Let's Talk Favorite Features...

Ian D. Mead,
President

Having used UltraEdit for so many years, I've come to especially like many of its features. Sometimes even finding myself enjoying the implementation of the feature as much as the feature itself.

An example of this would be; Copy File Path/Name. I use this all the time when saving new files or sending a file via email. It's such a handy/convenient feature... Just open your file, click the "Copy File Path/Name Path" icon, and off you go.

One of the "neat" features that I really like, but is little known and used is the "Insert String at every Increment". It's more for database and fixed length field editing and has a lot of flexibility for inserting a fixed string at regular intervals in the file. Not used a lot but to me it's pretty neat.

A more contemporary example of a favorite feature implementation is our new TaskMatch Environments. The quick and simple ability to give UltraEdit a new setup for the particular task. It is the combination of flexibility and configurability that make Environments such an innovative implementation.

I and many others just love the Column Mode! If you have used Column mode, it's easy to see why this is so useful when you are formatting text. I've used it when editing code to quickly add/remove comments, format text that was copied/pasted out of a table, or email.

Macros are also a big favorite of mine. A powerful feature that really speeds up your day-to-day editing. Macros allow you to quickly record a set of simple (or complex) commands to be executed again and again. This feature can be a huge time-saver when you have to perform the same type of formatting over and over again.

Lastly, similar to macros, is scripting. Scripting make routine tasks much easier. This feature is becoming increasingly popular as users try it out. To me, what makes a feature or feature implementation exciting is what it does for me. How it serves as my solution to my daily tasks.

The difference with scripts and macros is that scripts can take longer to write because they can't be recorded. However, because scripting includes the built-in JavaScript functions, they provide an entirely different level of power.

As the years have gone by, user requests have led to many innovative implementations.

What features or, implementation of features, are your favorite and how do you use this as your daily solution?

Thanks, Ian

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Gordon Gidluck
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Let's Talk Features
Reply #1 on : Tue May 20, 2008, 14:46:39

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Ian, without a doubt what sets ultraedit apart from other editors is the column mode.
Second to that is the compare feature.
--Gordon

Guest post

Re: Let's Talk Favorite Features...
Reply #2 on : Tue May 20, 2008, 15:05:10

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Gordon, thanks for your feedback. Yes, the column mode has been a long time favorite and many users really like it. UltraCompare also has been very popular and we are excited about the new release of that coming out soon.

Thanks for writing!

Ian

Brendon
Guest post

Re: Let's Talk Favorite Features...
Reply #3 on : Tue May 20, 2008, 17:50:34

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Ian, I would have to say my favourite features are: Project workspaces, macro quick record, column mode editing, trim trailing spaces, code collapse, regular expressions and advanced find and replace features (especially multi-line), bookmarks and the highly programmable shortcut keys. I've mapped Ctrl Shift S for EditCopyFilePathToClipboard, Ctr Shift M for MacroQuickRecord and Ctr M for MacroPlay just to give you a flavour. The syntax highlighting is terrific and I've written my own for ColdFusion with relative ease. What I reckon would be really nifty is the ability to have multiple projects open at the same time...Thanks for making UltraEdit the brilliant product it is today! Oh, it is also super fast - Ah, threaded search was also a welcome upgrade in v14

Ian
Posts: 2

Re: Let's Talk Favorite Features...
Reply #4 on : Wed May 21, 2008, 16:34:03

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Brendon, great feedback on the features, thanks. Sounds like you use a good spectrum. We know that a lot of users have many that they use for a multitude of tasks. I am interested in the idea of multiple project files being open at once. I welcome an email to idm@idmcomp.com with more information on how you would utilize this and what you would like to see. If you send it, please mention it's a follow up from this blog.

Thanks! Ian

Robyn
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Column Mode!
Reply #5 on : Sat May 24, 2008, 04:50:12

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Column mode is my favorite feature, hands down. I also really like the macro capabilities. Overall, though, UltraEdit sets itself apart by the number of robust features, and the flexibility that it gives in all areas. Not just number of features, but how deep each one is.

Ian
Posts: 2

Re: Let's Talk Favorite Features...
Reply #6 on : Sun May 25, 2008, 16:03:33

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Robyn, thanks for your comments, we appreciate it. We do try to add depth to the features. We use the features ourselves and get great feedback from users and this contributes to the depth of the features. Glad you like the column mode and macros! You may want to try the scripts, these give even more power than the macros. Thanks again, Ian

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