[gui-talk] EdSharp Version 2.8 is now Available

[Steve Pattison]

EdSharp version 2.8 is now available and the direct link to download the file is at
www.empowermentzone.com/edsetup.exe
Here are the changes in this version:

Improved the optional script package to fine tune speech when using Window-Eyes.  Fixed the installer for the JAWS scripts so that it works with version 10.

Strengthened the error reporting system so that an unexpected event now results in a dialog with options to email the report, copy it to the clipboard, or exit EdSharp.  To continue work without further action, press Escape to cancel the dialog.

Fixed snippets you save with the Default, no compiler not showing in the list of snippets available with other compilers.  Picking a compiler or interpreter with Control+Shift+F5 now sets its default file extension as the first file type in an open or save file dialog.

Some enhancements help to manage indentation of programming code.  As before, press Alt+I to hear the number of indentation levels for the current line.  In indent mode, EdSharp instead says the line that begins the current block (e.g., an If statement).

As before, when Indent Mode is off, you can insert a new line of text with the same indentation as the current one by pressing Shift+Enter.  Alt+Shift+Enter is a new command that inserts such a line before the current one rather than after.  The new Align command, Alt+Shift+A, adjusts indentation of the current or selected lines so as to begin at the same level as the line above.  

The default indentation unit is now a single tab character rather then two spaces.  Cursor navigation on a line is more efficient with a tab character as the indent unit rather than multiple spaces.  If spaces are preferred, however (e.g., 2 for Ruby or 4 for Python and Perl conventions), this may be changed with the Configuration Options command, Alt+Shift+C (or use Alt+Shift+M to manually edit settings in the EdSharp.ini file).  Since the .ini format does not recognize a value consisting only of spaces, use octal notation, e.g., for two spaces, 
IndentUnit=\40\40

New commands provide convenient options for changing the current directory/default folder of EdSharp.  The Go to Folder command, Control+0, lets you change the default folder used in the next open file dialog you invoke.  You pick from a list of folders found as locations of files in either the recent or favorite set (Alt+R or Alt+L).  The Go to Special folder command, Control+Shift+0, lets you pick a special folder, e.g., My Documents, as the default.  Remember that opening or saving a file in almost any way also has the effect of changing the default folder to the one containing that file (the Save Copy command, Alt+Shift+S, is an exception that does not affect the default folder afterward).

I thank Jaffer
jaffar at ecstatico.net
for contributing C++ and PHP snippets, and helping to configure EdSharp support for programming in C++ with the MinGW compiler, available at
http://MinGW.org

To fine tune its build options, edit the batch file MinGW.bat in the Convert subfolder of the EdSharp program folder -- by default located at
C:\Program Files\EdSharp\Convert\MinGW.bat

The configuration for the PowerBASIC for Windows compiler has been updated to assume the 9.0 version.  It calls the batch file located by default at
C:\Program Files\EdSharp\Convert\pbw.bat

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
Windows Live Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
Skype:  steve1963