Best tab-based freeware text editor?

  • Thread starter Thread starter S Yanoff
  • Start date Start date
S

S Yanoff

Opinions, anyone?
I've been using ConText and it's good but I've seen a couple of issues,
especially when it tries to open a file currently being written to (such
as a log file).

Thanks,
-Scott
 
Opinions, anyone?
I've been using ConText and it's good but I've seen a couple of
issues, especially when it tries to open a file currently being
written to (such as a log file).
Click to expand...
Depends on what you want to use it for. Notetab lite is the best
overall and editpad lite is the quickest.
 
S Yanoff <[email protected]> wrote:
Click to expand...
Opinions, anyone?
I've been using ConText and it's good but I've seen a couple of issues,
especially when it tries to open a file currently being written to (such
as a log file).
Click to expand...

I think opening a file that is being written to is going to be a
problem for any editor. It's possible to test to see if the file is
locked before opening it. I haven't come across that situation before
I guess.

http://www.woundedmoon.org/PL/TextEditorReview.php

Here are some basics about many editors, size, registry entries, max
file size, etc.

I prefer CryptEdit as my standard editor. It supports rich text and
syntax highlighting, which most files I work with have.

Some of the other editors listed support straight ascii text and are
smaller with no registry entries. Some of these work on files up to
100 megs.
 
S Yanoff said:
I've been using ConText and it's good but I've seen a couple of issues,
especially when it tries to open a file currently being written to (such
as a log file).
Click to expand...

Some editors make a point to handle external changing. Generally it's by
prompting you, using a message such as, "An outside program has modified
the file; do you wish to reload?"

As to automatically reloading, without prompt, on detection of external
change, as a preferences setting, that further refinement of the feature
/might/ be available in a few editors(...)

Yet. I'm taking about handling an already opened file, and then dealing
with its modification from external program. While your message, it speaks
instead of that inital moment of File>Open. So are we speaking of two
different subjects? And are you bringing up a situation that I suppose
would get called file-locking?

If so, then I am not sure how to test. The only time I remember coming
across file-locking (?), it's been in one of the httrack log files, and
there I got a big clue because the file got temporarily named with the
extension, .locked.

The log files where you're finding a problem, are any of them the same
as some of the rest of us might have on our systems?
 
benny said:
30 keys added to the registry!
Click to expand...
That's the 2.1 version (mainly the syntax highlighting settings). The 3.x
version will (when it's finished) store everything in ini-files.
And where is wordwrap?
Click to expand...
Hey, did *I* write that thing?? The OP didn't ask for wordwrap! At first,
syn is an editor for programming languages. Wordwrap is a problem for _all_
editors that use the open source synedit component as editing engine.

He could also stay with context and it's critical (e.g. the legendary file
deletion) bugs which weren't fixed for month...

HTH,
Jörg

BTW: You can enable wordwrap here: Edit->Advanced->Format Lines...
 
Jörg Schneider said:
Wordwrap is a problem for _all_ editors that use the open source
synedit component as editing engine.
Click to expand...
BTW: You can enable wordwrap here: Edit->Advanced->Format Lines...
Click to expand...

Sounded good, but then I checked that command. It inserts hard breaks.
That which can be very important to avoid. Wordwrap, means for us being
able to see all the text on screen when needed (without scrolling off
into the horizon for a million miles).

Following is a list of editors where I didn't see wordwrap available. If
any one is using any of these, and has found that a wrap setting is in
fact available, very much appreciate the info. On occasion such a thing
is in an advanced options dialog, eg setting for filetypes, and I didn't
spend that kind of time. (Or even a non-persistent toggle, whether that's
at least available.)

?LACKING WORDWRAP?

aedix
ariesoft winsyntax
ar editor 2k
bonfire studio
ccy text editor
context (wrap promised in coming release)
credit
editman
gridinsoft notepad
hapedit
medit, multi script editor
poweredit
programmer's notepad (wordwrap not persistent)
relo
scriptpad
sitevision
sushi
synnote
syn v3
tinn
 
scriptpad

That slipped by, should not have been in the list. It commits sleazy
crimes whenever you run it -- and needs to be avoided. (To be brief,
I'll mention just the worst of its acts. Any time launched, it copies
its 1.2mb executable into your system directory and names it notepad.
In order to seize your notepad's territory.)
 
I am the original poster. Thanks for all the recommendations.

So far, Syn looks to be the most promising, althought Notespad was nice,
too.

I've updated my wish list in hopes that this might find me something
with everything I want. (Notespad had wordwrap but no line numbering,
Syn had line numbering but no word wrap).

Must have:
- Tabs / Multiple files. Would be nice if there was a separate close
button for each file/tab.
- Word wrap
- Line numbering
- Ability to read "open" files (such as log files)
- Search and Replace

Would really like to have:
- Open recent files

Nice to have, but not required:
- Bracket/brace matching
- Syntax Highlighting
- Ability to change key mappings

So far, Syn's the leading candidate.
Thanks for your responses so far, I think they've been helpful to
others, too.

-Scott
 
S said:
Opinions, anyone?
I've been using ConText and it's good but I've seen a couple of
issues, especially when it tries to open a file currently being
written to (such as a log file).

Thanks,
-Scott
Click to expand...

WordTabs v 3.30 -- Tabbed text editor with spell checker etc... Search
newsgroup for recent posts, links and installation info. Various posts on
Wordtabs during past week.

EditPad Classic or EditPad Lite - Also pretty good but does not have a
spell checker in free version.

You never told us what you want to use the editor for? Programming?
Creating simple notes? etc

Many people prefer different text editors for different applications....

For notes, I prefer Wordtabs. For programming, SciTe or Context...

Rob
 
S Yanoff <[email protected]> wrote:
Click to expand...
I am the original poster. Thanks for all the recommendations.
Click to expand...
So far, Syn looks to be the most promising, althought Notespad was nice,
too.
Click to expand...
I've updated my wish list in hopes that this might find me something
with everything I want. (Notespad had wordwrap but no line numbering,
Syn had line numbering but no word wrap).
Click to expand...
Must have:
- Tabs / Multiple files. Would be nice if there was a separate close
button for each file/tab.
- Word wrap
- Line numbering
- Ability to read "open" files (such as log files)
- Search and Replace
Click to expand...
Would really like to have:
- Open recent files
Click to expand...
Nice to have, but not required:
- Bracket/brace matching
- Syntax Highlighting
- Ability to change key mappings
Click to expand...
So far, Syn's the leading candidate.
Thanks for your responses so far, I think they've been helpful to
others, too.
Click to expand...

You'll probably want to check out PSPad:

http://www.pspad.com/index_en.html

Very nice! No install!!
 
You'll probably want to check out PSPad:
http://www.pspad.com/index_en.html
Click to expand...

Crimson Editor was leading the pack but this one jumps ahead because it
has everything Crimson Editor has plus these things that I really like:
- Integration with the right-click context menu for a file.
- HTML tidying
- CSS TopStyle integration

Impressive, thanks!
-Scott
 
S Yanoff said:
Must have:
- Tabs / Multiple files. Would be nice if there was a separate close
button for each file/tab.
- Word wrap
- Line numbering
- Ability to read "open" files (such as log files)
- Search and Replace

Would really like to have:
- Open recent files

Nice to have, but not required:
- Bracket/brace matching
- Syntax Highlighting
- Ability to change key mappings
Click to expand...

SciTE has al this (except for the close button per tab) and lots more.

It has no GUI for most settings but it has links to all the config files in
the menus, which makes it easy to edit them...

(see my other reply for URL)
 
JanC said:
SciTE
<http://scintilla.sourceforge.net/SciTE.html>
Click to expand...

I have never seen such a tiny executable for an editor that supports
Syntax highlighting. [Discounting Kankowski Edit, whose highlighting
is only rudimentary, bi-color, with no customizing.] The Scite exe
on my disk, uncompressed, it's only 223k. Average size for its peers
I'd put at some 1.5mb+.

Totally self-contained program, too. No files in external directories,
and no registry.
The default settings are to not show tabs, but it's easy to change that in
the config files...
Click to expand...

I'd downloaded two distributions. The first is what they called the single
executable [1]. And the second one was the larger [2]. The second one
I believe had tabs out the door. I don't remember changing having to do
anything for them to appear (v 1.57). Chance what you say would apply
to the Windows distribution, Sc1.exe? I'll have to take a look, as I had
put the Sc1 aside, after thinking it strictly SDI.

[1] http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/scintilla/Sc1.exe
[2] http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/scintilla/wscite159.zip?download

Now, anyone who has not tried this editor, and who has the least bit of
dealing with html, grab it, so you can watch the super-fun trick it does
with folding. Click a line of the html, and its fold itup to the close tag.
Or close the whole head tag, or a whole table tag. Not able to describe
this right...and time takes to view a set of screenshotw would be less
than just popping it on your machine (it's no install), loading a file,
and letting it do the performance.

I'd looked into the feature of folding in passing before, but Scite was
the first (and only time) I've witness things go automagically like that.
Super neato!
 
omega said:
JanC said:
SciTE
<http://scintilla.sourceforge.net/SciTE.html>
Click to expand...
The default settings are to not show tabs, but it's easy to change that in
the config files...
Click to expand...

[...] The second one I believe had tabs out the door. I don't remember changing
having to do anything for them to appear (v 1.57).
Click to expand...

Correction. The second one I'd downloaded was actually this one (tabbed):

http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/apps/SciTE/en/index.html
http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/apps/SciTE/en/install/SciTE-1.57-en-fr-de-es-pt.exe

As to the Sc1.exe download from Sourceforge, I tried changing entries in the
global properties file...

tabbar.visible=1
tabbar.multiline=1
toolbar.visible=1

That brought out a toolbar. No tab bar. Still only one document at a time. Am
I missing something, or is it possible the Windows release is SDI?
 
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