Major New Features

Obsidian Theme

A new theme has been added the is inspired by the classic Obsidian theme.

File Encoding Option

An option has been added to the Editor settings flyout, allowing you to specify a desired file encoding to use when saving files.  By default it will use logic that attempts to match the file's existing Unicode format (if present), and fall back to saving in UTF-8.

Middle Mouse Clicks to Close Documents

Middle mouse button clicks on the document tabs now close the document.

Color Previews Support rgb() and rgba() Syntax

Color previews now work for rgb() and rgba() syntax.

Horizontal Scrolling Support via Trackpad

Use trackpads and advanced mice to horizontally scroll documents.

Duplicate Line Operation

A new duplicate line operation can be executed from the Advanced Editing Operations gallery or via Ctrl+D.

Disable the Soft Keyboard

A new Editor settings flyout option allows the soft keyboard to be disabled from showing when the editor has focus.  This is ideal for touch-based reviewing of code.

Chord Hotkeys for Advanced Editing Gallery

New chord hotkeys have been added to some of the Advanced Editing Operations gallery items that didn't already have hotkeys.  For instance, pressing Ctrl+E then C will execute the comment selection operation.

New Modern Icons for File Associations

We've completely rebuilt our icons used for file associations in the desktop side, such as:

Now file type icons all have high-resolution support and have a modern look with the Code Writer logo, and the same color associated with each file type.

Current Line Highlighting Remains Visible

Current line highlight now remains visible when focus is moved to other UI elements, such as the find/replace flyout, etc.

Summary

This new version adds some very nice enhancements to the app.  Go to the Windows Store to download it, and help us by tweeting about the app!

We're working on new features for our 2013.1 control releases and today I'd like to show off a new feature coming to the WPF and Silverlight .NET Languages Add-on in that version.

C# Var Quick Info

As seen in the screenshot below, hovering over var keywords will now show the resolved type.

In this case, the resolved type for the randomNumbers variable is List<int>, which we aliased to Int32List above in the usings.

Visual Basic Dim Quick Info

Similar features have been added for the Dim keyword in VB.

In this screenshot, the j variable is being assigned an Int32.

Summary

These features will be in the 2013.1 versions of the WPF and Silverlight SyntaxEditor .NET Languages Add-on.

What We Accomplished

In this quarter we added some huge new features to our WPF control products, such as new Metro themes, a window chrome implementation that works on any Window, Office 2013-like Ribbon Backstage, a reimplementation of RibbonWindow, and a lot more.  WinRT/XAML (Windows 8), Silverlight, and WinForms products also saw updates.

We have been working on features for 2013.1 versions of our products and should have some more details on what is coming soon.

We also released our Code Writer app for Windows 8, which is a free text and code editor application with lots of customization features and tabbed MDI support.  This app allows us to test out the port of SyntaxEditor to WinRT/XAML that we are working on.  It also helps us connect more directly with end users to learn more about what features end users are looking for in apps that use SyntaxEditor.

What’s Coming Next

We are currently working on prepping a new product for several platforms as well as new features for existing controls that will appear in the 2013.1 versions of our controls.  We are continuing to enhance the Code Writer app as well, and are working on the SyntaxEditor port to WinRT/XAML.

Blog Post List

Here is a quick categorized list of useful blog postings made in this quarter.

Control Product Development

• First Look at SyntaxEditor for WinRT/XAML
• Office 2013-Like Ribbon Backstage for Metro Themes
• RibbonWindow Reimplemented and New Metro White Theme
• WPF WindowChrome Fully Themes Any Window
• MicroBoxPlot Part 3: Appearance Customization
• WinRT XAML Controls for Windows 8 Demo App Released
• MicroBoxPlot Part 2: Minimum and Maximum Display
• MicroBoxPlot Part 1: Introduction

Control Product Releases

• New Maintenance Releases of All Control Products
• WPF Controls 2012.2 Build 571 Released
• Silverlight Controls 2012.2 Build 141 Released
• WinForms Controls 2012.1 Build 303 Released

Code Writer App

• Code Writer v1.3 Released
• Code Writer for Windows 8 Gives Chrome-Free Text Editing
• Our Code Writer App Is Live In The Windows Store

Today we just published new maintenance releases of all our control products.  These maintenance releases contain a lot of minor updates and bug fixes.  For more details, see the related announcement post:

• WPF Controls
• Silverlight Controls
• WinRT XAML Controls
• WinForms Controls

We highly recommend that if you are on the latest major versions, you upgrade to these maintenance releases.

Happy Holidays

We want to wish you all a very happy holiday season and new year.  We value our customers and your support for our products.  You allow us to continue doing what we love, and that is crafting great software.  We are excited to bring you more new products and features in 2013.  See you on the flip side!

Today we published v1.3 of Code Writer, our free text/code editor app, to the Windows Store.

Code Writer was first released last week but has already gained a tremendous following and is rapidly climbing up the daily rank charts.  Yesterday we hit #23 in the "Productivity, Free" category!  Please continue to help it grow in popularity by spreading the word to your colleagues.

We've been watching the posts in our forums and in the Store reviews and have delivered on the top requests.  This is a very exciting release so let's take a peek at what's new.

Major New Features

File Associations

File associations have been added to all the built-in file types.  This allows Code Writer to be registered as a possible default application for the various supported file types when you open files in the Windows desktop or other apps.

We've also added some very nice looking icons for the file types when you choose to register them with Code Writer as the default application.

Custom File Extensions

A new detail flyout for each file type has been added that lists all the pre-defined file extensions.  It also provides the ability to add custom file extensions for the file type.

In the screenshot above, we've added ".log" as a new custom file extension for text files.  This lets the Browse picker open .log files.

Select Multiple Documents in the Browse Picker

Speaking of the Browse picker, now you can select multiple files to open.

Navigate to a folder, hit the Select All button and open every file in the folder.

Document Properties Pane

A new Document Properties pane has been added that shows a larger view of the filename and path.

It contains a drop-down that allows you to change the file type associated with the current document only, which normally defaults to a file type based on the file's extension.

The pane also displays some helpful statistics like total line, character, and word counts.

Go To Pane

The Go To pane allows you to enter a line number and jump directly to it in the editor.

New Settings Options

Code Writer has a large Settings area where you can customize things to your liking.

New in this version is the option to change font family, with built-in font preview.

Summary

This new version adds some very nice enhancements to the app.  If you like what you see, please click the button below to go download it and write some code on your devices.