Okay, folks, it is time for a testimonial. I'm sure there are some of you
wondering, "With the editor built into the RBG7x product itself, why would
I want to spend money for this external editor?"
There are plenty of reasons; here are just a few:
1. Have you ever found yourself testing a form with external eeps and found
it frustrating that to change the eep you had to first close the form so
you could get to the editor? No more. You can have the eep open and
accessible in the editor and the form open at the same time. Change your
code, observe its behavior in the form, refine the code, etc. Insert a
trace command then execute the eep again, all without closing the form.
2. In a word, R:Style. Yes, the built-in editor also has R:Style. But not
like this one. It blows the socks of the old one for
speed. Configurations now work as you would expect, and you have ready
access to all the casing and expansion files.
3. I love the file picker panel. One of the neatest features here is the
ability to set a user-defined mask and view only a subset of the files in
the folder. The mask also carries over to the File | Open dialog. And in
the Details view you can sort the file list on name, extension, date, time,
etc.
4. Syntax schemes. If you work in multiple languages (I don't) you can
have the syntax highlighting for each set up to your specifications. Open
a file with a matching extension and the relevant scheme is applied. You
can hide unused schemes simply by moving their definition files into
another folder. You can set a default scheme that applies to all new
files. And, you can edit the keyword list for each scheme. So, if
you are working in R:Base, Delphi and VBScript all at the same time, the
one editor will display each file type in the appropriate syntax highlighting.
5. You can have two copies of the editor open if you wish.
6. Contextual compare. Open two copies of a code file in two windows, and
compare them with differences highlighted.
7. Ever use Windows' charmap to find special symbols/characters? It is now
built into the editor as a toolbar.
8. If you've ever seen one of my conference presentations you know I obsess
over the visuals. This new editor doesn't disappoint me in that
regard! You may select a visual theme (as in RBG 7.5's themes) and then
work your default background color and syntax schemes to present a very
pleasing visual appearance.
9. The key assignments for editor operations are completely
configurable. Want [Alt][i] to indent a block instead of [Ctrl][i]? No
problem. You have that control.
10. You don't have to have a copy of RBG7x open to edit files from earlier
versions of R:Base. If you're like me, not all your code is in 7.x. You
have one consistent interface for editing all your R:Base code.
There is only one drawback I see, and I mention it in the interest of full
disclosure. With the editor built into RBG7x you have access via the data
dictionary to temporary tables views. Since the new editor is an external
program, and temp views and tables are local to the RBG7x user's session,
the data dictionary cannot see the temp table and view definitions.
It's a small price.
Emmitt Dove
Manager, DairyPak Business Systems
Blue Ridge Paper Products, Inc.
40 Lindeman Drive
Trumbull, CT 06611
(203) 673-2231
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
