UltraEdit has been updated to UE 2024.1. This update is filled with many improvements and tweaks based on user feedback from the previous version. Download the release now.

This release also brings fixes for commonly reported problems and bugs, and quality of life improvements to the features and workflows that need them most. All in all, we have a pretty hefty but varied release so we can hopefully provide benefits to most if not all of our users.

New “Start support request” command

Starting a support request automatically starts an email with your device details for convenience.

We’re starting 2024.1 with a new general feature that will help any of our users submit support emails to UltraEdit. A new command will now be available to make emailing us about functionality and product-related concerns easier.

To execute, you click the new command and it starts an email using your default email client. This email comes prepopulated with pertinent information such as program version, basic system and user information, and the like. 

This automatically fills in data that are usually relevant to support requests. This makes the overall support process smoother, which in turn quickens the delivery of fixes and changes as well.

Enhanced XML manager editing for attributes and values

For those using UltraEdit to view XML files, you can now also make changes to attribute values in the XML manager. 

While browsing the XML manager, and you see something you want to edit, you can now jump into this attribute value table and you can actually make a change.

This is the first of many possible changes planned for making XML use easier in UltraEdit.  For instance, if you have any suggestions on what else we should do for XML view, let us know.

New horizontal split view for Live Preview

Apart from the regular view where it’s split left and right, you can have live preview split horizontally.

A new addition to live preview added in this release is the ability to change the orientation of the live preview pane. This new feature allows you to view renderable files in horizontal fashion (as opposed to just the default vertical view.)

Access this new option under Coding Tab → Live Preview and select which orientation you would like to use.

New remote file upload/download progress bar in application status bar

New download status bar for FTP and cloud transfers.

In UltraEdit 2024.0, we added cloud storage support inside the editor. This made it easier to manage files across your local device and your cloud storage drives. After general availability, a number of users made  requests to add a progress bar to signify the status of file downloads. 

With this change it is now easier to see whether your files have finished downloading, or to see what percentage has been downloaded. 

This new status bar also works for file transfers using FTP protocols.

Compare Tool Improvements

There are multiple changes in this release aimed at making compares easier and better. These were based on the most popular user requests. Take a look at them below.

Compare tool configuration UI added to support any compare utility

Navigate to the Integrated applications tab and go to Compare tool. Specify the compare tool you want to directly access from UltraEdit.

This new command allows you to specify a third party compare tool and allows you to launch that tool easily. (This is if for some reason you prefer not to use the already integrated UltraCompare.)

To use this, navigate to the configuration window and click the check box under Integrations → Compare Tools. Input the path to the compare tool and the next time you execute a compare, it will use the new tool you have specified.

New compare file command added to file tab menu for easy access

Furthermore, to make executing compares between files easier, we’ve added an easier-to-access option under the File Tab. 

A new way access file compare is now available under the File tab.

Improved readability and usability of compare settings dialog

When doing compares, you can now drag the corner of the windows to increase its size. This improves how the compare dialog is shown. 

This change was motivated by quality of life requests from users who had long file directories. This change allows them to quickly see the whole file path without having to scroll through the entire text.

To access the compare dialog menu, click on the Compare tab on the home screen.

Quality of life improvements

We’ve categorized the following items as QoL changes. These can be either small changes or new features aimed at making usage and handling of the editor features a lot better.

Enabled horizontal scrolling using devices and gestures 

A new way of adjusting your view in UltraEdit has been added. if your opened file is horizontally long, for instance, in database files with numerous columns, you can now use other ways other than moving the caret with your keyboard or manually dragging the scroll bar with a cursor.

As of UE 2024.1, the following methods of scrolling will work for almost all devices and platforms supporting gestures such as:

• Secondary mouse wheel (left and right)
• Trackpads
• Preset gestures & scrubbing
• Custom keybinds and similar navigation devices.

This feature is enabled by default and you don’t have to set anything up. If there are other devices you would like to see supported, send us a message.

Protip: Try this feature out in combination with column mode—another powerful tool when it comes to dealing with large seas of text and data. 

New URL highlighting options and open URL commands

• New underline setting for URLs instead of highlighting

This simple change allows users to choose whether to highlight or underline text recognized as URLs. Change this setting by opening the configurations menu and under Editor → Advanced.

• New command to launch and compose emails

Similar to how you can open hyperlinks directly from inside the editor, you can now click on email addresses in the editor. Use the command Ctrl + Shift + Click on an email address and your default email client will open with the recipient address filled in.

Automatically recover previously open files after a crash without a prompt 

When UltraEdit crashes or closes unexpectedly (i.e. power outages, fatal errors, etc.), there is a prompt for the user asking if they want to recover the last saved or auto-saved version of the file. 

Users have requested for a way to automatically recover files without having to go through the prompt. We’ve added a new checkbox  in the popup so users can save their preference and automatically recover files should the unfortunate need arise.

Full cloud storage support in FTP Browser

In UE 2024.0, we’ve added cloud storage capability to UltraEdit. A little earlier than that, we’ve added the same to UFTP 2023.0. 

You may wonder why this hasn’t been in the integrated FTP browser inside UltraEdit. Well, that’s what we’ve added in this release. Starting from this release, the FTP browser will now work like its standalone counterpart: you can now find, move, and access your files in the cloud in the UltraEdit FTP browser. 

Other notable  improvements and changes:

Here is a list of other minor fixes and quality-of-life improvements based upon user reports and requests. If you have any questions or suggestions, please mail them to [email protected].

• Improved code folding support for ASP code
• Improved positioning and selection range for “active line highlighting for wrapped lines
• Addressed selection issues with specific search ranges and EOF conditions
• Resolved discrepancies with differing search count results from different search features
• Addressed dialog control enable/disable state discrepancies with user tool configuration dialog
• Corrected negative column number display for certain HTML files
• Addressed multiple issues with display and editing with non-English text, code pages, and encodings
• Resolved multiple issues with tab settings and tab displays
• Resolved multiple printing issues with indentation, positioning, and wrapping 

What’s Next for UltraEdit?

In the last update, we mentioned how we wanted to depart from having a big dot release on the first version of the year and instead have more frequent bundles of smaller improvements.

The main impetus for that change was the allowance of more flexibility and more time for developing bigger features while at the same time being able to deliver important and timely updates and fixes. UE will most likely follow the same update format for the following updates.

This release has a lot of small tweaks but ironically is one of the biggest releases we had in a long time. User requests were at the forefront of the decision making for what was included in the release so we hope that most if not all of these changes will bring you some benefit in using UltraEdit.

You’ve reached the end of UE 2024.1 updates. But check out our August bulletin for a more comprehensive look at what’s coming for UltraEdit!