With the ever Increasing evolution in the technologies, software development companies are seen upgrading the way of the developing and deploying websites in the world. However, the decision to change doesn’t come lightly as it comes with the ability to extend beyond what you could ever imagine. No matter how you have done the best research and gathered all the right information, but all of that counts for nothing if you don’t know how to present it right. No one can get a master plan because no one had it. I am sharing with you tips or tools that worked for me and might help inform your own path.
More responsibilities, tighter deadlines, bigger targets and working back till late – this is what developing a software includes. Sorry to burst your bubble but if not me then someone else might have done it! For a layperson, developing a software or an app might sound like gathering a team of professionals working round the clock in a crowded office space. Long working hours coupled with sleepless nights was the earlier scenario. But the table has turned now, development today is implementing and marketing in the easiest way to create a next big thing. I’ve been developing web applications for many years where I have been casting envious glances at modern web development tools, frameworks, and practices that might aid you well.
Have you come across the term “Code Editor”? To put it simply, it is a small piece of software like a text editor. The only difference is that the code editor features special functionalities than a text editor. Highlighting specific keywords, giving suggestions for some extent, automatic indentation features are some of its key advantages. I have come across many of you who have this misconception that code editor is IDE (Integrated development environment). However, it is not! In fact, it has more sophisticated complex functionalities to make a developer’s life easier.
Several predictions say that by the year 2020, the technology industry will fall short of nearly 1 million developers. With the huge appetite of better software and apps, the world craves for efficient programmers. Writing the seamless amount of clean and optimized code in the given time-frame, optimized and error-free coding is included in all day’s work for them. Using the right code editor is the perfect way to ensure an efficient and productive development window. In case, if a small single “;” (semi-colon) is missing in a code of thousand lines; it can result in a failed program execution. A well-experienced programmer can understand such scenarios very well. With the help of efficient code editors, professionals can easily get notified of such and other syntax based mistakes instantly.
The following post sums up some of the modern code editors that won’t just speed up the development process but also provide you with an extensive set of tools that reduce the number of steps you need to take in order to accomplish specific tasks. Take a look!
Notepad++
Have you tried using a Notepad text editor? I am sure you must have, and you will automatically know that Notepad++ is nothing but an advanced and feature-rich sibling of the same editor. The only major interface difference between the two is that the application supports a wide range of programming languages, but it is typically known for being the best HTML editor across the globe. This is something you get to know immediately after starting Notepad++. The application also supports colored lines while writing the syntax of the language. Also, it further highlights the mistakes in the code immediately.
Its benefits include
- Successfully built for the Windows platform; it can also run on Linux, Unix, Mac OS X(using Wine).
- It is a lightweight application
- Supports external plugins including macros
- Add bookmarks for future concern
- Drag and Drop Option for beginners
- Option to find and replace text
- Full-screen mode
- Minimize to tray window
- Smart syntax highlighting
- Auto indentation and autocomplete
- Code and text folding
- Compiler Integration
- FTP support
- Spell check with file comparison
Although this editor offers a wide range of benefits, it shares a fair bunch of controversies as well.
- Remote file editing without supporting HTTP, SSH or WebDAV
- No support to large files
- Third party program (wine) is a must-have to run the application on Mac OS X
Sublime Text
Another lightweight text editor, I would like to mention is Sublime text. Being compact and powerful in nature, the editor provides powerful IDE-like features along with Python Scripting. Such features have an ability to customize the editor and letting the coders program with great speed and efficiency. Several code editors support the black background for enhanced view and without a shadow of doubt Sublime editor supports them.
Its benefits include
- Multiline selection and editing
- Offers a cross-platform support
- Instant file switching
- Friendly interface
- The black screen supports distraction-free editing mode
- Fully customizable
- Support for TextMate and Windows Decoration themes
- Haxe and OpenFL integration via plugin support
- Syntax detection and highlighting the error
Did I mention it had drawbacks too?
- Poor support especially for Linux
- The opening big file takes time
- The mostly-used package manager is missing from the software
- Does not support the print option
- No toolbar of its own
- Crashes frequently
Atom
Many of you may find this code editor quite equivalent to the Sublime Text especially after viewing the interface that looks just like the clone of the latter text editor. As a result, programmers would feel more comfortable in using Atom. Of course, due to its simple interface as compared to the Sublime Text.
Its benefits include
- Easy to navigate interface
- Accommodates command palette
- Package Manager Integrated for Plugins support
- Customizing UI is way better than other options
- If the developer is stuck somewhere while programming, the GitHub community is pretty active in getting any issues resolved
- Fuzzy File Finder
Drawback
- Slow as compared to other text editors
- CoffeeScript needed to write the packages
- No Corona package
- Difficulty in handling large files
TextMate
Another fascinating Mac-based editor to take into account is TextMate. Programmers who work on Ruby and Ruby on Rails choose this text editor. The Code-Editor is well-known for developers who code on a Mac system. The application is excellent for development in modern programming languages. Let’s look at some of its pros and cons.
Pros
- Capable of searching and replacing
- Auto Indentation
- Clipboard history
- Column selection and typing
- Auto-completion
- Support for Perforce, Darcs, SVK, and Subversion
- Supports more than 50 programming languages
- Syntax Highlight and coloring
- Supports Xcode
- FTP support
Cons
- Outdated UI is the biggest drawback of this highly optimized Mac text editor.
- No full-screen support
- Only available for Mac OSX.
Text Wrangler
TextWrangler is also an IOS-based text editor program which supports only one primary language; i.e., English. However, the feature doesn’t mean that the code editor is another standard application. Being a plan one, it is a very powerful text editor and one of the best tools for Unix and server administration.
Its benefits include
- It supports 44 programming languages including HTML, JavaScript, Perl, Python, VBScript, and SQL.
- It may quite interest you to know that very few code editors support execution of big files and TextWrangler is one of them
- Plugin support and macros
- Secure FTP to make the transfer of data easier
- SSH support for remote file editing
- Compare two docs simultaneously
- Syntax Highlighting
- Code folding and Text folding
- Auto-Completion
- Spell Checker
Cons
- Does not support collaborative editing
- No HTTP or WebDAV Support
- Not compatible with Power Macintosh G4
jEdit
The code editor jEditis for pro/experienced programmers only. The open source platform is developed using the Java programming language. Being one of the world’s most secure programming language, Java makes it tough to decipher and decode. You will be quite interested in knowing the fact that the application supports hundreds of plugins and macros.
Its benefit includes
- Auto indentation
- Code and text folding
- Powerful engine for implementing regular expressions
- Spell checker, FTP support, compiler integration available using a third-party plugin
- Capable of running multiple instances at the same time
- Integrated FTP browser
Cons
- Written in Java, the heavyweight application takes time ample of time in loading
- No collaborative editing
- Can be buggy on Mac
- Large files are not supported
- SSH is also not supported when it comes to remote file editing.
Araneae
Being a Windows-only text editor tool, Araneae enriches your coding and programming experience on a windows based PC. Several multiple programming languages like HTML, CSS, XHTML, PHP, and Rails can be used without any third party extension download- all thanks to the tool which includes multiple extensions and localizations.
Some of its essential features include
- Syntax highlighting
- Drag and drop option for faster implementation
- Search and replace to perform multiple edits
- Multiple instance support as in jEdit
The only drawback here is that it has no external plugins or macros support.
Visual Studio Code
Are you in search of a Microsoft-powered platform used for developers? If so, the tool is exactly meant for you. I personally find visual studio code interesting because it can be used on different platforms like Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. One of the most exciting aspects of this tool is that it provides an enriching programming experience. Developers do not require to download the massive Visual Studio editions file which is approximately 3GB in size. As a result, both time and bandwidth are saved. Being lightweight in nature, the application does not consume much of the RAM and promotes fast access and implementation.
Pros
- Supports more than 30 programming languages including Microsoft’s core language ASP.NET, C#, etc.
- Can be installed in very less time due to its compact size.
- Available in a portable version to download in the supported devices.
- Enables GitHub control and offers to debug features.
Cons
- The software takes huge time in updating on Linux systems
- Calls for an immediate improvement in the extension support
CoffeeCup
The lightweight CoffeeCup text editor supports HTML/CSS programming. Available with a proprietary license and supporting all major platform including Windows and Mac.
Its benefits include
- Easy and quick startup
- Syntax and code highlighting
- Code Validation tools
- FTP enabled
- Option for Previewing the site
- Splendid support for HTML designing and development
- Supports only HTML/CSS, offers quite basic features are a few of its drawbacks.
BlueFish
The ultra-fast code editor supports a variety of markup languages. Loading the website in less than a second is one of its finest qualities. The tool also supports simultaneous operations and can easily operate between 500+ documents. Based on Perl Compatible regular expressions, Bluefish supports all major operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD. Let us look at the full features list for an extensive understanding of the tool.
Its benefits include
- Lightweight application
- Supports multiple document execution and implementation
- Offers a snippet sidebar
- Supports full recovery; if mishandling happens
- Search and replace for various edits at a time
- Remote files support using the gnome-vfs setup
Its drawbacks include
- The constant use of application might crash Windows 7
- Could have implemented extended features for new programming languages.
Brackets
You may find this surprising to know that the Adobe product is an open source text editor. This means it is free to download. Known for offering best products such as Photoshop, After Effects and Illustrator in the industry, Adobe offers Brackets incorporating its remarkable “Extract” feature. This feature allows you to grab colors, measurements, fonts, gradients, etc. from a PSD file into a ready-for-web CSS.
It offers remarkable features too!
- Uses inline editors for faster access to a particular part of the code with more rapid implementation
- Preview the code established in real-time connection
- An excellent tool for implementing JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
- Being an open source platform, it is easily customizable
- Regularly updated with the latest features and bug fixes.
Drawback
- Split screen not supported
- No full screen for a comprehensive view
- Third party plugins not allowed
- Does not support auto-completion of code
Komodo Edit
Last but certainly not least, the open source platform Komodo Editis mainly used on platforms like Windows. Mac OS X and Linux. Although, it supports limited programming languages such as HTML5, TCL, XML, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, Perl, CSS3, and PHP that doesn’t mean you cannot purchase the advanced version of the text editor at a reasonable price.
Pros
- Syntax Highlighting and Code coloring
- Extension support and macros
- Code autocomplete
- Auto indentation
Cons
- Spell Check not available
- Large files not supported
- Cannot edit collaboratively
