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[Garthy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm wondering if I could get some thoughts from people on the code/text editors that they use when coding.

I do my development under Linux, and later port to Windows. Until a few months ago I used emacs for code editing, but finally snapped from the frustration involved fighting the hideously unfriendly auto-indenter and the need to spend hours searching the web each time I needed to make a simple configuration change. I switched to Kate, but the numerous bugs and the inability to configure it to run a filter on selected text off a single keystroke is driving me crazy.

At the moment I am taking a break to test out a whole bunch of editors to see if I can find one that suits my needs. I'm pretty sure I'm not asking for much: a decent learning curve, syntax highlighting, customisable auto-indentation, multiple windows, ability to run custom filter scripts on text, configurable keyboard shortcuts, intuitive use and configuration, and runs under Linux.

I haven't found one editor that can do all of this.

I keep trying editors, and keep being disappointed. Surely it isn't that hard? Surely there is a strong text editor out there that does all this, and I'm in the dark and don't know. Maybe there is a good one in the development IDE that you use. Please enlighten me!

What does everyone use for their own coding? Does anyone use a text editor that can do these things? Are there stronger editors in Windows that I'm just not exposed to due to my using Linux primarily? If so, please let me know!

Regardless of whether my ideal editor exists, I'm quite curious as to what people use. Of those who are using a text editor upwards of eight hours a day, what's your poison? Is it something that you use just because you're used to it, or does it have some killer features you cannot live without?

[Farbs]

I use SciTE, but I haven't really looked around. Someone recommended it to me a few years ago & I never saw reason to change.

[Garthy]

SciTE's on my shortlist- haven't tried it yet, but should have done so within the next day or so. I'll bump this one up now that I know a real person is actually using it. Thanks Farbs.

I'm actually having some success feature-wise with jEdit, but damn is it ugly. Still, if it can do everything that I ask, I shouldn't really complain...

My current shortlist of editors to try: SciTE, nedit, Acme, JED, JOE, gedit, Alphatk. Each of them at least partially fits the bill according to feature lists, but it really takes a play around with the editor to come to a conclusion.

Incidentally- a good starting point is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_text_editors

Anything else that should be on this list? Please share everyone.

[Ivan]

I hate to say this to someone who's been using emacs, but vim is the best text editor that I have ever used. I use it on windows, OSX and linux and I have yet to see an editor that's more robust. It takes a little bit of time to get used to, especially if you've never used a mouseless editor before, but once you do, it will become your best friend.

[Garthy]

Hey Toastie,

Feature-wise vim seems to fit the bill, but, well, what can I say? As a former (and still current) emacs user, I still hold some biases. I had quietly dropped it off the end of the list. I feel so dirty, but I'll have to check it out now.... dammit. Seriously: Thanks for the suggestion.

[Nikica]

Notepad++ is the best way to go !!!

[Akhel]

Yup, I use Notepad++ too. I believe it has all the features you asked for, and it's very user-friendly.

But then again, I'm no real programmer, so you should always question my ability to answer this kind of question.

[Garthy]

Notepad++ certainly looks very nice. It's Windows-only though, but I can say that you've won over a convert for when I need to work in Windows. Very nice. Thankyou both for the suggestion.

I gave it a shot under Linux running Wine (http://www.winehq.org/) and it seemed nice, but had some trouble getting it to run external tools without crashing spectacularly. Unfortunately this is one of the big things for me- I've got a library of code transformation functions that I need to plug in. Notepad++ might be best left to edit jobs on Windows, where it will likely perform very well.

I gave vim a shot as promised. No doubt in time it is possible to master it, but it's still vi. I could never really get into the whole "hit a key to start inserting, hit a key to stop" thing.

SciTE reminds me of a light GUI emacs- it looks very flexible and configurable, with a hideous learning curve, terrible documentation, and some very nasty configuration files. Might not be my kettle of fish, but I can see the appeal- once you've got things figured out, no doubt its flexibility is very powerful.

I think SciTE and Notepad++ actually share the same edit component- or something like that?

Anyway, of my former shortlist I have to say that jEdit is the closest fit. It's a bit ugly though, and... well... Java. I'll be having a good play with that tomorrow regardless. Any former jEdit users who want to warn me off of it? Any other editors that people can recommend?

[Ivan]

The whole hit a key to start inserting, hit a key to stop thing is there so that you can enter in commands without taking your hands off the keyboard and is the reason for all of its virtues. It's the same in emacs from what I understand, just crazy ass  key combinations instead of single key and console commands in vim.

[Garthy]

Hey toastie,

You'll have to be more specific re emacs... every key combination is a crazy ass key combination.

Definitely pros and cons to the styles of each, I think this is why the whole emacs versus vi thing goes on. Both are powerful tools. Both are incredibly counterintuitive. I'd say that both ":" "w" enter and ctrl-x ctrl-s are pretty bizarre ways to save a file! I think it's possible to get used to get familiar enough with some of the more counterintuitive aspects of both vi and emacs to the point where it doesn't really seem that bad. This then leads to awkward situations when someone not familiar with your tool of choice says "well, that's a pretty daft way to save a file".

Anyway, as I said, pros and cons to each. The explicit text input is offputting for me, so I never really get a lot out of the rapid access to commands. This makes a vi-like editor a poor choice for me. You, on the other hand, gain enough from the rapid access that the explicit text input isn't really a problem. That makes a vi-like editor a good choice for you. To each their own, I think.

[Ivan]

Yeah totally. Use what works best for you. I am just putting it out there 

[jimmykane]

Shit, this has to be the first time I've seen emacs and vi users debating normally. Am I on the right Internet?

[Lancer-X]

For people who like graphical editors, and want something a bit more intuitive to casual learning than vim, I recommend http://cream.sourceforge.net

Otherwise, go with scite. Scite's great.

[Garthy]

jimmykane: It may seem that way, but both toastie and I are working on that single unassailable comment to unambiguously and conclusively prove to the other the innate superiority of our editor of choice. What may appear to you as an amicable discussion is in actually an epic chess-like struggle for the advancement of our chosen cause, full of strategy and deception.

In all seriousness, I'm probably not the best person to advance the cause of the church of emacs, especially since I'm looking for an editor that isn't emacs to shift to for code development. :} Having said that, I am editing this message in emacs.

Lancer-X: Another SciTE user? Have I perhaps been too hasty in dismissing it? My first impressions were not so good- is it worth digging deeper?

I have to admit that I'm worried approaching an editor with a large learning curve since (a) it's going to scare off more people, meaning a smaller userbase; and (b) it's an investment of time into something that might not end up doing what I need it to.

Cream sounds like a neat idea- I hadn't heard of it before you mentioned it. Thanks.

[Garthy]

Corpus: The screenshots of Sublime look nice- and the idea behind it is sound. It's a commercial effort (US$59), but that's not an unreasonable price to pay for a good editor. The Sublime guy (Jon) should really give some thought about putting together a feature list on his site somewhere. If the feature set is strong, perhaps also doing a little wiki work to include his editor would be good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_text_editors He's got plenty of free competition, so knowing the benefits of Sublime versus others would likely help sales.

Anyway, I think my alternate editor journey may be coming to a close. I've been using jEdit (http://www.jedit.org/) for the last day, and with a small selection of extra plugins, it has nailed every single feature I was after, and then some. It is the only text editor I have found that gets everything I mentioned. It's not perfect, it certainly has its faults: I think it needs a decent machine (it's not lightweight), the syntax highlighting and indentation isn't as configurable as I'd like, plugin addition is awful, and the GUI menus sometimes get a little confused about what you are selecting. Oh, and it isn't pretty at all. But it does everything I'm after, is very configurable, and the learning curve is low given its complexity. I never thought I'd be keen on a Java-based editor!

Well, I'll try things out for a few weeks, and see what happens. I think you need to try such things out for a while to get a true understanding of the benefits and limitations of a piece of software. Hopefully it turns out okay.

[Bad Sector]

I use Eclipse for all my code editing needs. For the rest i use gedit.

[ravuya]

I love TextMate. It has a Windows equivalent now. I think it's called E, but i could be wrong.

[idiotmeat]

At work, I use emacs for nearly 99% of my editing, with the other 1% devoted to SlickEdit, eclipse, or Kedit, depending on the language.  At home, I use eclipse for 99% of my editing purposes, and emacs the other times when I want to do something quick and dirty.

[ravuya]

Followup to my previous post: Yes, it is E.

[skaldicpoet9]

Hmm, I see that you say you have tried Kate so I assume you have tried Kwrite right? It seems like the majority of people in my Programming class are using it.

Yes, I am still using Emacs

But I think I might switch up as well...