Notepad++ Alternative - Sublime

[Genesis]

When I started my "re-schooling" last night with learncode.academy discovered a really cool and fast Notepad++ alternative Sublime Text. Still trying to get used to it, may go back to Notepad++, particularly since Sublime Text wants you to get a paid license eventually, but it may be worth exploring. It's called the "Cool kids editor of choice" and is favoured because it has cool plugins, themes and color schemes that help to double up on coding speed and make repetitive strokes much more efficient.
http://www.sublimetext.com/

This tutorial is a must to work through for learning how to install plugins in Sublime Text using the "Install Package" tool:
[video=youtube]

The tutorial below is a first in series by Ginhofresh of how to use Sublime Text 2 to get maximum benefit from all of its features - Sublime Text 2 has loads of documentation out there:
[video=youtube]

 

[Gregoric]

Yeah, it is a program rather not too popular but nevertheless looks great. I have added it onto my list of "professional software" to use n the future, since at the moment I do not earn so much money as to afford this application.

Some features, as presented on the webpage look really great, and as compared to most of the Java-based IDEs, this editor is really amazing.

I will, however, still stay with my HippoEdit

 

[Genesis]

I will, however, still stay with my HippoEdit

I don't blame you. Always more comfortable to work with what you are familiar with. My next radical move needs to be to change from Firefox to Chrome. Still hesitating on that for the same reason. Firefox crashed three times in less than 18 hours and while I was viewing YouTube tutorials for Sublime Text, Chrome just seems to be set up great for Web development.

 

[Gregoric]

I will, however, still stay with my HippoEdit

I don't blame you. Always more comfortable to work with what you are familiar with. My next radical move needs to be to change from Firefox to Chrome. Still hesitating on that for the same reason. Firefox crashed three times in less than 18 hours and while I was viewing YouTube tutorials for Sublime Text, Chrome just seems to be set up great for Web development.

Apologies for the offtopic, but when it comes to switching to Chrome and some new text editor, you may want to check out Brackets (link). It is freeware application developed by Adobe* (sic!) and is really cool. It s a completely new look on the web-dev edtors (similarily to the Sublime, you have metioned) and I think you could check it out. As far as I remember, it is primarily front-end, but anything related to server side stuff can be probably edited as smoothly too.

For some reason I did not decide to switch to it. However, it has plenty of plugins, is very fast, and what was the most interested for me, is integrated with Chrome (and that's the reason why it came to my mind when you have mentioned Chrome) in a way that allows you preview changes in real time. Pretty cool.
You may just want to check it out.
#offtopic mode off

* at least it started in Adobe Labs, not sure how it works now

 

[Genesis]

Apologies for the offtopic, but when it comes to switching to Chrome and some new text editor, you may want to check out Brackets (link). It is freeware application developed by Adobe* (sic!) and is really cool. It s a completely new look on the web-dev edtors (similarily to the Sublime, you have metioned) and I think you could check it out. As far as I remember, it is primarily front-end, but anything related to server side stuff can be probably edited as smoothly too.

For some reason I did not decide to switch to it. However, it has plenty of plugins, is very fast, and what was the most interested for me, is integrated with Chrome (and that's the reason why it came to my mind when you have mentioned Chrome) in a way that allows you preview changes in real time. Pretty cool.
You may just want to check it out.
#offtopic mode off

* at least it started in Adobe Labs, not sure how it works now

Will definitely give it a look, particularly since it's freeware. I'm just a bit Adobe mega-corporation phobic in never quite trusting their "free"ware. Going to check it anyway, many thanks for the suggestion.

Just had a look. It's pretty awesome, will definitely try it out - particularly interested in the preview feature that comes with it too. :good:

 

[smalpierre]

I'm currently using Brackets for a couple of things:

1. editing config files. I should have set up virtual hosts, but I haven't yet ... one more thing on a long list of todo items! Anyway - I don't like opening them in my IDE while I've got an open project. I don't like digging through folder structures and using open with. When you use the wampServer taskbar thingie to open them it uses notepad regardless of the system default - and it's basically a one line mess.

Brackets fixes this a few ways - it has a context menu item for "open with Brackets" (which you can disable when you install it, but its nice ...) and it remembers last opened files - so I can open Brackets, and pick from a list of recently opened files, which are all of my config files.

2. one-off items I'm working on that I don't want to add to my current opened project in my IDE.

It's a decent text editor, my only problem with it is that if you use it's "open file" it doesn't remember the last folder you opened something from.

I've heard very good things about Sublime. It's highly rated and a lot of people use it. I haven't personally tried it, since I need a full blown IDE, not just an awesome text editor.

http://www.sitepoint.com/best-php-ide-2014-survey-results/

I use PHPStorm, and before that I was using NetBeans. NetBeans gave me a good IDE for PHP development for FREE!!! I didn't try Sublime because it's $70, while PHPStorm is $99 - a few extra bucks is well worth having a full featured IDE.

The only reason I tried it, is because I had some issue with NetBeans - if you google how to do this or that in NetBeans, it can be frustrating, because the examples are often bass ackwards or overly basic, and the videos on how to do things often are an Indian or Pakistani accent or something and I have a hard time understanding them. These are often the videos covering the more advanced features I need, and often the best ones - so it's doubly frustrating when I have to watch it 10 times to get the picture.

I think the issue I was having had to do with filewatchers for sass, or git functions or something. They do work - and it's actually easier to set up than PHPStorm. It might have had a syntax highlighting issue at the time I don't remember. It was a minor nuisance whatever it was, but it bugged me

I tried Eclipse with plugins for PHP years ago and I HATED it. Everything about it seemed wrong.

I've also used some other ones that were pretty good, but nothing I've used stacks up to PHPStorm IF you have the patience to configure it to your liking. If not, or you need a free solution, NetBeans is where it's at!

Here's a comparison - note, PHPStorm also has a lot of NetBeans pro's that just aren't listed. I haven't found one thing it doesn't have that NetBeans does.

http://www.slant.co/topics/253/compare/~phpstorm_vs_netbeans_vs_sublime-text

 

[strokerace]

I just use the code editor in CuteFTP. I can use it for both online and offline host.

 

[GigaGreg]

I use Brackets from Adobe, because its free and is professional quality software with a lot of useful plugins and addons.

 

[smalpierre]

@strokerace
Filezilla has hooks for external editors, and both phpstorm and netbeans can sync directly to an ftp server as well.

If I've got to edit a file in production, I might hook up with fz and edit the file, but I don't make a habit of monkeying with live sites unless it's an emergency. I develop on local, then push to a test server, then move from there to production.

Does the cuteftp editor do syntax highlighting or anything like that - maybe a tag / brace matcher?

@iGdesigner
Brackets doesn't do too bad - not bad for a freebie. I just used it to edit a .jar file since I couldn't do it with phpstorm - it was one of phpstorm's .jar files haha! Kind of sucks, I was hooking up phpunit, and it wouldn't work and I found a guy that had a proper fix: open the phpunit.jar file, comment out a bunch of junk, and replace it with ONE LINE of code.

Here's the funny part - the original code is commented as "//awful hack start (but I don't know a better way to do it)" ... Really???

 

[strokerace]

@strokerace
Filezilla has hooks for external editors, and both phpstorm and netbeans can sync directly to an ftp server as well.

If I've got to edit a file in production, I might hook up with fz and edit the file, but I don't make a habit of monkeying with live sites unless it's an emergency. I develop on local, then push to a test server, then move from there to production.

Does the cuteftp editor do syntax highlighting or anything like that - maybe a tag / brace matcher?

@iGdesigner
Brackets doesn't do too bad - not bad for a freebie. I just used it to edit a .jar file since I couldn't do it with phpstorm - it was one of phpstorm's .jar files haha! Kind of sucks, I was hooking up phpunit, and it wouldn't work and I found a guy that had a proper fix: open the phpunit.jar file, comment out a bunch of junk, and replace it with ONE LINE of code.

Here's the funny part - the original code is commented as "//awful hack start (but I don't know a better way to do it)" ... Really???

It doesn't do the bracket matching like these {, but it does hightlight the other types. Something like predictive text. It will give you a drop down menu as you start with the syntax

 

[smalpierre]

I'm talking more like when you place the cursor it highlights the opposite start/end tag or brace.

I tell you one thing - I bet you don't have to hack YOUR dang IDE's source LOL!!!

These Java guys kill me. I had to work on a Java app server for a while, it SUCKED. They were all like Ohh it's SOOO much better than PHP because it's more secure ... secure this, secure that. Basically parroting the BS marketing hype behind Java.

Oh, because you "compile" it into bytecode, or because the .class files stayed on the dev boxes, only the .jar files get moved to the public webserver. Yeah, except a .jar is nothing but a .zip file - open it with winrar ...

That and ohhh it's strongly typed! Yeah, so what. There are strong type comparison operators in PHP too. All it's good for is ridiculously long class names, absurd programming techniques - trying to be a real compiled lanugage - and no pointers or dynamic memory allocation WOOHOO!!!

So they give you a gutless language with all the downsides and none of the benefits of a scripting vs compiled language. No pointers ... but at least you don't have to free memory, just rely on it's leaky garbage collector that's never guaranteed to run right?

But I digress ... When I was working on that POS Java monstrosity I was using Borland JBuilder. Borland made some really nice IDE's. Delphi is the FIRE!!!

 

[Genesis]

phpstorm and cuteFTP both sound great. Will definitely have a look at phpstorm.

I started with Bracket, and then since I'm still not on Chrome, ditched it. For now anyway. Adobe has been irritating me for years with its Flash updates that if you don't watch it you get Chrome as it is ticked to download by default if you go for the Adobe Flashplayer update. It's done the same thing with Bracket. Nice way of selling Chrome, which it doesn't really need to do. I'm not too good with unsubtle flogging of Chrome at my expense and there's a matter of principle involved here.

Having said that I may well prostitute myself one of these days though and go for chrome. When I do, I will dig out bracket again. At this stage don't think I'll fork out 70USD for Sublime. I'd rather spend it on something else. Maybe phpstorm since it looks quite a bit like sublime however would want to try it out first.

In the meanwhile, discovered my old File Editor Expression Web 4, which I had bought a license of about three years ago. I'm using that for now. Not as comfortable as Sublime and Bracket, so I may still change once I've got Chrome, if I go for Chrome, which is a great possibility. This weekend so far I crashed three times with Mozilla Firefox. Only redeeming quality of the crash is that it loads up very fast after the crash and with absolutely everything that had been there before the crash, including half written posts.

 

[strokerace]

phpstorm and cuteFTP both sound great. Will definitely have a look at phpstorm.

I started with Bracket, and then since I'm still not on Chrome, ditched it. For now anyway. Adobe has been irritating me for years with its Flash updates that if you don't watch it you get Chrome as it is ticked to download by default if you go for the Adobe Flashplayer update. It's done the same thing with Bracket. Nice way of selling Chrome, which it doesn't really need to do. I'm not too good with unsubtle flogging of Chrome at my expense and there's a matter of principle involved here.

Having said that I may well prostitute myself one of these days though and go for chrome. When I do, I will dig out bracket again. At this stage don't think I'll fork out 70USD for Sublime. I'd rather spend it on something else. Maybe phpstorm since it looks quite a bit like sublime however would want to try it out first.

In the meanwhile, discovered my old File Editor Expression Web 4, which I had bought a license of about three years ago. I'm using that for now. Not as comfortable as Sublime and Bracket, so I may still change once I've got Chrome, if I go for Chrome, which is a great possibility. This weekend so far I crashed three times with Mozilla Firefox. Only redeeming quality of the crash is that it loads up very fast after the crash and with absolutely everything that had been there before the crash, including half written posts.

Ya, there is some weird stuff going on right now with firefox. I keep getting plugin and script errors. I found it has something to do with Adobe flash player. I do have firefox 19, and 24 I may revert too. But I did notice when I was using my older version of FF, I was getting errors on some websites telling me to update my browser. It seem devs can't use code to allow all types of browsers to work. I have seen in some source code, that some add code for IE8 and 9. But nothing for anything else as their is special code for firefox now.

 

[Genesis]

Ya, there is some weird stuff going on right now with firefox. I keep getting plugin and script errors. I found it has something to do with Adobe flash player. I do have firefox 19, and 24 I may revert too. But I did notice when I was using my older version of FF, I was getting errors on some websites telling me to update my browser. It seem devs can't use code to allow all types of browsers to work. I have seen in some source code, that some add code for IE8 and 9. But nothing for anything else as their is special code for firefox now.

You're right. I sometimes wonder also whether the loads of "security" patches that Microsoft and Adobe Flashplayer get me to upload may run interference with Mozilla Firefox as well? I don't always have an idea what updates I'm allowing Microsoft to load on my Operating Software. And I'm almost certain it could be conflicting with Mozilla Firefox as well. I'm sure Microsoft and Adobe must know that as well. Wonder what Chrome does to stay ahead of those Windows "security" patches. Maybe its code makes allowance for it.

 

[smalpierre]

Firefox plugins sometimes do some really wonky stuff. I had to do the reset firefox thing to fix problems I was having. Shortly thereafter I switched to Chrome. I like it better - at least now that they've ditched webkit.

 

[Briar Spirit]

On the Chrome V FF subject, I used to swear by FF but got so tired of the constant browser shut-downs whilst doing something on a website. Chrome is far from perfect I will grant you but it doesn't crash half as often as FF, it does if you use one of those fast dial plugins though, absolute pain in the backside they are. Chrome, on my PC at least, is exhibiting some issues with starting up of late but it is still less hassle than FF in the long run.

 

[smalpierre]

If you want a really nice dev tool to build real applications, I like Lazarus, Delphi, and Qt

I use Lazarus instead of Delphi since they're as close to clones as possible - and it does't cost a grand AND it's cross platform.

Note: Pascal is arguably an easier language to use, and it's unlikely that you'll have a need for the few things C++ does that Pascal doesn't.
It's definitely a better language to learn programming as it forces better programming practices.

 

[engrshinwari]

Notepad++ and CofeeCup both are working fine for me.

Didn't check sublime, but will try sometimes.

Thanks for the share.

 

[Blacklord]

Notepad ++ is very good program. I use him for php, js, html, css and lua.

 

[silenceangel]

i've heard it before
let me try using sublime