Web development text/code editors for Windows

Question

I'm currently using E-TextEditor. This application is trying very hard to be TextMate for Windows, but unfortunately it isn't very stable. Also, it has some serious problems opening minified files (e.g. 70 kB JavaScript files), which is unacceptable IMHO.

Notepad2 has no problem at all opening these files, and seems to be very stable as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't allow multiple file instances through tabs, and it lacks a remote editing feature.

To me, the perfect text editor would be something as fast and lightweight as Notepad2, but with added features such as opening documents in tabs and remote editing through FTP.

So, any suggestions? Which editor do you use to directly edit files through FTP?

P.S.: I'm not looking for heavy applications like Zend Studio or Dreamweaver. A simple program with the abovementioned features that doesn't take 30 seconds to launch would be perfect, ithankyou.

P.P.S.: And yes, I read the Text Editors topic, but my question obviously is a little more specific.

Answer 1

As a developer I am well used to coping with Notepad++, and I would just like to say that Tabs and FTP access features are available in N++. However, I don't know how it handles minified JS, as I have never tried, but There is probably some plugin for that as well. It's a very handy tool and very lightweight too :)

Answer 2

Vim meets those classifications, though if you're a fan of heavily mouse-based environments, the learning curve might be steep.

Answer 3

I like VEdit. I don't know if it allows you to edit through FTP, but I wouldn't be surprised. It has multiple tabs and serveral out of the box macros, along with ones you can add too.

Answer 4

Have you considered Notepad++? I don't quite understand what you mean about "minified files", but it does show support for editing via ftp through a plugin. It is also tabbed, can handle large files, and lets you switch between character encodings very easily. Check it out.

Answer 5

I believe Notepadd++ has an FTP plugin and it has tabbing.

Answer 6

Notepad++

Answer 7

Ultraedit is pretty good, it's not as lightweight as it ought to be, but it's very versatile, very stable, has tabs and can edit via FTP.

Answer 8

Textpad with the relevant add-ons will sort you out

Answer 9

I suggest you try Intype and Komodo Edit.

The former is another "TextMate for Windows" and one I actually like. It's pretty barebones at the moment and sometimes unstable but for quick edits I much prefer it to Notepad.

The latter is an open-source editor based on Komodo IDE by ActiveState. Slightly more heavy weight but far more feature-rich. And if you end up getting into IDEs, Komodo itself is quite nice.

I'm a Mac user at home, so in both editors I personally appreciate the lack of overloaded toolbars and generally very clean GUIs. Komodo's also got a superb community behind, something you may or may not care much about.

Answer 10

jEdit with it's FTP plugin.

Answer 11

I was gonna mention Notepad++. Seeing as you're moving away from E-TextEditor, you'll be glad to hear it's possible to skin it using the same (TextMate-based) themes. Simply run the files through the handy online TextMate theme to Notepad++ styler tool.

Also, the following topic appears to be related: What’s a Windows text editor that matches this criteria …

Answer 12

Another 1+ for notepad++, works very well :). There is also HippoEdit. Tried it for a while, but I didn't like it much, maybe takes some time to get used to it. But you might want to try it out.

Answer 13

I strongly suggest you check out Notepad++. It is perfectly capable of all the things you mentioned. The user interface could use some improvements IMO, but based on your specifications, this application should be the way to go.

Answer 14

I know someone already mentioned TextPad, but I would like to elaborate further on this choice. There are so many bests, I can't seem to pick one, so here is a list:

Block select - geometrically select a rectangular area for copy/paste operation Regular Expression in Find/Replace options - you can use def.*leppard.*hysteria to find matches like def_leppard_-_hysteria Find in Files - absolutely awesome, use regular expressions and specify a base folder, specify in subfolders, specify filename match, i.e. *.txt and viola! A report is produced telling you which files, along with the lines with selectable text.

The rest of the features are standard stuff.