Preserved Topic: which editor do you recommend?

well, i don't know if this has been asked before, but i wanna know your fav editor. i've been sticking around with Dreamweaver and i just wanted to know which other (if possible, FREE) editors there are.

i'ven't posted this is the code forum because this is a very generally question.
GO



elysiumart

I use Notepad although I also use HTML Beauty (and 1st Page).

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

HTML Beauty++ and ConTEXT for PHP

If you are developing for ASP.NET, WebMatrix is good.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

I use a combination of Dreamweaver and Textpad

quote:

---

I use Notepad

---

Wow. Don't you think WYSIWYG programs are a lot quicker ? I mean for all basic fonctions like linking, inserting images and so on... Yes I know even Dreamweaver MX makes errors in the code, but it's a lot quicker, no ?

I hate what WYSIWYG editors do to code and some text editors such as HTML Beatuy++ can do those basic functions just as fast as dreamweaver if not faster, and with infinite more control.

What You See Is NOT What You Get. Unless your using a text editor.

I use EditPlus2 -- www.editplus.com

No, I can't agree with that. I am using Dreamweaver MX and I almost everytime have what I see. I do not only code with the graphical intertface, I use both. I am NOT an expert, I know it. But I know Dreamweaver does a really good job. I never had to complain about it. Please can you explain me why you say you don't get what you see ?

Notepad fans might like to check out Metapad, it's Notepad, but with a few add-ons, like line numbers, stay-on-top option etc.,

(freeware)
http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/

Dreamweaver for the tables and weaverslave {german/free} for the php/html
part.

I'm using dw mx since I doesn't have a very good visualmind
for tables...so I have to see what I'm doing, point *g*

I put in the spade work and learned html on notepad but now I think I'm going to learn DW to make things easier and quicker. anything I don't like I can always alter manually later. These tools are here to make workflow faster so why not use them?


~We're not here for long, we're here for fun~

But why code badly for the sake of speed when you're just going to have to go back later and fix it, which will take longer, when you could just code properly in the first place and avoid the hassle?

From Notepad to Dreamweaver. Now I am back using Notepad and I love it because I know exactly what is what and I don't have to study the code to find my way around the mess I created.

sib

BBEdit

I use edit pad and Cut and Paste... the Cut and Paste technology really speeds the work up... its crazy.

Tables? Cut and Paste... and tweak. Fast as a cheetah with a mouse trap on his tail.

                                   

emacs / XEmacs

XEmacs is all I do for code now adays. XEmacs is like an operating system on top of your operating system, it does everything.


Me

I use HomeSite.

i use dreamweaver and notepad. i like the colored syntax and i like how it finishes my tags. i don't use the visual part of it though, cuz it never looks like what it looks like in the browser. i use notepad to do quick changes

BBedit , it's everything an editor should be. Luv it!!

/* Sure, go ahead and code in your fancy IDE. Just remember: it's all fun and games until someone puts an $i out */

I started with DW long long ago, but now that i know *well mostly* what im doing, i just code everything in either notepad or my favourite ---- Winsyntax ---- i find its perfect for what i need. I dont touch DW at all anymore really, the code layout is so messy. I think you are better off knowing what you are coding then you know exactly what it is going to do.. I mean if you dont know or you did it in DW and even if you do know, imaging you had to do some off site editing and all you had was notepad. You're own code would be easy to edit because you know how you did it.

This probably doesnt happen much tho

*end rant.

If you don't need WYSIWYG, then try Developers Pad.

You can customize it for any language you want to write in.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

you know, I used to be that "code till you die" type of guy until I realized: it just doesn't make sense. First off, while I'm learning a language, I'll do nothing but notepad in it for a year or so. Just so I know the code in and out and I don't become wysiwyg dependent. So I learn my craft first and I learn it well. However, I don't possibly see how hand coding can come anywhere near the speed of a wysiwyg. If you know your code and you know it well, than a wysiwyg does not compensate controll at all. Now I use Dreamweaver MX, and will never look back. I get things done at three times the speed, and I still know my document inside and out. (I'm constantly toggling both code and wysiwyg views.) I'm learning javascript and perl right now. So while I'm learning it I use notepad until I know it. And creating database driven sites is a breeze in Dreamweaver....

I use textpad also ( http://www.textpad.com ). It's *only* drawback is that it's a windows only app.

And moonshadow - no, once you know what you're doing with code, a 'wysiwyg' editor is nothing but an inconvenience you have to fix afterward. Learning to code properly and efficiently is the primary issue.

I have to completely disagree. I know alot of people (including myself) that know their code and still find dreamweaver to be a awsome and convenient tool. Know your code, but use your tools. But I'm finding it's purely preference. do you use a manual screwdriver or an electric one...

I think I will try out that metapad for learning code though. But I guess even that would be too liberal for some of those coding zealots.



[This message has been edited by jive (edited 03-09-2003).]

I've been using EditPlus for a long time now and would be hard pressed to try anything else. It color-codes every thing I need (HTML, CSS, PHP) and if it doesn't natively support what you're trying to do you can download modules that other people have created to help color-code almost any platform.
http://www.editplus.com

I love this program.

:::krets.net:::

I went to the Edit Plus site to check it out and it looked great! so I just downloaded it to give it a go. It looks nice! I haven't used it yet, but it looks easy enough.

Jive - the comparison is not an acurate one.

It speaks of using the proper tool for the job. I have seen *very* few times where a WYSIWYG editor is the proper tool.

Just whatever you do..

Don't. Use. Frontpage.

I'll second that!

Until a few months i used, Max' HTML-beauty, but i just switched to Crimson editor this is a very clean editor and doesn't clutter my desktop. It also understands colorcoding for a lot of languages. Also i like to work with multiple documents. So i can see different tweaks on a page.

And for tables i use the old fashioned "draw on paper technique"

"Freedom of speech is by no means freedom to insult others" from the Razorart goodbye letter.

[This message has been edited by Rinswind 2th (edited 03-09-2003).]

Good stuff everyone - I've started an FAQ and dropped a few links in:

:FAQ:

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Heh, two of the editors listed here (Edit+ and Crimson Editor) are written by Koreans... I tell you, those crazy Korean programmers are something else.

I was just looking for a freeware replacement for Notepad, though, and I gave Metapad a shot (thanks, skalie). I went into IE6 to change the default HTML editor and--much to my surprise--I discovered a drop-down menu with only two options: Notepad and Word. Then I noticed that all of the options in the Program tab are MS programs. What, so Bill says I'm not allowed to use third-party programs now? Does anyone know a way around this?

what I did (on the WinME box) was backup and overwrite the original notepad.exe, but trying to do so on my mother's WinXP proved impossible.. the original notepad wrote itself OVER my rewrite..

by the way, I code in editpad.. tryed coding in DW, but then you gotta go back and fix it... and make it readable... and all that crap...


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

[This message has been edited by Petskull (edited 03-09-2003).]

I like to use HTML Beauty. I used to use Notepad like Emps, then switched to TextPAD. The only problem with Notpad, is that your code won't validate. Minor thing maybe, but . . . I like to make sure I can get it to standards.

Oh, and there is also SlickEdit

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

[This message has been edited by CPrompt (edited 03-09-2003).]

It would have been much too easy to have a button there which lets you choose an editor of your choice now wouldn't it

But luckily there's still the dirty registry way of doing it:

- open the registry editor (Start > Run > regedit.exe)
- go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Default HTML Editor" and change the Description value
- go to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Default HTML Editor\shell\edit\command" and change the (Default) value to the editor's path (be sure to leave the "%1" at the end though or it will open without showing the file you've been viewing)

Hope that works for you.

Suho thank your country men for those programs.

About IE6 and your own html editor. You just need to say it in the editor not in IE6
the editor should have an option like: -Add to IE and or -Add to rightclick in IE.

The crimson editor is on my rightclick panel. When i view the source the editor opens..

"Freedom of speech is by no means freedom to insult others" from the Razorart goodbye letter.

WOW, thanks for the input, guys

hey edit plus is really cool, but where can i adjust the doctypes?

kuckus: Thanks, that did the trick.

Rinswind: I'll pass along your gratitude.

CPrompt: I'm pretty sure I've gotten Notepad code to validate (to strict, even), or maybe I was just hallucinating. Why won't Notepad code validate?

I tried to post this the other day but my connection dropped out ... Anyways, I'm in the mood for a gripe again so:

I've tried using Dreamweaver before but once you get used to working with the mark-up directly and you find a text editor your comfy with, it's actually a lot faster to code most things by hand. Cutting and pasting chunks of mark-up makes generating a list of links at least twice as fast in a text editor as it would in Dreamweaver. My text editor has a special shortcut button that'll quickly insert an <img> tag with the src="" pointing to which ever file I select from the dialogue pop-up and several other handy HTML based shortcuts.

It also supports regular expression "find & replace" functions on all open documents, custom tab and indent settings, custom mark-up colours for any file extension you choose, the ability to create document templates and clip-text libraries for useful bits of code like <doctypes>, <meta> elements or various JavaScript or PHP modules and so much more. Hell, I've even setup a syntax highlighting file for my lingo and action scripts.

It'll also preview web pages under 'localhost' from the web server I have installed on my PC which makes developing, testing and debugging PHP sites so much easier. The extent at which you can customise any decent text editor it usually fairly extreme and if you take the time to get settled in, you'll be better off for it.

Once you boil it all down, the graphical layer that dreamweaver uses is nothing more than an abstracted semi-metaphorical interface, and a time wasting one at that. It might seem faster and it probably feels "easier" to work with but your really just wasting time by dancing around all those windows, property dialogues and input boxes.

If you want to look into a HTML editor regardless of how experienced you are at HTML then I'd suggest 1st Page simply because it provides different interface levels from a full WYSIWYG editor to a fully text based environment. I realise Dreamweaver does this as well but IMHO, it's just way too overpriced for what it is, a program that abstracts you from a language as simple as HTML.

Yeah, I'm also interested in hearing about the notepad/validation issue. I can't imagine what could possibly make any difference?

I use a mix of EditPlus, FrontPage and Notepad. I have TextPad & UltraEdit but they are very much like EditPlus. Also have Beauty HTML, by Max, and 1st Page 2000 that also are similar to EditPlus, so I stay with EditPlus that was the first one and the one I'm more used to. When I want some WYSIWYG environment, I go to FrontPage for further editing in EditPlus. For very quick fixes or implementations, I use Notepad. Other editors that I have just for the sake of having are Active State Komodo IDE and DreamWeaver but I don't like them. Actually, there are too many text/html editors out there that's difficult to know them all.
If I had to pick just one, I'd pick EditPlus, but TextPad is as good as it (maybe it has even some more features).

Ah Dreamweaver's really nice, our school has it.
and VIM....that is if you can figure it out....



Maskkkk

- Face the Present
- AIM: MASKKKK

I really likes Max's HTML Beauty until I started writing things in XHTML. Then I went back to UltraEdit.

Haven't looked back since.

Although I remember reading that Mr. Max was going to add XHTML support to HTML Beauty, but it's been a while.....what's up with that?

I used Notepad for years until I went to a Macromedia conference in Atlanta last year. They were handing out free copies of Dreamweaver (for those of us who'd bought Flash and were invited to this shindig). I was skeptical, due to all the extraneous code that Front Page put into a friend of mine's pages. However, I have to admit, DW made a photo album page in 12 seconds where it would have taken me at least 12 minutes.

So, I hand code inside Dreamweaver now, using a few functions as needed. Of course, that's all gone to hell now that I am trying to learn to use css for as much as I can (and pulling my hair out, I might add, scrapping design after design).

I can only code the css (and php) in Notepad; otherwise, it's distracting. I use EditPlus whenever my php breaks and I need to fix it line by line.

~N

Hmmm...I use both DW and CuteHTML. And like PS, cut-n-paste.


WebShaman

I usually run Homesite for HTML & topstyle for CSS.
If that's not available, I go for Mr Max HTML-Beauty since it's so close to Homesite.
If that's out, whatever that can colorcode or Notepad.
I tend to use the snippets functions in Homesite/HTML-Beauty quite a lot.


I only use DW if an extremly quick sketch is needed or if I'm working imagemaps (I tend to end up using the codeview most anyway)

For PHP I like Winsyntax, ( http://www.winsyntax.com ) lightweight, colorcode, bracketmatching plus integrated php.net manual and freeware.
/Dan

{cell 260}
-{ a vibration is a movement that doesn't know which way to go }-

Heh... now I like Winsyntax, too.

Hey...me like winsyntax...definatley going to use this for me PHP.

Personally, I use UltraEdit exclusively. It does everything I want, and has text highlighting options for all the coding languages I use. It also comes with a notepad.exe program to replace the default one, but it takes a bit of tweaking to install. Just do a find on all copies of notepad.exe and replace them all. Windows will try to replace it back, but clicking on no usually solves that. If not, a search on notepad.ex_ should yield the windows source copy of the notepad executable.

As for the WYSIWYG debate, I have to agree that I can hand code much much faster than using an editor. If anything, I'll uses Max's HTMLBeauty just for the page view instead of alt tabbing to my browser and refreshing.

I use HomeSite. ditto Michael

. . : slicePuzzle

I use a combo of editors.

Mac: Pagemill 3.0 (my fave old-timer...) and BBEdit

PC: Dreamweaver and Max's HTML-Beauty



The programmer's national anthem is 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH''

Wolfen's Sig Site

oopss... double post

[This message has been edited by Wolfen (edited 03-10-2003).]

I learned what little HTML I know in Notepad. When I try to use Dreamweaver it makes my head hurt. Hard code is cleaner and easier to follow. Besides... YOU LEARN MORE. I've used Emacs in the past before but lost it. Anyone have a link to it? Not to mention the color coding .emacs initializing file?

GrythusDraconis
I admire a man who can budget his life around his pint of Guinness and I envy a man who's wife will let him. ME, inspired by Suho1004 here.

I'm another fan of UltraEdit. I've been using it for years now and it's the crown prince of my applications. Besides all the features listed above (code coloring, line numbering even the ability to compare files like a Unix diff command) , the one I use the most is the built in ftp functionality, it's just brilliant I can open up a page via ftp in my browser and then edit it and on every save, it save's the file via ftp (this way I can test on my work sites without having to save and then manually ftp the page over.

I should note I do far more work on the code side then the presentation side as well so I can't really make a fair comparison for this over a Dreamweaver or another WYSWIG editor since I haven't used on consistently ever.



.:[ Never resist a perfect moment ]:.