Geek Software of the Week: Notepad++
Nothing is more boring than a simple text editor… right? Well, no! If you are like me, I am always looking for great text editors, because I use one all the time! And, after a while, I started thinking, wouldn’t it be great if notepad did this, or that, or the other? Well… Notepad++ does just that!
Notepad++ Open Source Text Editor
“Notepad++ is a free source code editor (and Notepad replacement) which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment. This project, based on Scintilla edit component (a very powerful editor component) are written in C++ with pure win32 api and STL (that ensures the higher execution speed and smaller size of the program), is under the GPL Licence.”
Here are the features of Notepad++ :
Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding
Supported languages : C, C++, Java, C#, XML, HTML, PHP, Javascript, RC resource file, makefile, ASCII art file (extension .nfo , screenshot1, screenshot2), doxygen, ini file, batch file, ASP, VB/VBS source files, SQL, Objective-C, CSS, Pascal, Perl, Python, Lua, TCL, Assembler, Ruby, Lisp, Scheme, Properties, Diff, Smalltalk, Postscript and VHDL.
WYSIWYG
If you have a color printer, print your source code (or whatever you want) in color.
User Defined Syntax Highlighting
It allows user to define his own language : not only the syntax highlighting keywords, but also the syntax folding keywords, comment keywords and the operators.
Auto-completion
For most supported languages, user can make his/her own API list (or download the api files from dowload section). Once the api file is ready, type Ctrl+Space to launch this action.
Multi-Document
You can edit several documents at the same time.
Multi-View
You have two views at same time. That means you can visualize (edit) 2 different documents at the same time. You can visualize (edit) in the 2 views one document at 2 different positions as well. The modification of document in one view will carry out in another view (i.e. you modify the SAME document when you are in clone mode).
Regular Expression Search/Replace supported
You can search and replace one string in the document by using the regular expression.
Full Drag ‘N’ Drop supported
You can open a document by drag & drop. You can also move your document from a position (or even a view) to another by drag & drop.
Dynamic position of Views
The user can set the position of the views dynamically (only in 2 views mode : the splitter can be set in horizontal or in vertical).
File Status Auto-detection
If you modify or delete a file which opened in Notepad++, you will be notified to update your document (reload the file or remove the file).
Zoom in and zoom out
That’s another fantastic function of Scintilla component.
Multi-Language environment supported
The Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Hebrew Windows environments are supported. See Notepad++ under the Chinese Windows , under the Arabic Windows and under the Hebrew Windows in action screenshot.
Bookmark
User can just click on the bookmark margin (located right side of line number margin) or type Ctrl+F2 to toggle a book mark. To reach the bookmark, type just F2 (Next bookmark) or Shift+F2 (Previous bookmark). To clear all bookmarks, click the Menu Search->Clear All bookmarks.
Brace and Indent guideline Highlighting
When the caret stay beside of one of those symbol { } [ ] ( ) , the symbol beside of caret and its symmetric opposite symbol will be highlighted, as well as the indent guideline (if any) in order to locate the block more easily.
Macro recording and playback