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Top Menu

The Top Menu is an essential part of the PowerEdit interface. It allows users to control all major functionalities of the editor through a series of well-organized options.

Most of these options have keyboard shortcuts assigned for quicker access and efficiency.

Note: In a future update, PowerEdit will include customizable shortcut mappings, allowing users to remap editor shortcuts as they prefer.

File Menu

The File menu contains the most important options for managing files and projects within PowerEdit. This menu gives you control over creating, opening, and saving files, as well as managing your workspace.

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Each menu option has a specific purpose and is organized into the following categories:

  • New Text File (Ctrl+N)
    Creates a blank text file with no extension.

  • New File (Ctrl+Alt+N)
    Creates a new file with a programming-related extension.

    Note: This option ensures that syntax highlighting is applied automatically based on the file extension.

  • New Window (Ctrl+Shift+W)
    Opens a fresh instance of the editor.

    ⚠️ Warning: This will close the current project, discard unsaved changes, and reset open tabs, the file explorer, and the console. Be sure to save your work before using this option.

  • Open File (Ctrl+O)
    Opens an existing file in a new tab.

  • Open Folder (Ctrl+Shift+O)
    Opens a folder and displays its structure in the file explorer.

    Note: This will reset the file explorer and reopen it at the selected path.

  • Save (Ctrl+S)
    Saves the current file.

  • Save As (Ctrl+Shift+S)
    Saves the current file under a new name or in a different location.

  • Close Current Tab (Ctrl+W)
    Closes the currently selected tab.

    Note: Only the active tab will be closed; other tabs remain open.

  • Exit
    Closes the application.

Edit Menu

The Edit menu provides essential tools for modifying content within the editor. Although most of these options are commonly used via their keyboard shortcuts, they are also accessible through the top menu.

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These are standard editing commands found in most code editors:

  • Undo (Ctrl+Z)
    Reverts the last change made in the editor.

  • Redo (Ctrl+Y)
    Re-applies the last undone action.

  • Cut (Ctrl+X)
    Removes the selected text and copies it to the clipboard.

  • Copy (Ctrl+C)
    Copies the selected text to the clipboard.

  • Paste (Ctrl+V)
    Inserts the content from the clipboard at the current cursor position.

  • Select All (Ctrl+A)
    Selects all text in the current document.

These shortcuts follow the classic behavior found in most operating systems and editors.

View Menu

The View menu provides options to show, hide, or manage some of the editor's key interface elements. These options allow users to toggle visibility and control the behavior of various widgets such as the file explorer and the integrated console.

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  • Toggle File Explorer (Ctrl+Shift+E)
    Shows or hides the file explorer panel on the left side of the editor.

  • Toggle Console (Ctrl+Shift+C)
    Shows or hides the integrated terminal at the bottom of the interface.

  • Restart Console
    Restarts the integrated terminal.

    Note: The console will restart in the current project’s root directory. If no project is open, it will default to the user's Documents folder.

Project Menu

Note: The Project menu currently has limited functionality, but here is a full explanation of its use.

The Project menu contains a single key option: selecting the root folder (Ctrl+Shift+R) of your project. This root directory becomes the reference point for several core components of PowerEdit:

  • The integrated console will operate from this directory.
  • The file explorer will open and list contents starting from this path.
  • The Live Preview system will use this root as the base for file indexing and rendering.
    → Learn more about Live Preview

Selecting the root folder helps maintain a unified project context across all tools inside the editor.

Highlight Menu

The Highlight menu allows you to manually set the syntax highlighting for the currently active tab.

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Its main purpose is to assign the appropriate syntax rules to a file, especially when the file does not have a recognized extension or when automatic detection is not desired.

Only supported file types will be available in this menu. These types are determined by their extensions or by definitions included via .extend files.

→ Learn more about .extend files and custom syntax definitions

Themes Menu

The Themes menu allows you to select and manage the themes installed in the themes folder of the application. This includes both the default themes and any custom themes you have added.

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  • Select a Theme
    All themes currently located in the themes directory will be automatically recognized and displayed in the menu. You can switch between them instantly.

  • Open Theme Configuration
    Opens the selected theme file for editing, allowing you to customize its colors, styles, and layout.

  • Edit .extend Files
    This option allows you to open and modify installed .extend files, which define additional syntax rules for new languages or tags.

The system will automatically detect .extend files placed inside the program’s extend directory.

To learn how to create your own .theme and .extend files, refer to the following pages:
→ How to Create Custom Themes
→ Creating and Using .extend Syntax Files

Help Menu

The Help menu provides quick access to useful information and integrated tools for users.

  • About PowerEdit
    Displays information about the current version of the editor, authorship, and license.

  • Download Source Code
    Offers a fast and intuitive way to download the current project or source files directly from within the editor.

→ Learn more about how source code download works