textpad 9 v Textpad 8

[BrianAbbott]

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere - I have searched but can't find the answer.

Assuming I don't have an ARM processor on my machine, is there any reason to move from v8 to v9 ?

[AmigoJack]

That's not the only addition. I've filtered the release notes to all enhancements of v9 updates and underlined those which cannot be found in v8 updates (cannot verify, still use 8.4.2):

• TextPad 9.7.0 (January 17, 2025)
  • Added a configuration option to make File Explorer open files in new instances of TextPad.
  • The Quick Open command now expands environment variables such as %APPDATA%, and its dialog box is resizable.
  • The folder used for automatic saves is now the same as the one specified for backups.
  • When TextPad 9 is run as administrator, the user account control shield is displayed on the statusbar.
• TextPad 9.6.2 (December 4, 2024)
  • A native build of TextPad 9 is now available for ARM64 processors.
• TextPad 9.6.0 (November 2, 2024)
  • A “Duplicate” command on the Edit menu. It duplicates either the current line or the selected text.
  • The undo command now restores the selection.
  • The “EditUnicode” command (Alt+X) now converts the hexadecimal digits in the selection, or to the left of the insert position, to the corresponding Unicode character, and vice versa.
  • The browse button on the Quick Open dialog box (Ctrl+Shift+O) now invokes a folder browser instead of a file browser.
  • The toolbar icon image editor now supports 32 bits per pixel transparency. (Version 9 only.)
• TextPad 9.5.0 (June 9, 2024)
  • More themes are available for customizing the appearance of the user interface.
  • Scripts in languages such as Python, PHP and awk can now be used to edit documents. For more information, see "HOWTOs" in the forum.
• TextPad 9.4.0 (February 4, 2024)
  • Added a command to the Configure menu to save the configuration.
  • Added a command to compare files to the context menu of the document selector.
  • The line and column numbers of the insert position can be displayed by assigning a keyboard shortcut to the command Edit:CaretPosition.
  • If TextPad is running when Windows Update reboots the computer, its files are automatically reopened after startup.
  • New documents which have not been saved to files are saved in the open workspace.
  • Implemented a command line option to open files in the first instance of TextPad using a '-1' parameter.
  • New installations are initialised to backup every 10 minutes.
• TextPad 9.3.0 (August 1, 2023)
  • The options to display full paths on the document selector and document tabs are now independent.
  • A context menu command to save the documents selected on the Document Selector.
  • A context menu command to move documents to a new instance.
  • Added a button to the Spelling Preferences dialog box for adding new languages.
  • Prompt to save a new shortcut that has not been assigned to a command, when closing Keyboard Preferences.
  • Cache .editorconfig files, to speed up processing on network filesystems.
  • Optimise the number of times a file is checked for external updates, to reduce delays on network filesystems.
• TextPad 9.2.0 (April 2, 2023)
  • SVG icons can be used for custom toolbar buttons. This option is selectable on Configure » Preferences » View.
  • A bold font is used to emphasise the active document tab.
  • The History List dialog box is now resizable.
• TextPad 9.1.0 (February 27, 2023)
  • An optional regular expression builder for the Find and Replace commands. Select this on Configure » Preferences » Editor.
  • A user interface to manage history lists. See the Configure menu.
  • An option to display a Windows navigator when switching between documents with Ctrl+tab. Select this on Configure » Preferences » View.
  • An option to use the Windows standard file open dialogs for users who require more functionality than is available from the themed ones. Select this on Configure » Preferences » File.
• TextPad 9.0.0 (January 16, 2023)
  • The user interface has an optional theme with a dark background
  • The spell checker uses the dictionaries for languages installed in Windows.
  • When run as administrator, Preference options has a page for setting system policies.

[bbadmin]

As AmigoJack has highlighted, the differences between version 8 and 9 are mostly cosmetic, but only TextPad 8 is available in a 32-bit edition and runs on Windows 7.

[BrianAbbott]

Thanks for that info both

[edwardBe]

Is there a way in either version to increase the font size within a dialog box like the "Replace" dialog box? The fonts of the dropdowns are too small for me to see without a physical magnifying glass or the Windows magnifier which is cumbersome. Larger or even bold fonts would help a lot.
My apologies if this already exists and I didn't find it.
Thanks!

[bbadmin]

Which release do you have? The current ones use a fixed width font in the Find/Replace dialog boxes which is easier to read.

[AmigoJack]

Instead of having a big desktop resolution and adjusting every program on its own to have bigger fonts, consider increasing the overall text size of Windows. Or you could just lower your desktop resolution, which effectively also displays everything bigger.