultConfig.txt, which is installed in the same directory as the editor program. The documentation for creating your own configuration files is provided in the beginning of the configuration files supplied with the program.    The configuration file lets you:
    • Define the name of the item.
    • Define up to four text items that will be inserted when the item is selected, as above.
    • Define HOW the text items will be added to the text.    Both elements together on the line, or separated by a user defined number of blank lines.
    • Define where the cursor will be positioned after the text is inserted.
      • After the text.
      • In between the two text items.
      • "Inside" the first text item. Useful for adding attributes to a start tag.
      • After a specific character in the Text1 item.
    • Define which function key from F5 to F24 (F12 excluded) will be a shortcut for that item.
    • Define "Help Text" that will be displayed in the status bar to help you use the item you have selected, or are about to select.

  • Two configuration files are supplied with this editor: One to enable you to edit HTML files (DefaultConfig.txt), and the other to allow you to edit configuration files (configfileEditor.txt).

    To see the documentation for the configuration files, open ConfigFileEditor.txt. The documentation is at the beginning of the file.

  • The Tools configuration file is a text file that allows you to invoke tools of your choice from within the editor. The name of the Tools configuration file is "Tools.txt" and it is located in the same directory as the executable for this editor.. Its use is documented at the beginning of the file.
• Editor directives Ease Use.

  You may place an Editor directive in a comment in your code within the first five lines of your source file. You may specify a config file to be loaded with the source file by using the following directive within a comment in your code: ##ededit##configfilename.txt##.

  You may have the date and time you saved your code inserted in a comment by using the directive ##ededit##addtime##.Note:This must be included in a multi-line comment, as the date/time is appended to the end of the addtime directive, and overwrites anything else on the line.

  You may place only one directive on a line.

• Informative status bar.
  • Line and Column Positions
  • Absolute Cursor Position (Including carriage returns and line feeds.)
  • Word Wrap status
  • Special Characters processing status
  • The text that will be inserted if you click on the node the mouse is "hovering" over. It will also display any "Help" text that might be associated with that node. If the mouse is not over a node, or is in the text pane, this will contain information from the last node selected.
    Double-clicking on the status bar, will show only the text to be inserted and any help associated with it. Double clicking again, will cause the status bar to revert to its original form.
  
  

• File

  • New - Add a New . . .
    • HTML Doc - Opens a new HTML Document
    • Blank Doc - Opens a new Blank Document
    • Tab (<Ctrl>+T) - Open a Blank Document in a new tab
  • Open - Open a new file in the current tab. If the file in the tab hasn't been saved yet, you will have an opportunity to do so.
  • Open in New Tab - This will let you select one or more files. A new tab will be opened for each selected file. The Default Configuration File will be assigned to each new tab.
  • Insert File - Inserts the specified file immediately after the current line
  • Insert File Name - Inserts the specified file name immediately after the current cursor position. This is useful for those occasions where you need to insert the name of an include file, log file, etc.
  • Close (<Ctrl>+<Shift>+C) - The current tab will be closed. If the file in the tab hasn't been saved yet, you will have an opportunity to do so.
  • Save (<Ctrl>+S) - The file will be saved, using the same file name as when the file was opened. If this file is newly created in the editor, you will be asked to give the file a name.
  • Save as (<Ctrl>+<Alt>+S) - Save this file with a new name. After using this option, the new saved file name will be associated with the tab. Any further "Save" commands on this tab will be for the new file name.
  • Save All - Save files in any of the tabs that have modified text. Note: any new documents that do not yet have a file associated with them will NOT be saved. You must use a Save As command with new documents.
  • Revert
    • Saved - the tab's contents will be restored to the last saved version of the file.
    • Opened - the tab's contents will be restored to the version of the file at the time the file was opened in this tab. Note: If saves were done after opening the file, the "Revert to Saved" option will still be in effect, using the last version saved.
    • Newer Backup - he tab's contents will be restored to the last automatic backup that was taken.
    • Older Backup - he tab's contents will be restored to the older of the two automatic backup files.
      
      Note: When you choose the revert option, the previously saved file is not overridden. You must save the current contents of this tab after you do a revert.
  • Load Config File (<Ctrl>+L) - Loads a config file into the left pane. Any configuration files currently in the pane will be removed.
  • Load Additional Config (<Ctrl>+<Alt>+L - Loads a config file into the left pane. This will be added beneath the nodes currently in the pane.
  • Exit - Exits the program. You will have an opportunity to save any changes to any of the documents you are editing
• Edit
  • Undo Text Editing (<Ctrl+U>) - Reverts any typing you've done since last pressing <Enter> key, <Backspace> key, <Delete> key, or moving the mouse pointer. Using Undo twice in succession will undo the last undo. It will restore the text to the state before the undo
  • Undo Tag Insert - will remove text inserted from the tree pane. This operation can only be done before any additional text is typed into the document.
  • Find/Replace (<Ctrl>+F) - This brings up a dialog box in the lower right of the screen, that lets you specify search arguments in the text.
    The search begins from the position of the cursor in the text, and either searches forwards (down) or backwards (up) in the text, as you indicate with the appropriate radio button. You may replace the searched for text, or delete it entirely, as indicated with the appropriate options.
  • Find Again (<F3>) - allows you to repeat the last find operation. Note:  If the Find/Replace dialog box has focus, you may repeat the find by pressing the <Enter> key.
  • Cut; Copy; Paste; Select All - These are standard Windows commands, with the standard shortcuts.
  • Indent Block (<Ctrl>+<Shift>+I) - Shifts the text in all of the LINES selected to the right, by the amount of spaces you have specified for the <TAB> character.
  • Unindent Block (<Ctrl>+<Shift>+U) - Shifts the text in all of the LINES selected to the left, by the amount of spaces you have specified for the <TAB> character. If there is not enough space for the shift at the left of ANY of the lines, none will be shifted.
    Note: Neither the Indent, nor the Unindent feature will work if the text is being displayed in "Word Wrap" mode.
  • Go To... (<Ctrl>+<Shift>+G) - Lets you go to the first column of any line in the document.
• View
  • Size - Lets you pick a font size for viewing the editor pane. This has nothing to do with the way your HTML document will look.
  • Bold - This toggles the text in the right hand pane from bold to regular. It is not a significant difference with the smaller fonts. This has nothing to do with how your HTML document will look.
  • Display Cursor position (<Ctrl>+F12) - "Flashes" several highlighted characters (-) so as to point out where the text cursor is. (Helpful for the visually impaired.) Using this feature clears the undo buffer; any typing done to this point will not be able to be "undone."
  • Monospace - Selects a fixed width typeface. (Courier New) for the right hand pane. This is useful for programs and scripts, as it allow for more readable indentation
  • Arial - Selects Arial, a more readable typeface.
  • Word Wrap (<Ctrl>+W) - When selected, automatically wraps lines of text when they reach the end of the right hand pane. Word Wrap is automatically turned ON when a text file is opened. It is automatically turned OFF when any other file type is opened.
    The automatic indent feature will NOT WORK when word wrap is on.
  • Browser View (F4) - This will open the file being edited with the browser specified in your "Tools" file, or that which you specified in the Options - Browsers/Server Info menu.
  • Server View (<Ctrl>+F4) - For those testing server side scripts, this will open the browser specified in your " Tools " file, or that which you specified in the Options - Browser/Server Info menu. The name of the server you specified as the "localhost" in your " Tools " file will have the path of the file you are working on appended to it. This file must be in the document root of your web server, which must also be specified in your " Tools " file, or the Browser/Server Options.
• Options
  • Conv &">< to HTML (<Ctrl>+F8 - Setting this option changes the characters entered into the document when you press any of the special characters mentioned. This is necessary in those cases the browser might misinterpret these characters as special instructions, or tags. The " key is changed to &quot;, the & to &amp;, etc. This option is NOT set by default.
  • Indentation - When this option is set, pressing the <Enter> key goes to the next line, and positions the cursor under the first non-blank character on the previous line. Pressing the <Backspace> key when all the characters on the line to the left of the cursor are blank, will position the cursor under the first leftmost non-blank character on any line preceding it. This option is SET by default.
  • Auto Backup - n Min. - Auto Backup is an option that will automatically make a backup file of the text that is being edited. (Those files that you have created, but not yet named with a "Save As" command, will NOT be backed up.) The Auto backup interval is initially defined by the configuration file you are using. You may set this option for any interval up to 30 minutes. (Any interval larger than this will be reset to 30 minutes.) You may also disable this option. Every time the Auto Backup function operates, the latest backup file (with the extension of .bk1) will be renamed to a file with the extension of .bk2. Then a new backup file will be created. You will also hear a chime sound. This sound may be disabled with the sound option of the Options menu.
  • Sort Treeview - if you do not like the organization of the nodes in the tree view (left-hand pane) you may sort them alphabetically by selecting this option. This sorted view will not be saved.
  • Sound - Ed's Free Editor plays sounds in two circumstances. When the Auto Backup Option is invoked, you will hear a soft "Chime" sound. When a Find operation fails, you will hear a "Thud" sound. You may disable these sounds with this option. Sound is ON by default.
  • Browser/Server Info
    - This lets you change information that is initially specified in the " Tools " file that initializes your environment. You may specify three parameters:

    • Browser - This is the name of your browser. You may choose any of the browsers you have defined in the " Tools " File.
    • Test Server - This will probably be "localhost" or "localhost:nnnn", where nnnn is the port you have associated with the localhost.
    • Document Root - this is the directory that has been specified as the upper level directory for your web server. The file you are editing must be in, or below, this directory in the directory hierarchy.
• Shortcuts
  • Insert Current Tag (F12) - This will insert the text from the tree view (left pane) that is currently selected. This Shortcut is the only one that is defined in the program.
  • User defined shortcuts - Users may define shortcuts associated with the configuration file they are using. These may be any of the <Ctrl> key or Function keys that are not already used by the program. See the documentation provided with the supplied configuration files to learn how to set up your own shortcuts.
• Tools
  • The Tools menu is totally controlled by the user. The file "Tools.txt" has the documentation to tell you how to set up the Tools menu. The file included with the product defines three tools:
    • Microsoft Word
    • The HTML Validation Service from w3.org.
    • The CSS Validation Service from w3.org.
  • It is recommended that you include an FTP program in your Tools menu. Good places to look for a free FTP program are:
    • Filezilla, by Sourceforge
    • 1st Transfer 2000, by Eversoft

You can create a configuration file that will allow you to simplify ANY type of editing that requires repetitive insertion of elements. If these elements can be entered logically in the left pane in a hierarchal manner, all the better. If you come up with a configuration file you believe would be helpful to others (even another version for HTML or XHTML editing), email it to me at the address given below. If I like it, I'll be sure to include it in the distribution file. (Be sure to put your name and email address in the documentation, if you want to receive credit for it.)

If you have any comments or suggestions for the editor send an email to:
editor@softwarebyed.com.
(Be sure to leave the word "Editor" in the subject, so we can differentiate this email from the voluminous amount of spam we get.

Ed would be happy to receive donations.   If you think this editor is valuable, you can show your appreciation by sending Ed a token of your esteem.    Payments may be made via Credit Card or Paypal by clicking on the button below.

Gift Amount $:

If you wish to send a check, or tickets for a vacation in Hawaii, you can send it to:

Heidi Hass
999 Dartmouth Lane
Woodmere, NY 11598

(Ed's wife, Heidi, is the accountant. She's the one who remembers to deposit the checks.)
Ed, and his wife and son will be ever so grateful. Their cat, Middy, will get to eat more Temptations!