Open and Save Dialogs...

WinEdt uses the common Open and Save dialogs that are also used by other Windows applications.

Many users are puzzled about the folder in which the dialogs are initially displayed. The answer is simple: the dialogs initially display the current working folder.

And how is the current working folder determined?

This depends on your settings. By default this folder is set to the location of the last Opened Document. This can be changed in the Preferences Dialog:

The Document Menu contains a few Menu Items with assigned shortcuts that can be used to set the current folder to the location of the Current or Main Document:

You can modify this menu to include more such items covering "your favorite places". By default the "Home Folder" command sets the folder to the location of the current Main Document. This can be changed either in the Menu Setup Dialog or by modifying the Startup Macro (in the Options/ Configurations Menu):

     // Setup the default startup folder of your choice: Default = Main File
     Assign("Home-Folder",!"%P"); // Enter a home folder of your choice
     //? Do(*SetFolder(|%$("Home-Folder");|);*); // Set Startup Folder...

Finally, if (for example) you want the Save As Dialog always to start in particular folder you can modify the default Save As Menu Item in the Menu Setup Dialog. Change the definition of the command:

    Save As...

    [SetFolder('your preferred folder or %p...');CMD('Save As...');]

This is a general rule: if the default command doesn't quite meet your standards and preferences you can convert it into a sequence of Macro commands by specifying the new definition between square braces [...].

Specifying the "Start In" field in the Menu Setup Dialog and checking the option Set Folder to "Start in" has a similar effect. However, the macro can be enhanced to restore the previous working folder after the dialog is closed:

    [LetReg(0,'%!P');SetFolder('your preferred folder or %p...');CMD('Save As...');SetFolder('%!0');]

The same applies to Open and Save and Open Project menu items...

Many users are accustomed to applications that automatically append the filetype in the Save As dialog. WinEdt does not act quite like that. You should type the filetype as a part of the filename in the Save As dialog. There are good reasons for such behavior. It is best to leave the drop-down box in the Save As dialog set as "Default" and let WinEdt determine the mode of your document based on the extension that you have typed. Selecting a different mode changes the document mode but you should still type the filetype as part of the filename.

The only exception (in the default settings) are files of type *.tex: this extension is automatically appended in the absence of any filetype specification (note that some TeX files have different extensions ltx, def, ins, dtx, etc...). For fine-tuning of Saving properties consult the Preferences Dialog:

WinEdt is by default configured so that it can work with UNIX or Windows-style line terminators (LF or CR+LF, respectively). WinEdt detects and preserves the (EOLN) file format. If you want to change or enforce a file format use the Document Menu: Document Settings Dialog:

In principle you could use :UNIX submode in the dropdown filetype list in the Open or Save Dialog bit using the Document Settings Dialog above is a better method as it allows you to know the exact settings!

As you will learn if you check an extensive topic on Wrapping in WinEdt's Help there are two fundamentally different approaches when it comes to dealing with Wrapping in ASCII files.

Paragraphs are presented as lines and wrapped on the screen. The user is 100% in charge of line breaks (Returns). This mode is most commonly implemented in Windows Editors and Word Processors. It is simple but it can reduce portability of your documents. Compilers (such as TeX) will see your paragraph as a single (long) line.

Lines are indeed separated by line separators (CR+LF or LF). However, there is no telling which line terminators are a result of the wrapping algorithm and which have been entered by the user. This obstacle can be overcome if one adopts the style of writing structured documents that allows the editor (WinEdt) to analyze your text and apply the rules suitable for your current environment. Users can be puzzled (at first) if WinEdt doesn't respect their "Returns". Indenting non-wrapping environments (such as tables and math equations) can solve this problem while simultaneously make your source code more readable.

You may have opted for Standard ASCII Wrapping for TeX documents (in my opinion a good decision). However, a situation may arise when you have to import a document created in Soft Mode by some other utility. In this case you may see very long lines. If you want to preserve the format and work in Soft Wrapping Mode on that document proceed as follows. Close the document and use the Open Command. In the Open Dialog choose the ":Soft" submode in the drop-down filetype control:

To learn how to make permanent wrapping preferences suitable for your style of editing consult WinEdt's Help.

The Format of the Current Document can be adjusted in the Document Settings Dialog:

The Help in the dialog will guide you if required. However, Changing the mode between ASCII and Soft can cause irreversible (and unwanted) changes to your document. That's why it is important that you initially choose the Wrapping conventions that best meet your needs. The topic on Wrapping in WinEdt's Help elaborates in details about the alternatives (pros and cons)...