File|Open

The File|Open command shows an open file common dialog. It allows you to open one or more files from the folder of your choice. To select more than one file, hold down the Shift or Control key on the keyboard while you click with the mouse. You can configure the initial folder of the open dialog in the Open Files Preferences.

You can tick the read-only checkbox to force EditPad to open the file in read-only mode, regardless of whether the file is writable or not. This can be useful to make sure you don’t accidentally overwrite the file. It also tells EditPad not to try to open the file for writing.

If the active file is untitled and empty, it is replaced by the file you open. This ensures EditPad does not get cluttered with empty tabs.

If you open a single file that is already open, EditPad simply switches to the copy that is already open, as if you had clicked on its tab rather than attempting to open it again. If that file is open in another project, EditPad switches to that project and to the file. If you open multiple files that are all open in the same project, EditPad switches to that project and to one of the files you wanted to open.

If you open multiple files and some, but not all, of them are open in projects other than the active one, EditPad moves all the files into the active project. If some of the files were open in unmanaged projects, those files are removed from those projects. If some of the files were open in managed projects, those files are closed in those projects, but remain part of the other projects.

If the active project is a managed, the File|Open command does not add the files to the project. The files show up under the project’s tab as outside files. To make the files part of a managed project, either use Project|Add to Project instead of File|Open, or use Project|Add Outside Files after using File|Open.

Recently Closed Files

The File|Open command has a submenu that lists recently closed files. Opening a file removes it from the File|Open submenu. Closing a file adds it to the top of the File|Open submenu. Selecting the file in that submenu opens it again.

Only files that were opened individually are added to the menu when they are closed. That includes files opened by double-clicking on them in Windows Explorer or by dragging and dropping them onto EditPad. Files that are opened in bulk such as by opening a project or opening a folder are not added to the File|Open menu when you close them. The Project|Open Project and Project|Open Folder commands have their own submenus for reopening projects and folders. Whether you close files one by one or all at the same time does not matter. How the file was opened determines whether it is added to the File|Open submenu.

At the bottom of the submenu, you will see the “Remove Obsolete Files” and “Remove All Files” items. The former removes all files that no longer exist from the list of recently closed files. The latter clears the list of recently closed files entirely.

Though the menu can display only 16 files, EditPad Pro actually remembers the last 100 files. To access the complete list, select the Maintain List item at the bottom. This item is only available in EditPad Pro.

When working with projects in EditPad Pro, the Project|Add to Project has its own submenu with recently closed files. It works just like the File|Open submenu, except that it remembers the last 100 files that were closed in that project only. If you haven’t worked with a project for a while, the Project|Add to Project submenu may still list closed files that have already dropped off the File|Open submenu.

Maintain List

(available in EditPad Pro only)

Though the File|Open submenu can display only 16 files, EditPad Pro actually remembers the last 100 files you closed. To access the complete list, select the Maintain List item at the bottom. This item is only available in EditPad Pro.

To open many files again at once, select all of them and click the Open button. Clicking the Open button does not close the Maintain List dialog. You can select files and click the Open button repeatedly to open multiple sets of files.

To remove files from the history, select them and click the Remove button. This will only remove files from the list. It will not delete any files. If you want to remove all files that no longer exist, you can do so by selecting “Remove Obsolete Files” in the File|Open submenu itself, rather than selecting “Maintain List” to open the above dialog.

Using the Up and Down buttons, you can change the order of the files in the history list. Press the Control key on the keyboard while clicking the Up or Down button to move a file all the way to the top or the bottom. If you want an item to be visible directly in the File|Open submenu, move it up until it is among the first 16 files in the list.

See Also

File menu
File|Tail
File|Favorites
Read-Only Files
Project|Open Project
Project|Add to Project