Looking for editor /w syntax highlighting

[tiki4]

Hi all,

sorry for asking that, but does anyone of you know a good Editor for Windows with features like syntax highlighting. I need a good frontend for MiKTeX and for programming maybe. I know there are lots around but they all cost money. So I thought that you know eventually if such a thing exists.

Thanks much,

tiki4

P.S.: I'm using NEdit in Linux and Unix which is by far the easiest to use IMHO. The Windows port only runs with an X-server and I don't want to mess around with that in Windows.

[nikthebak]

www.editplus.com ($hareware)

EditPlus is probably the best old-fashioned all-round text editor, and you can download LaTeX syntax packs from their homepage. Unfortunately it's commercial, but the normal "30 days, uninstall, reinstall" works good.

www.jedit.org (GPL)

In my honest opinion, this baby is the best text editor ever existed on the face of earth. It has LaTeX syntax highlighting by default, not to mention a myriad of other languages. Java, C, PHP and Perl for example.

There's plenty of plugins (such as code refactoring, buffer tabs, project management, compilers, skins, proofreading and much more) downloadable through the homepage. It's not only free, but it's GPL'd open source.

Since it's Java, it works on Windows/*nix/Mac/whatever. It's Windows integration is rather good, there's an .EXE launcher so you won't even notice it's Java. You need a decent JRE though. Download j2re 1.4.1 from http://java.sun.com.

www.xemacs.org (GPL)

If you have any experience on Unix/Linux environments, you are probably familiar with XEmacs already. IMO it's a real pain to use and you'll probably lose half of your hair and one weeks worth of sleep configuring it, but it's pretty damn good once you get used to it. Has a very old die-hard fan community. Also open source.

Edit:

What was I thinking, forgetting xemacs :)

[tiki4]

Thanks man.

I'll check this out. I found editplus myself but I don't like to use commercial stuff. Best frontend for Latex in Windows is WinEdt 5 in my opinion, but it's commercial as usual.

XEmacs, no way! I know that baby very well and I hate it! Period.

As this stuff is for my boss and he is a die hard UNIXer I installed GPL'ed VIM 6.1 now :D

I hope he gets happy with escape and colon.

Thanks for your help, I'll have a look on jedit.

Bye,

tiki4

[TactX]

Just to add another one :)

UltraEdit (http://www.ultraedit.com/) (Shareware)

Have not used it by myself, but I know some guys that are quite happy with it !

[int 21h]

I love Ultraedit. It does so many things. It will highlight based on configuration files (You can easily change the config file to supply it with proper directives, function calls, etc.), and it has nicely configurable compiling system that will allow you to compile with a commandline tool (linking that tool into the menu, and providing a nice shortcut key for it, then redirecting the output into a status box in Ultraedit allowing you to use it as an IDE). I believe by default it comes highlighting Java, C/C++, ASM, PERL, HTML, and perhaps some others.

[nikthebak]

Originally posted by tiki4

XEmacs, no way! I know that baby very well and I hate it! Period.


Hehe, I thought so :p

I'm not a great fan of x/emacs myself also. That's the good thing in jedit, it's multiplatform but with Windows-style GUI instead of the dreaded Unix one in xemacs. Jedit's functionality is identical if not better than xemacs' after installing few plugins.

There are plenty of editors specialized in LaTeX, I have tried at least five of them and disliked them all.

[nikthebak]

Originally posted by int 21h
I love Ultraedit. It does so many things. It will highlight based on configuration files (So if you wanted to program for say.. a TMS370, you can easily change the config file to supply it with proper directives, function calls, etc.), and it has nicely...

Now you're talking about EditPlus :D

Agreed, they're both good. But GPL'd software has it's own alluring sound...

[The Link]

It´s probably not a common editor but I begin to like the concept of "leo" more and more. Just if you are interested in the concept of litterate programming: http://personalpages.tds.net/~edream/front.html

Regards,

Tobias

[Infophreak]

TeXnicCenter: http://www.toolscenter.org/ [GPL]
Very nice editor, but it doesn't have a lot of keybindings (and the ones it has are pretty non-sensical). But they are customizeable, so that shouldn't really be a problem.

WinEdit: http://www.winedt.com/ [Shareware - 30 day trial (no working crack exists - I know this)]
The best LaTeX specific editor for Windows - Period. Nice keybindings and great syntax highlighting makes for an overall great user experience. It is worth downloading for the huge example LaTeX project that comes with it, because it uses a lot of nice formating and structuring.

[tiki4]

@all:

Thanks at all of you for so much input.

I didn't know that there is so much interest in Windows editors. It seems one has to start to write another one :D

When I'm finished with testing them all maybe then I'm old and grey :p

However thanks again, I think I'll give jedit a try.

tiki4