CNC Syntax Editor: G-code editor for Windows with a free edition
CNC Syntax Editor is a Windows editor for CNC programs. It highlights standard G code (generic ISO) and Heidenhain ISO programs, renumbers blocks, shifts, scales, mirrors and rotates coordinates, and compares two programs side by side before they go to the machine. The Free Edition opens programs up to 16 KB and may be used at home and at work.
What problems can be solved with CNC Syntax Editor?
Editing a CNC program by hand in Notepad is slow and risky: one wrong coordinate or a duplicated N number can scrap a part or crash a machine. CNC Syntax Editor is made for this job. It colours commands and coordinates so that a mistyped address stands out, renumbers or removes N numbers, checks a program for duplicate line numbers, finds its X, Y and Z ranges, and changes spindle speeds and feed rates in one step. File compare marks every changed line between two versions of a program. It works out of the box: the installer adds Microsoft's WinDiff when Windows does not have it, so no plug-ins or extra downloads are needed.
It is used by CNC programmers, machinists, set-up operators and manufacturing engineers who write or correct programs by hand. There are three editions. Free Edition: programs up to 16 KB, free for personal and commercial use. Professional: no file size limit, plus find ranges, macros, the duplicate line number check and spindle speed and feed rate adjustment. Enterprise: everything in Professional plus the 3D backplotter, which draws the tool path so you can check a program before it runs. Compare the editions.
What it does not do: it is not a CAM system and does not create tool paths from a drawing, it runs on Windows only, and sending programs to a machine needs DNC Precision, which is sold separately. See how it compares with CIMCO Edit, Notepad++ and VS Code.
Getting started is easy. CNC Syntax Editor is ready!
Download the Free Edition or the full version from the download page and install it. Open an existing NC program with File → Open, or start a new one with File → New. Set the colours for your control in the options dialog, and press F1 at any time to open the help. To look at a program before you install anything, open it in the free online G-code viewer.
- Bryce A.:
«On the one hand, I'm really happy; this is just the sort of application I have been looking for ever since I got a new computer and was not able to transfer CodeShark (and couldn't find it). It does a lot more than Code Shark did too. So I'm really happy about that. I'm also impressed by your prompt and effective tech support.»
Syntax highlighting for ISO G code and Heidenhain ISO. Commands, coordinates and comments are coloured and split into groups, so a mistyped address stands out. The colour schemes are customizable.
Editing with undo and redo. Undo and redo the last 1,024 changes. Menus, toolbar and shortcut keys follow Microsoft® Word, so the editor is easy to learn. Edit several programs at once and copy and paste between them.
Large programs. Professional and Enterprise have no file size limit and handle programs of up to 2 GB. The Free Edition opens programs up to 16 KB.
File compare. Compare two NC programs side by side; every changed line is marked. It works out of the box: the installer adds Microsoft's WinDiff when Windows does not have it, so no plug-ins or downloads are needed.
Line numbering and renumbering. Add, remove or renumber N numbers (format Nnnnn) in the whole program or in a range of lines, and check a program for duplicate line numbers (Professional and Enterprise).
Shift, scale, mirror and rotate. Add to, subtract from, scale or mirror the values of a selected axis (address) in part of a program or in the whole file, or rotate coordinates.
Exchange axes. Swap the values of one coordinate address with another.
XYZ ranges, spindle speed and feed rate. Find the minimum and maximum X, Y and Z values of a program, and raise or lower spindle speeds and feed rates in one step (Professional and Enterprise).
Code repository. Keep reusable blocks, templates and notes for your machines and insert them into a program with one click. Unlimited items in Professional and Enterprise, four in the Free Edition.
Add and remove spaces. Insert spaces to make a program easier to read, or remove them to make the file smaller.
3D backplotter (Enterprise). A G-code simulator inside the editor: draws the tool path while the source code scrolls, with play, step, breakpoints and speed control, so you can check a program graphically before it runs on the machine.
Send programs to a machine. Send a program to a CNC machine through DNC Precision, which is sold separately. The transfer runs in the background while you keep working.
Online help. Press F1 at any time to open the help.
Three editions. Free Edition (programs up to 16 KB, free for personal and commercial use), Professional and Enterprise (no size limit; Enterprise adds the 3D backplotter). Compare the editions.