EditPlus

EditPlus: A Reliable Text Editor for Developers

EditPlus has carved out a niche for itself in the Windows text editor landscape as a solid, dependable tool for programmers and web developers. It strikes a commendable balance between offering a rich set of features necessary for coding and maintaining a lightweight footprint and fast performance. This review examines its core functionalities and overall value proposition.

Core Functionality and Features

One of the most immediately impactful features of EditPlus is its robust syntax highlighting. Supporting a wide array of programming languages and markup formats out of the box, and allowing for custom definitions, this feature significantly enhances code readability and helps in quickly identifying syntax errors. The color-coding is clear and customizable, allowing users to tailor the visual experience to their preferences.

A notable strength of EditPlus, particularly for web developers and those working with remote servers, is its integrated FTP and SFTP support. The ability to directly open, edit, and save files on remote servers without needing a separate FTP client is a significant time-saver and streamlines the workflow. This integrated approach feels natural and efficient.

For HTML and web development, EditPlus includes dedicated tools that go beyond basic text editing. The built-in web browser for quick previews is convenient, and while not a full-fledged browser for testing all scenarios, it's excellent for rapid checks during development. Features like the HTML toolbar, tag completion, and built-in templates further assist in web authoring.

The search and replace functionality is powerful, especially with excellent support for regular expressions. This allows users to perform complex text manipulations and find specific patterns across single files or multiple files within a directory. The interface for search and replace is straightforward and easy to use.

EditPlus utilizes a standard tabbed interface for managing multiple open files, which is intuitive and widely adopted in modern editors. Switching between files is quick and easy.

macros are a valuable addition for automating repetitive tasks. Users can record a sequence of keystrokes and commands and then play them back, which is particularly helpful for routine code formatting or text transformations.

Other useful features include code folding, which is essential for navigating large source files by collapsing sections of code, and a hex viewer, which is a specialized tool useful for examining the raw data of files.

Performance and Stability

A key aspect that distinguishes EditPlus is its performance. Compared to many modern, feature-heavy IDEs, EditPlus starts quickly and remains responsive even when working with large files or multiple projects. This lightweight nature makes it a reliable choice for systems with less resources or for users who prioritize speed and responsiveness.

The application has a long history of development, which contributes to its stability. Crashes and unexpected behavior are rare, making it a dependable tool for daily use.

Customization

EditPlus offers a good level of customization. Users can adjust syntax highlighting colors, fonts, keyboard shortcuts, and various editor behaviors. This allows users to tailor the environment to their specific preferences and workflow.

Areas for Consideration

While EditPlus is highly capable, it's important to note that it is primarily a text editor and not a full-fledged Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It lacks some of the advanced debugging, project management, and refactoring tools found in IDEs like Visual Studio or Eclipse. Users looking for a comprehensive development environment might need to complement EditPlus with other tools.

The user interface, while functional, is perhaps less modern or visually appealing compared to some newer editors like VS Code or Sublime Text. However, its focus is clearly on functionality and efficiency over aesthetics.

Plugin support is present, but the ecosystem is not as extensive or vibrant as that of leading modern editors. While it supports extending functionality, the range of available third-party plugins is more limited.

Conclusion

Overall, EditPlus remains a strong contender in the text editor space for Windows users, particularly developers. Its combination of robust features, excellent performance, stability, and integrated FTP/SFTP support makes it a highly effective tool for coding and text manipulation. It's an excellent choice for users who need more power than a basic notepad but don't require the full complexity of a heavy IDE. Its long-standing reputation for reliability is well-deserved, making it a worthy investment for individuals and organizations alike.