Configurations: Backup, Restore, Default...

In Options/ Configurations Menu WinEdt provides a series of macro interfaces that allow you to Backup and Restore your Current Configuration or import a part of the Default Settings.

After you have customized WinEdt it is strongly recommended that you execute the Backup Command in the above menu. This will extract your current settings and later you can selectively Restore them.

WinEdt is highly customizable and many users are reluctant to upgrade because they have spent a significant amount of time customizing their settings, installing custom dictionaries, etc... Creating a backup is a safe method to upgrade because the Backup data does not get overwritten when you install a new version of WinEdt over the old one. Thus you can always Restore (a part) of your old settings such as Dictionaries. The Restore Command provides a Graphic Interface consisting of checkboxes that indicate which configuration components should be restored.

If you scroll down the list you'll see that you can restore complete Menu or else only individual menus. Right-clicking on the list control displays a context Popup Menu that can be used to Check or Uncheck all the options. Such responses are common in all WinEdt's Dialogs.

The Default command acts the same way as the Restore interface except that the components in this interface refer to the default WinEdt settings. For example, you have restored your original menu, only to realize that want to import the newly introduced Bookmarks Menu and the updated default Options Menu. Execute the command Default in the above menu, from the Context Popup Menu choose "Uncheck All". Then scroll down to the Main Menu and check only "Bookmarks" and "Options" menus.

Using more than one Configuration

This simple functionality is sufficient to allow users that use WinEdt only for one task (eg. TeX-ing) safe and easy upgrading. However, users that plan to use and customize other configurations in the Options Configurations Menu (eg. use WinEdt as a specialized HTML Editor) have to perform the "Configurations Update..." after they have customized any particular configuration. Note that executing any of the alternative configuration Commands in the above menu modifies your Insert, Accessories and Help Menu as well as the Toolbar.

Example: Suppose you are currently using WinEdt's MiKTeX's Configurations and you have changed the default shortcuts for TeX Accessories. If you want these shortcuts to become permanent change to your MiKTeX Configuration you should start the "Update Configurations" Interface:

Note that the interface is quite "intelligent" and the initial settings in the dialog reflect the state of your current configuration. If the above example the MiKTeX configuration is already updated (that's why the checkboxes are disabled). The Insert Menu for all TeX Configurations is identical. After you have Updated the appropriate configurations it is safe to switch to another mode, eg. HTML Editor. When you return to MiKTeX your customizations will be preserved. Of course, you have to use this interface intelligently: if you update HTML Configuration with TeX settings you'll permanently change the HTML configuration (probably not what you want).

NOTE: Custom Configurations are not preserved during upgrades. You have to backup your customized folders in WinEdt's Config.

Advanced: Preparing New Configurations

Advanced users that want to prepare new configurations that are not included in WinEdt's default settings should follow the following guidelines.

Custom Configuration X should have the folder X in %B\Config The file Load Config.edt should be present in this folder and linked to an item in the Options/ Configurations Menu. The folder X should contain Tool Bar.dat and Menu.dat. Menu.dat contains custom Insert, Accessories and Help Menus. WinEdt caption should be set to " WinEdt/X".

Non-TeX Configurations should do the following in Load Config.edt:

   SetCaption(' WinEdt/X',1);     // Caption
   ...
   Assign('TeX System',''); // Not in TeX Mode
   Assign('TeX-Wizard',''); // No TeX Wizard
   // Delete TeX Configuration File
   IfFileExists('%b\Exec\TeXConfig.edt',>
      'DeleteFile("%b\Exec\TeXConfig.edt");');

If the configuration requires additions to the Highlighting Schemes, Active Strings, Dictionaries, etc... it should come with an install macro that imports the additions in WinEdt's Settings.

 // Any Custom Configurations should be placed in front of the line(s):
 //
 // -> Custom Configurations I
 // -------------------------------------------------------------------
 // ...
 // -> Custom Configurations II
 // -------------------------------------------------------------------

For Example:

  LetReg(4,'X');      Exe('%B\Config\Maintenance\Add Config.edt'); ...
  LetReg(4,'X');      Exe('%B\Config\Maintenance\Process Config.edt');

For more details you should consult the existing configuration scripts in WinEdt's Config folder. Configurations that comply with these rules will be available as downloads from www.winedt.org.

The maintenance and support of such configurations is left to their authors (rather than support@winedt.com).