Today I'd like to show off a new feature coming to the WPF and Silverlight .NET Languages Add-on:  C# text formatting!

Text formatters beautify code, making it more readable by adjusting whitespace.

C# Text Formatting Example

Let's see an example.  Here is some messy C# code loaded up in SyntaxEditor:

When we format the document, the result is:

That's a lot more readable!  The text formatter also has an option for whether open curly braces appear on the same or next line.

Intelligent Modifications

The best part about this feature is that SyntaxEditor only adjusts ranges it needs to.  It doesn't do a mass replace of the whole document.  For instance on line 7, it does a tweak of the leading whitespace on the line but doesn't touch the rest of the line.

All of the various text change operations involved in the formatting are merged into a single atomic text change that is added as a single undo stack item.  This makes it easy for the end user to quickly undo any formatting changes that were made.

Summary

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

We just published new maintenance release of both the WPF and Silverlight controls.  These new builds fix a SyntaxEditor problem that we introduced in the previous maintenance release, and also have several other minor SyntaxEditor tweaks and fixes in them.

Update details are described here:

• WPF Controls
• Silverlight Controls

We recommend that you get these latest v2012.2 maintenance releases.

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