#3 Choose Your Weapon

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Task Navigation 

Let the Editor Choose You


Find the best text editor option available for your operating system

Depending on the operating system that you're using, you'll have different options available to you in terms of which text editor you can install.Some of these editors are not free, but we've listed them because they're robust and available for a short period in a trial mode. Trying them out won't cost you anything financially.

 
There are many more text editors available for each platform and we'd encourage you to search around if none of the editors on this page choose you.
 
If you're running Windows –
  • Notepad++ 
  • ConTEXT
  • E Text Editor
 
If you're running OS X –
  • TextWrangler
  • TextMate
  • Sublime Text
 
If you're running Linux –
  • Gedit
  • Kate
  • Bluefish
 
Spend the next hour or so trying out the various text editors available for your operating system. With each one create a file called 'helloworld.html'. Into that file you should enter the html that you wrote by hand in the previous challenge.
 
If one of the text editors feels more comfortable than the others, then congratulations; a text editor just chose you. You are now a fierce webcraft warrior and you now have your trusty sword.
 
Spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Task Discussion


  • Henry Joseph said:

    Notepad++ for Windows

    Bluefish for Linux

    on Feb. 18, 2013, 1:56 p.m.

    Tarcisio Nunes said:

    Hi!

    Bluefish works well on Win too.

    And it highlights javscript / php / html, and furthermore, suggests functions and keywords of these languages.

    Best regards.

    on Feb. 27, 2013, 5:50 a.m. in reply to Henry Joseph

  • Anonym said:

    I didn't bother with Kate as I think it's KDE based, and I imagine I'll have to install a whole load of dependencies too. I like Geany and Bluefish was also a pleasant surprise. VIM was as impenetrable as I remember it being... maybe they should rename it VIMpenetrable.

    Hard to choose between gedit and bluefish, but in the end, gedit wins out at the moment due to familiarity and just being easy to use. So gedit it is.

    on Feb. 14, 2013, 11:54 p.m.

  • Voyager said:

    I choose Sublime Text 2 smiley

    on Feb. 12, 2013, 8:45 a.m.

  • Adri said:

    It's been awhile since I've been here. Been busy with my offline life. :)

    When I first started learning how to code HTML a decade ago, I started off with plain Notepad. Then I used Dreamweaver when I took a Dreamweaver class. Today I'm using Notepad++ and have been a user of this program for about 6 years now. It has everything I need and there's plenty of updates regularly. I couldn't be more happier. :)

    on Feb. 6, 2013, 2:18 p.m.

  • Saint and Sailor Jess said:

    Looks like its Notepad++ for me!!

    on Feb. 5, 2013, 6:55 p.m.

  • elter said:

    TestWrangler chose me.

    on Feb. 2, 2013, 12:25 p.m.

  • SkilledTree said:

    Notepad++ is pretty nice. I wish I would have known about it before haha.

    on Feb. 1, 2013, 8:36 p.m.

  • Ducis said:

    Notepad++ has been working for me for a while so I will continue to use it because of familiarity but some other options look very capable as well.

    on Jan. 30, 2013, 1:05 a.m.

  • SirDomo said:

    Played around with TextEditor and TextWrangler on my MacBook pro and since I've used TextWrangler for a while now... I'll be staying faithful. TextWrangler it is!

    on Jan. 29, 2013, 10:58 p.m.

  • Amanda C said:

    I chose TextWrangler! 

    on Jan. 29, 2013, 8:07 p.m.

  • Hermgirl said:

    So, I'm actually doing this on a 7 inch tablet, because shortly after I signed up here, my laptop went caput.  No, I'm not blaming this website!  

    So, what I thought would be cool, was just for the heck of it, download a whole bunch of code editing apps and try them all of and post the results in my blog!

    I'll be doing that very thing tonight!

    on Jan. 24, 2013, 3:14 p.m.

    keithdoyle9 said:

    Very cool, can't wait to see the results since I'm hoping to be getting a tablet shortly. 

    On my Macbook and work PC, I'm a huge fan of Sublime Text. Simple but complex all at the same time. I've tried Notepad++ but wasn't the biggest fan.

    on Jan. 28, 2013, 10:19 p.m. in reply to Hermgirl

    Eenvincible said:

    I just started using the evaluation version of Sublime Text and honestly, I love it already!

    on Feb. 5, 2013, 9:41 p.m. in reply to keithdoyle9

  • JeroenB said:

    Running Notepad++ on Ubuntu using Wine :).

    on Jan. 22, 2013, 10:38 a.m.

  • joeyzeta said:

    Make mine Coda.

    on Dec. 30, 2012, 12:06 a.m.

  • Eenvincible said:

    Aptana Studio : It gives you the feeling of a pro web developer, the dark background and highlighted syntax, other languages built-in, and most of all it is FREE. I love it so much!

    Please check out my challenge blog at http://www.simpledeveloper.wordpress.com

    on Dec. 27, 2012, 3:30 p.m.

  • Andy Crowe said:

    I feel really fortunate, bought my laptop off a designer friend and he left the whole Adobe Suite on it for me. I never knew what Dreamweaver was for, but saw people mention it in the previous task. It was the first editor I used and made me feel right at home straight away :)

    on Dec. 12, 2012, 3:33 p.m.

  • Victor said:

    Komodo Edit for all OS (Windows, Linux, MacOS X).

    Its free, powerfull, crossplatform and suits all my needs.

    on Dec. 11, 2012, 6:40 a.m.

  • infopro247 said:

    I am limited  in what I can download, so notepad is it for me.

    on Dec. 5, 2012, 8:15 a.m.

    Eenvincible said:

    Why are you limited? Is there anything I can do to help you?

    Good luck!

    on Dec. 27, 2012, 3:27 p.m. in reply to infopro247

  • Bartuuin said:

    In my case I started using notepad++ years ago.I felt compertable with it right from the start, even disassembled it to make sure there was not anything out of the ordinary.Everything checked out fine, so I deleted the asssembly file.I personally, like it so much I never had a reason to try another one.If I still need to try another one anyway to get the award, then let me know.

    on Dec. 1, 2012, 7:18 p.m.

  • Some Guy in Baltimore said:

    I've always have used Notepad++ and gedit. But I recently have decided to try using sublime on both windows and linux. It has really neat features.

    on Nov. 29, 2012, 9:42 p.m.

  • preclectic said:

    I tried TextWrangler and even cranked up Dreamweaver. Both were good. Even so, I think I'll keep using Aptana Studio 3.

    on Nov. 28, 2012, 1:20 a.m.

    Eenvincible said:

    All aboard, I have been using Aptana Studio for a while now and I love love love it! Plus it is FREEEE

    on Dec. 27, 2012, 3:28 p.m. in reply to preclectic