Boxer editor 14 released - paid upgrade, $29.00 - text wrap at last

[rjbull]

Boxer Software have just released version 14 of their Boxer editor.  It's a paid upgrade; $29.00 to existing users (if I read it correctly, of any Boxer Software product, not just the editor) or the full price of $59.99 otherwise.

... we're pleased to announce Boxer 14, which adds dozens of new features to the editor you already use and enjoy:

VISUAL WRAP - also known as word wrap - is a passive display mode that wraps long lines to the window width, or to another user-defined margin. This makes it easier to work with files that have just one newline at the end of each paragraph.  The new Soften Line Enders command can be applied to a text file which has unwanted line enders, thereby making the file "flowable" and eligible for Visual Wrap. The Harden Line Enders command does the opposite: it converts soft line enders to hard line enders, effectively "locking" the current on-screen formatting into the file.

USER-DEFINED TOOLBAR ICONS - it's now possible to assign user-defined icons in BMP or ICO format to any of the commands that reside on the toolbar.  A collection of 64 sample icons is provided, and you're free to use others you can find or create.  Some users may wish to assign distinct icons to any User Tools or Macros they've placed on the toolbar, which would otherwise share the same icon.

XML FORMATTING - This new feature can be used to apply and remove formatting from XHTML and other XML-compliant text files. If you've ever opened an XML file and seen one long, flowing line extend off the right edge of the screen, you'll appreciate this new feature.  Format XML adds newlines and indentation intelligently to any XML-compliant file to create a neatly formatted document. Options are provided to control the amount of indent, whether to indent with spaces or tabs, when and whether text and tags should be wrapped, when to suppress newlines, and other formatting nuances.

EFFICIENT LINE NUMBER DISPLAY - Boxer will display its on-screen line numbers using the minimum number of columns possible, expanding and contracting the line number margin automatically if the file's line count grows or shrinks.

... and many more.  See the full list here:

  http://www.boxersoftware.com/changes14.htm

Please note that Boxer 14 is fully compatible with Windows 7.

I abandoned Boxer mainly because it didn't have text wrap.  $29.00 is quite a lot to pay to get it.  It's a powerful editor, of course, but I'm not a power user 

[AndyM]

$29.00 is quite a lot to pay to get it

I've been using Boxer for a long time.  $29 (half-price) is an excellent price for an upgrade.

[f0dder]

Heh wtf, boxer hasn't had wordwrap until now? O_o

[cyberdiva]

I think what's being described must somehow be different from wordwrap.  I used Boxer for many years before switching to UltraEdit, and I'm 100% sure that Boxer had wordwrap then.  I wouldn't have been able to tolerate a text editor without that very basic feature.

[tranglos]

I think what's being described must somehow be different from wordwrap.  I used Boxer for many years before switching to UltraEdit, and I'm 100% sure that Boxer had wordwrap then.  I wouldn't have been able to tolerate a text editor without that very basic feature.

The feature is described as new in the quoted part of rjbull's OP, and indeed it seems to be plain old word-wrap. Could it be that Boxer only did hard-wrapping before, i.e. inserted linebreak characters where lines wrapped? (That would break a lot of file formats, and in the scary old days there used to be editors that did that.)

[allen]

As cyberdiva mentioned,  until now, boxer did not have on screen word wrap. You could wrap and unwrap it but it was adding/removing hard breaks.

The XML formatting/unformatting works great, too . . . but for the most part, Boxer 14 is a lot of nice, subtle enhancements to the real core of the product--text handling.  Too soon to even reasonably mention it, but it'll be interesting to see what, if anything, David can come up with for Boxer 15.  Boxer does it all -- more than enough to make one suspect bloat but it's rock solid/stable and < 7 megs.

[Tuxman]

Hmm, still rather expensive.

[AndyM]

Hmm, still rather expensive.

compared to NotePad, yes. not worth it if you don't need it.

To those of us who use the tool and have had years of experience with the product and the company, a $29 upgrade price is a pittance.

[rjbull]

$29 upgrade price is a pittance.

It's worth adding - with a nod to Allen's comment about rock-solid - that Boxer's updates are rare, so not unreasonable to charge.  It's then a case of whether it's worth it to any particular user.

[Darwin]

I'd just add that rjbull's original comment about the cost of the upgrade to Boxer Editor 14 seemed to me to be more along the line that for him "$29 is a lot of money to pay to get a single feature", and not that it's an outrageous sum for an upgrade. He's no longer using it and I presume has found an alternative with which he is happy.

[rjbull]

I'd just add that rjbull's original comment about the cost of the upgrade to Boxer Editor 14 seemed to me to be more along the line that for him "$29 is a lot of money to pay to get a single feature", and not that it's an outrageous sum for an upgrade. He's no longer using it and I presume has found an alternative with which he is happy.

Happy with a piece of software?  With just ONE piece of software?  Is this the real Darwin speaking?  As in, "My name is Mike and I am a software addict?" 

You're more or less right, though.  Boxer was the first editor I registered - Bits du Jour has a lot to answer for - and if it had had that one feature, I might not have looked elsewhere.  Of course, it's more fun to be...  heterodox, but now I no longer have an income, I have to be a bit more careful about purchases.  At least I ought to be, but software still seems to be my most prolific discretionary purchase 

Obviously I'd have preferred the upgrade to be free, especially (if memory serves) because the Boxer license only allows you one installation, i.e. either hard disk or portable, not both.  However, I agree that $29 isn't especially steep for a sound product that is rarely upgraded, so you don't need (if "need" you do) to pay to upgrade very often.

[Darwin]

Bits du Jour has a lot to answer for

[rjbull]

@Darwin:  I thought afterwards that my teasing was excessive, so thanks for taking it in good part.  After all, it was like the pot calling the kettle black! 

If anyone upgrades to Boxer 14, please will they report their views on it?

I recall another couple of things about Boxer 13.  I didn't much like its bookmarking system.  It's one of the ones which give you ten numbered bookmarks.  Boxer can edit multiple files, those bookmarks could be spread out between them, and a clever little menu showed you where they all were, but I thought just ten was stingy for an editor of Boxer's calibre.  Worse, I didn't like having to remember what the numbers meant.  NoteTab Pro, the editor I'm using most at the moment, is another with just ten numbered bookmarks.  I prefer the system used by numerous other editors, e.g. Notepad++ and Crimson Editor, where you can (apparently) have as many as you like, toggled on and off by a hotkey, usually Ctrl-F2.  Another hotkey, usually F2, jumps between bookmarks in a circular queue.  HippoEdit, if I remember correctly, uses both systems at once.

The other thing about Boxer 13 it uses its own File Open dialogue.  It's much better than Windows standard one, but probably isn't going to be compatible with things like FileBox eXtender.  I think it was developed before they were.  It's an interesting feature, but it's a pity if it isn't compatible.

[cranioscopical]

If anyone upgrades to Boxer 14, please will they report their views on it?

I upgraded but I don't think I was using most of its features and so didn't notice a heck of a difference. It's not my main editor.
I'd be happy to try to answer any specific questions that you have about 14.

[rjbull]

cranioscopical, thanks for the offer: please, is the bookmark system the same as before?

[cranioscopical]

is the bookmark system the same as before?

Yes, as far as I can see 

[attach]

[rjbull]

@cranioscopical:  Thanks for the check.  I still think only ten bookmarks is very limited for an editor like Boxer, even if common sense tells me that one is most probably in trouble if using that many.

[cranioscopical]

I still think only ten bookmarks is very limited for an editor like Boxer

I can't disagree with you.
It's always a little disappointing when an update fails to address something for which you've been hoping.

[Innuendo]

Boxer has always been a paradox. While supporting very advanced features that no other editor has there's always been a few basic features that every other editor has that Boxer lacks.

I think the first version of Boxer I ever used was v6 or v7.

[rjbull]

I actually asked for text wrap in the Boxer Yahoo! Group.  It looks like I didn't ask about bookmarks.  I feel slightly "guilty" at not upgrading when the author has added a feature I wanted, but time has moved on, my requirements have changed, I have other editors now, and my income has disappeared.  If he had added more bookmarks, I'd have been more tempted, perhaps.  But as things are, I'm in a save money mode.  Well... more accurately, I've already spent enough on software this week... 

[cyberdiva]

I think a number of years ago I did ask for bookmarks, back before Boxer offered them at all.  Boxer was my primary text editor, but I eventually switched to UltraEdit because it offered bookmarks (as far as I know, they're unlimited) and better unicode support than Boxer did.  I think Boxer eventually added unicode support, but by then I was happily using UltraEdit.

It used to be that Boxer was substantially more expensive than UltraEdit.  Over time, though, UltraEdit has become more expensive and perhaps Boxer has dropped its price a bit.  At any rate, i think the two are now similarly priced both for first purchase and for updates.

[rjbull]

As far as I can see, Boxer and UE are both good editors, and both way more than I need.  I'm just sorry that Boxer's lack ot text wrap made me abandon it.  If that feature had been present I might not have looked elsewhere at all, unless or until the limitation on bookmarks became too important.

I'd have to add, though, that for typing personal letters, essays or the like, I still much prefer my WordStar-style DOS text editor, VDE.  WordStar-style operation is still the best way to move chunks of text around, when your text is writing rather than computer-related.