Although WinEdt can be used for any text editing purposes, it’s more oriented towards creating and compiling LaTeX files, which allows creating documents with a high typographic quality, as that needed for scientific publications. Moreover, the application can be used as an integrated development environment for some compilers and typesetting systems. In this regard, the tool supports such document types as ASCII, ANSI, Data, WinEdt, HTML, TeX, BibTeX, Metapost document, and NSIS script.
The program's interface is very straightforward as all of its features can be accessed from the menu. Probably because there’s no intention of making this editor popular among regular users, the program has a “serious” (unattractive) look, more likable by scientists and programmers. The editor is full of features and getting to know how to use all of them may certainly take some time. Fortunately, there’s a configuration wizard to help you adapt the tool to your specific needs. Additionally, there’s excellent accompanying documentation on how to use it; and not only that, you can get more help on specific topics at the program´s community site.
WinEdt has various built-in tools to help you write correctly. These include Thesaurus, spell checking and abbreviations. Although English is installed as the default language, it’s possible to download and install other dictionaries, which are also available at the community site. Besides, it comes with multiple features specifically intended for writing code, such as code folding, syntax highlighting, and automatic completion. Likewise, the editor supports various code standards, as Unicode and UTF8. It’s also good that the program allows recording macros as a way to automate repetitive tasks.
In general, WinEdt is a complete editor that can be integrated with a TeX system without problems. I wouldn’t recommend this application for general-purpose editing, even when it can be used for that. However, it can be a great help for code editing.
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