Which is the best editor for C code etc?

Currently I am using Notepad++ which is OK but it only lets you split the screen vertically into two windows which is insufficent on occasioins.
Ideally I would like as many windows as possible, all resizeable and moveable etc.
I did write one to do that a while back but only for a unix text terminal, might still have the code lying around somewhere! So if I can't find anything better I might have to try and get
it to work on windows <gulp>

I am not using an IDE just dgcpp or whatever, I guess I could use a free IDE for editing and then compile normally. I am sure there is a really good one out there but i have not found it yet!!

The Windows folks around my office all seem to like VEDIT.

I use VC++.
If they're UNIX files, I just connect to it with Samba and still use VC++.

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Originally Posted by brewbuck

The Windows folks around my office all seem to like VEDIT.

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Got to be free though :)

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Originally Posted by cpjust

I use VC++.
If they're UNIX files, I just connect to it with Samba and still use VC++.

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Don't think that one is free either!! ;)
I should have said free in my first post!!

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Originally Posted by esbo

Don't think that one is free either!! ;)
I should have said free in my first post!!

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Of course it's free.
Here's the 2005 express edition: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/express/aa700735.aspx

and here are the 2008 express versions: http://www.microsoft.com/express/default.aspx

vi has auto-indent and syntax coloring, now that it's gvim. :)

[/me runs very very very far away]

I quite like Notepad++ if I can forgive only having 2 windows, another little nuisance is that it always opens the same files you had opened before, whereas the one wot I wrote :) saved a different file configuration for each folder you opened it in, which was really useful.

It could also do a vertical cut and paste which was really good!! So you could cut out a column, or a few columns and paste then into a different window :)
Try doing that with a 'modern' editor!!

It also did keyboard macros.
It did not do where you can find the appropiate closing bracket to an opening bracket as notpad++ can, but I guess that would not have been too hard to put in :)

Another useful feature of notepad was it would detect if a file had changed and ask if you wanted to reload it.

I could also run unix commands in my windows and have the output pop up in a different window - nice :)

And lots of other useful stuff!!

For me Visual C++ 2005 express edition and gcc in cygwin is quite good.

Visual Studio can do all you asked for and more.

What about the various free IDE's such as code::blocks ?

The jEdit editor is my preferred code editor for all languages.

And yes, it has rectangular selection :)

I chose TextPad over Notepad++, so you might want to give that one a shot too.

I think that some of your criticism of Notepad++ is unfounded.

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another little nuisance is that it always opens the same files you had opened before

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This can be changed in the settings (uncheck "Remember the current session for next launch" in Preferences -> MISC), but...

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saved a different file configuration for each folder you opened it in

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... unfortunately there does not seem to be such an option for per-directory sessions.

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It could also do a vertical cut and paste which was really good!! So you could cut out a column, or a few columns and paste then into a different window
Try doing that with a 'modern' editor!!

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Notepad++ can indeed do column-wise selection. Press the ALT key while selecting the text.

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It also did keyboard macros.

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This is also supported by Notepad++.

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Another useful feature of notepad was it would detect if a file had changed and ask if you wanted to reload it.

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This is also supported by Notepad++.

That said, I suggest that you try out other text editors and IDEs to find out which suits you best. It may well turn out that you would like a particular IDE for C and C++ development but wish to use a text editor instead for a general purpose text editing tool, and this could just be what you started out with, i.e., Notepad++. Or perhaps you truly are inspired to write yet another text editor :p

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Originally Posted by tabstop

vi has auto-indent and syntax coloring, now that it's gvim. :)

[/me runs very very very far away]

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I will have a look at that vi had somevery powerful command and was
easy to use once you got used to it, I liked the uses of <escape> to switch
modes and most of the commands were single letter, minimum keystrokes
anyway, I copied that style for mine, but I only had pretty basic comands really.
Of course you didn't usually have a mouse with vi, but then you didn't really need
one.

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Originally Posted by laserlight

I think that some of your criticism of Notepad++ is unfounded.
This can be changed in the settings (uncheck "Remember the current session for next launch" in Preferences -> MISC), but...
... unfortunately there does not seem to be such an option for per-directory sessions.

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Yes switching it off, is not realy a great help though, the thing is it is a really simple
change to make to have a per-directory sesion, I just stored the configuration in
the dirctory I was working in and then read it back in when I restarted. Obvioulsy you
could store the info elsewhere, but it makes life a lot easier if you are working on several 'projects'.
Some might even call it 'object orientated :)

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Originally Posted by laserlight

Notepad++ can indeed do column-wise selection. Press the ALT key while selecting the text.

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So it can. Thanks for that, I guess I will have to read the manual sometime, although it does not appear to have one. Unfortunately it does not work too well if you try and paste
past the end of the line, but that is due to the way a lot of editors work if you click past the
end of the line, they put the cursor at the end of the line, not where you clicked. Mine,
of course would back fill with spaces so if I pasted past the end of the line the column
would remain vertical.

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Originally Posted by laserlight

"It also did keyboard macros."
This is also supported by Notepad++.

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Yes, I was not suggesting it didin't, maybe it sounded like that though.
I imagine mine were better though :p

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Originally Posted by laserlight

"Another useful feature of notepad was it would detect if a file had changed and ask if you wanted to reload it."
This is also supported by Notepad++.

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Yes, that is what I said, mine actually would not do that, I guess you would need to periodically test the file or something like that. A slight nusiance is that it asks you if
you want to reload the file, I would rather do this automatically, or at least have an option
to set it to reload changed files automatically, obviously it might be unwanted in some
situations.

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Originally Posted by laserlight

That said, I suggest that you try out other text editors and IDEs to find out which suits you best. It may well turn out that you would like a particular IDE for C and C++ development but wish to use a text editor instead for a general purpose text editing tool, and this could just be what you started out with, i.e., Notepad++. Or perhaps you truly are inspired to write yet another text editor :p

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I will have a look at all the suggestions and see which is most suitable although I think it
will take me a while to do that, some require you to install various bits and pieces as well.

As to writing another text editor, I will give that a miss I think, I might have a go at doing
something with the one I wrote before, I just remembered I think I have it on a floppy disk somewhere!!! However it was written for unix using the 'cursors' package, so I would need
to find a winidows equivilant of that. It was stuff like this:-
http://www.mkssoftware.com/docs/man3/curs_refresh.3.asp
But I think I will give it a miss actually. Notepad++, is pretty good in many respects but occasionally I would like to have more than two 'windows' visable.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

By the way, I at least I don't have to use the vBulletin editor, as you can see I tend to struggle with that, as you can see by the line lengths etc...!!

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Originally Posted by CornedBee

The jEdit editor is my preferred code editor for all languages.

And yes, it has rectangular selection :)

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Yes I just has a look at that, gives you plenty windows, looks quite promising.
Looks like it only allow you to save one configuration of the previously opened
files though. Having one configuration per folder can be really useful, you can
come back to something you were lookinig at weeks ago and it will open all
the relevant files automatically. It is so simple to do yet it can save so much time
and effort. It just requires changing about one line of code!!

Actually as it if released with the full source code..........

I might be able to do it myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)


Actually having thought about it I think I might be able to 'force' notepad++ to do the same.
All I would need to do is fine where is stores its configuration then copy that to the current
folder and then back again when I want to start up. So I would need to 'warp' a function/batch file around it to do that.

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Originally Posted by esbo

Got to be free though :)

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Why?

My editor's promo:

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We are a company of power programmers working to develop the tools that power programmers demand, tools that provide the best editing capabilities to help you write your code the way you want.

We take great pride in delivering unparalleled power, speed, and flexibility to our customers. Our goal is to remove the tedious tasks involved with programming, allowing you to focus on the reason you first got into programming: the thrill of writing great code.

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I'll ask any company I work for to afford me this.

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Originally Posted by Dave_Sinkula

Why?

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Because I don't like paying for stuff!!
I am not a comercial organistion, can't afford to pay £50 everytime I
want to a relatively simple task!!
Anyway there is plenty of free stuff available.

I doubt their stuff is as good as wot I could write anyway :p

If they give me a job I will gladly buy their products :D

Probably be sacked within a week though - too many global variables ;)

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Originally Posted by esbo

Because I don't like paying for stuff!!
I am not a comercial organistion, can't afford to pay £50 everytime I
want to a relatively simple task!!
Anyway there is plenty of free stuff available.

I doubt your stuff is as good as wot I could write anyway :p

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Time is money. Your call.

>> By the way, I at least I don't have to use the vBulletin editor, as you can see I tend to struggle with that

Well I don't know if I would call this an "editor" but mostly the only reason you have problems with it is because you try to wrap your own text instead of letting the browser do that for you. But perhaps you would find the "Preview" or "Go Advanced" buttons useful when you make a reply, as they let you see your post before it's written in public.

That said, kate's another good editor for the terminal.

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Originally Posted by Dave_Sinkula

Time is money. Your call.

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I have more than enough money.

Anyway it's a bit like asking a 'traveller' to 'Tarmac ya drive sir?'

I have no clue what the last sentence meant. But no bother.

Like many of us, we edit many languages and like a vast array of customizability. I've enjoyed my present editor since its '97 incarnation. I like it when someone else updates my editor to my needs. I have little issue with tossing a couple dozen bucks of my employer's money at it. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by citizen

>> By the way, I at least I don't have to use the vBulletin editor, as you can see I tend to struggle with that

Well I don't know if I would call this an "editor" but mostly the only reason you have problems with it is because you try to wrap your own text instead of letting the browser do that for you. But perhaps you would find the "Preview" or "Go Advanced" buttons useful when you make a reply, as they let you see your post before it's written in public.

That said, kate's another good editor for the terminal.

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Yes I do have major probs with the line wrapping.
Why do they give me a tiny little edit box in the first place, even in 'advanced' mode. I just find it automatic to hit a carriage return when I get near the end.I like to see what I am going to get.

As to why there are acres of space either side of this tiny edit box, well that's anybody's guess.

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Originally Posted by Dave_Sinkula

I have no clue what the last sentence meant. But no bother.

Like many of us, we edit many languages and like a vast array of customizability. I've enjoyed my present editor since its '97 incarnation. I like it when someone else updates my editor to my needs. I have little issue with tossing a couple dozen bucks of my employer's money at it. YMMV.

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Well certain 'travellers'/gypsies make a living tarmacing people's drives (usually shoddilly) so they are as sure as hell not going to pay someone to tarmac their own drive, even if they had one!!

Basically I don't lilke paying for stuff I could do myself anyway, especailly when I can get something adaquate to do the job for free.

>> I like to see what I am going to get.

Then I don't see why you have a problem with it if you're willing to take the time to get it to look good anyway.

>> As to why there are acres of space either side of this tiny edit box, well that's anybody's guess.

From my point of view, it is either that or acres of negative space, and particularly the people who write these "pages" are the ones concerned with economizing their screen real estate.

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Originally Posted by esbo

Basically I don't lilke paying for stuff I could do myself anyway, especailly when I can get something adaquate to do the job for free.

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As I do not like to pay for stuff either (translation: cheapskate), understood. An editor for a person who writes, however, is a different matter.

It merely becomes a game of 'how many flaming hoops do you want to jump through?'

You get what you pay for.

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Originally Posted by citizen

>> I like to see what I am going to get.

Then I don't see why you have a problem with it if you're willing to take the time to get it to look good anyway.

>> As to why there are acres of space either side of this tiny edit box, well that's anybody's guess.

From my point of view, it is either that or acres of negative space, and particularly the people who write these "pages" are the ones concerned with economizing their screen real estate.

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I expect it to look good first time.
They are not economizing anything, just wasting my screen space.
Why have long lines in the final version but short ones in the editor?
Not a very good design IMO.

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Originally Posted by Dave_Sinkula

As I do not like to pay for stuff either (translation: cheapskate), understood. An editor for a person who writes, however, is a different matter.

It merely becomes a game of 'how many flaming hoops do you want to jump through?'

You get what you pay for.

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And I don't want to get a vastly over-priced editor.

I would rather spend my money on something I value.

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Originally Posted by esbo

Yes I just has a look at that, gives you plenty windows, looks quite promising.
Looks like it only allow you to save one configuration of the previously opened
files though. Having one configuration per folder can be really useful, you can
come back to something you were lookinig at weeks ago and it will open all
the relevant files automatically. It is so simple to do yet it can save so much time
and effort. It just requires changing about one line of code!!

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Install the Session plugin. Each session remembers the files that were open when you closed it. On editor start, the last active session is restored.

Well I found a way to run notepad++ with per directory session info :)
Slight problem is it leaves a batch file window open.

Might be able to sort that out though - not sure.

> Might be able to sort that out though - not sure.
Run notepad++ with this command.
start notepad++

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Originally Posted by Salem

> Might be able to sort that out though - not sure.
Run notepad++ with this command.
start notepad++

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Hmmmm well that works but...

Well here is the batchfile.

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copy session.xml  "c:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Data\Notepad++\session.xml"
start notepad++
copy  "c:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Data\Notepad++\session.xml" session.xml

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You see I need to wait untill notepad has finished to copy the session info back,
and of course the above does not wait untill notepad has finished, so I will get the
same session every time. It gets rid of the window which is nice though.

However... if I create a batch file called note as bellow.

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copy session.xml  "c:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Data\Notepad++\session.xml"
"C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"
copy  "c:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Data\Notepad++\session.xml" session.xml
exit

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And the another called whatever.bat

Code:

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start /min note.bat

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Then run whatever.bat, it seems to work, I believe except, I get a minimised DOS window
when it is running, which is better but not ideal.
It would certaintly be useful though because I tend to have 2 or 3 different configurations
for notepad with half a dozen files in each.

Think I have figured out a way to get rid of the window now.
Will try it later.

Personally I love, and use SciTE (both on Windows and Linux).

I'm not hardcore, so I don't tend to use vi for everything other than system things.

I used to use Scite, but then I downloaded Notepad++ and discovered it was better. I really like Notepad++ a lot. I still have Scite lying around though.

Here is what I do:

Notepad++: I use this for PHP and Python scripting, as well as C/C++ programs that I intend to compile with gcc/g++, and then most probably copy over to a Linux machine.

Code::Blocks: I use this for large C/C++ projects with which I want portability (since the compiler I have it using is gcc)

VC++: I use this for some C++ coding, but mostly for C#. VC++ is actually a very nice IDE.

vim: Whenever I am on Linux I will use this, or if I am SSH'd into a computer and editing code in the terminal.

I use Notepad++ for everything (even as a hex editor) except C/C++ projects... it even has an easy-to-use FTP plugin.

What I like about Notepad++ is that it is clean. You have a menu bar, toolbar, status bar and a nice big edit box. It also looks nice - no annoying themes.

I use Code::Blocks and Dev-C++ for C/C++ projects. Code::Blocks looks so yummy (the font).

Shame it's not portable, otherwise I'd love to use it. One of the main reasons I use SciTE is I can use it on Linux and Windows and it's identical.

No I don't fancy porting it, nor running it under wine :)

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Originally Posted by maxorator

I use Notepad++ for everything (even as a hex editor) except C/C++ projects... it even has an easy-to-use FTP plugin.

What I like about Notepad++ is that it is clean. You have a menu bar, toolbar, status bar and a nice big edit box. It also looks nice - no annoying themes.

I use Code::Blocks and Dev-C++ for C/C++ projects. Code::Blocks looks so yummy (the font).

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I didn't realise you could use it as a Hex editor untill you posted that.
A handy feature, I can ditch my other hex editor(s) now.
I will have to start hacking about with programs now to see what I can come up
with ;), long time since I programmed in machine code!!