EXCLUSIVE: New Version Of Windows Live Writer, with Screenshots
I got my hand on a recent internal build of Windows Live Writer, and I’m happy to bring you guys screenshots and info. First off, the new features/changes:
- Updated to the Windows Live look and feel, including the Live flair, hidden File menu, and overall more polished look
- Windows Live “Me” blog switching control
- Inline Spell Checking
- Post Synchronization / Roundtrip Post Editing
- Paste Special
- Table Editing
- Extended Entry Support (on blogs that have this feature)
- SharePoint Support
- Preferences for Window Behavior
- Insert Image Improvements: UI consolidation, easier linking to web images.
- Insert Hyperlink Improvements: Link to Previous Posts, Link Glossary
- WYSIWYG Template Robustness: No temporary post on many blogs, including WordPress
Now for the screenshots, which will run through most of the new features:
First off, the new interface:
Note the blue flair design seen on everything Windows Live, the lack of the File/Edit/… menu, and the new Insert Table and Insert Tags links in the Sidebar and new toolbar buttons. The View button replaces the old button that listed the current view status, and Tools takes you to preferences or spell checking. The paintbrush icon is to customize the window color, and that folder icon reveals the File Menu (hitting ALT does it, too).
Here are the other interface elements (File menu and publishing options) expanded:
Here you have the insert image dialog, which has a tab for inserting an image from the web, including previewing it, seeing the dimensions, and setting link options:
The tag editing UI:
Inserting a Windows Live Map into posts (you can even set and customize pushpins!):
Here’s what the map looks like in Writer:
And here’s the map I created:
The Split Post button, which uses a blog’s “More” or “extended entry” feature:
The category picker:
It’s been moved to the bottom with the other publishing tools (including a way to set the publish date without opening the entire publish pane). It doesn’t do categories the way WordPress does (where a category can be nested underneath another one), it is improved.
The interface in black, thanks to the color picker:
I wish Windows Live software would speak to each other, and all use the same colors I choose, but at least they let me choose it in the first place, which is nice.
I like the new blog picker button, which includes the logo for your blogging service:
Also, I like switching between post drafts easily:
It’s not quite tabs, but it works well.
Inline spell checking:
And tons of options for tables:
And finally, the image editing options:
Verdict: They’ve gone and taken what might be the best blog editing tool out there and made it better. It looks better, has a few good new features, works better connecting to your blog (no more Temporary Post For Style Detection), has an even easier and better organized interface. Great work!
I don’t know when this will be available, or if the next version you see is a somewhat different later build, but it should be great either way.
This entire post was written in the new version of Windows Live Writer.
I want! Nice review.
Comment by Bob | February 28, 2007
Nathan just a FYI, this build was first shown at the beginning of February at http://www.live-writer.de/
Comment by Chris Overd | February 28, 2007
[…] InsideMicrosoft, אחד הבלוגים החביבים עליי, מפרסם היום פרטים על הגרסא החדשה של כלי עריכת הבלוגים של MS (גם אתם שונאים את כל כתבי הטכנולוגיה שמתמשים בביטוי ”הענק מרדמונד“? בכלל, כל ביטויי ”הענק מ…“ הם כל כך 2001. שגם זה, להגיד על משהו שהוא ”כל כך xxx“ זה כל כך 2003). בשורה התחתונה החברים טוענים שהכלי הכי טוב בשוק לכתיבת פוסטים נהיה הרבה יותר טוב. אז אין לי את הגרסא שלהם יש, אבל ננסה לעשות השוואה בכל זאת. הנה הקריטריונים: […]
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[…] There’s now a new version of Windows Live Writer being developed and the Inside Microsoft blog got their hands on a copy of it and played with it a bit. Verdict: They’ve gone and taken what might be the best blog editing tool out there and made it better. It looks better, has a few good new features, works better connecting to your blog (no more Temporary Post For Style Detection), has an even easier and better organized interface. Great work! […]
Pingback by Microsoft Weblog » New Version of Windows Live Writer | February 28, 2007
Looks like a great update to the software. Any ideas when it will be available for public download?
Comment by Jason | February 28, 2007
[…] WLW并没有死，而且它的新版本应该不久就快出现了，因为像我一样的用户们等不急了，因为这篇新版的截图及功能说明日志也已经有一个多月了。 […]
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为什么还没有提供下载
Comment by hookle | April 30, 2007
[…] 05月01日消息：你可能记得3月刚开始的时候，Nathan Weinberg发布了一篇泄漏Windows Live Writer内部版本截图的文章。自从那时开始，再也没有任何的新消息透露。澳大利亚MSDN博客 […]
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Look very good! It is possible add Polish spell check?
Comment by Robert Stuczynski (Noise) | May 4, 2007
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[…] much(Windows Live Writer rocks as well!). Oh, and btw, they’re teasing us with a lot of yummy screenshots, but holding back for some reason they won’t […]
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Is anyone else wondering what to do with that big search box at the top?????
Comment by Ioannus de Verani | May 23, 2007
Who can give us a weblink to download this new edition.Who can share with us. Hope the new edition will give us many surprises and available as soon as possible,we are waiting so long time
Comment by Nimrod_Yuan | May 29, 2007
[…] we get the first view of the new UI, and if you haven’t seen any of the previous screenshots (here, here), the new UI is quite different to the original […]
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