8 ms·

Textadept: fast, minimalist, and Lua-extensible cross-platform text editor

89 points by amarsahinovic 14y ago

akkartik 14y ago
I just tried it out and parts of the ncurses UI seems less responsive than I'm used to in vim. For example, try hitting ctrl-alt-f for incremental find, then hit esc to leave it. It seems to take a second to exit incremental find mode. Does anybody else see this?
anonymouz 14y ago
> Unparalleled extensibility. A bold claim to make when your competition includes Vim and Emacs. Is there some kind of feature comparison somewhere? Or any particular highlights? The feature list is a nice start, but basically what I would expect of any decent editor anyway (except for code completion).
- Breakthrough 14y ago
  Don't forget about Notepad++ (Windows only though) and Sublime Text (best text rendering I've seen yet), which I'd argue are also valid comparisons - yes, even to Vim/Emacs. That being said, I did have a quick look through the Textadept manual, and there are quite indeed a few useful and unique features... Whether or not this indicates "unparalled" extensibility though, is another matter all together.
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    Textadept is build on top of the Scintilla engine like Scite and Notepad++.
  - MaggieL 14y ago
    If you're already running Java, jedit.org is worthy of your attention in this area. Extensible with Beanshell, or with plugins written in Java.
  - eikenberry 14y ago
    IMO you can't compare an editor to Vim/Emacs if it can't run in a console.
    - yen223 14y ago
      IMO Vim is highly overrated, and its only selling point is that it can run in a console.
- e12e 14y ago
  The fact that this has a small core of C and Lua, according to the website, is a much better selling point than "unparalleled extensibility". I don't think even most Vim fans would claim vim is "as extensible" as Emacs -- while maybe on paper -- not really. I prefer Vim, but it's hard to argue with the sentiment that "Emacs is a nice operating system". Still with proper support for Lua, I suspect it might be forced to do a lot of the same things Emacs can be forced to do (such as email, for instance). Not sure if I want an editor that does all that. Yes, I'm aware Vim can be made do a lot of stuff like that as well, I just don't think quite as many users actually enjoy using Vim like that -- as does Emacs users. I might be wrong of course.
  - irahul 14y ago
    > I don't think even most Vim fans would claim vim is "as extensible" as Emacs Vim fan reporting. Apart from async(which Vim can't do), Vim is as extensible as Emacs in letter and spirit. Considering that you are vowing vim allegiance, I think tpope's plugins would have made it pretty obvious how extensible vim is. > Still with proper support for Lua, I suspect it might be forced to do a lot of the same things Emacs can be forced to do Again, async. Vim can't and won't do async. If vim starts supporting async execution, vimscript will wrap existing imap, smtp implementation and update the ui. I am guessing emacs does the same. If it doesn't, I am in complete awe - not by the extensibility but by the pointlessness of implementing smtp server in elisp.
    - kindahero 14y ago
      > Vim is as extensible as Emacs in letter and spirit. without knowing Emacs how could you claim that. Actually Emacs comes with smtp written in elisp[1] and IMHO Emacs is more customizable than Vim. But I won't say Emacs is better than Vim. Peace.. [1] http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/smtpmail/Emacs-Speaks-SMTP.html#Emacs-Speaks-SMTP http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/smtpmail/...
      - irahul 14y ago
        > without knowing Emacs how could you claim that. Where did I say I don't know emacs? I don't know what is emacs's mail support implemented in doesn't mean I don't know emacs. > Actually Emacs comes with smtp written in elisp[1] I said: "If it doesn't, I am in complete awe - not by the extensibility but by the pointlessness of implementing smtp server in elisp." Implementing a smtp lib that talks to a smtp server is different from implementing a smtp server. > IMHO Emacs is more customizable than Vim. I have used Vim and Emacs for considerable length of time. I ended up choosing Vim and use it as my main editor. I have read source for many plugins in both Vim and Emacs. Vim is as extensible as Emacs. I won't debate how elisp is better or worse than Vimscript, because that doesn't affect extensibility.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  > A bold claim to make when your competition includes Vim and Emacs. The code base is actually small and mostly written in Lua, so that it is actually possible to change the editor to your liking.
  - irahul 14y ago
    > The code base is actually small and mostly written in Lua, so that it is actually possible to change the editor to your liking. When I say extensibility, that's not what I mean. Code is available and it's small and mostly written in Lua - that's all good. But I don't want to mess with core because then syncing upstream is a huge pain. The only interface I want to deal with the extension interface. I haven't looked at the api yet, but I am skeptic about the claims. Vim has vimscript, Emacs has elisp, sublime has python...Editors has been providing extension interface for a long time.
    - rainysunday 14y ago
      Understood. I think it is still useful to have a small core base that you can read and understand and adapt if you want to. Don't like the GUI open file dialogs? Someone did a text based interface: http://nilnor.github.com/textredux/tour.html http://nilnor.github.com/textredux/tour.html No need to sync back upstream. I agree with you that 'Unparalleled extensibility.' might be a bold and difficult to actually prove claim.
      - irahul 14y ago
        > No need to sync back upstream. The canon doesn't need my changes but I need the canon changes. If I change the core, I will have to selectively merge whenever updates happen. It's great that core is small and can directly be changed, but I think that should be advertised as the last resort.
dysoco 14y ago
Looks interesting, does it support TTY mode? I might try it.
- e12e 14y ago
  From the link: > "The version of Textadept for the terminal requires only ncurses." I suppose that would fit? I notice that some keyboard bindings[1] are different in "Terminal"-mode (I suspect that means in terminal on GNU/Linux and possibly *BSD, but I suppose it might include MS Windows cmd.com (if supported) and OS X Terminal as well) -- as compared to the GUI-variants (MS Windows and OS X appear to just substitute control for command - while the "Terminal"-variant uses e.g. meta-control-n, rather than just meta-n or control-n for new file). I think I'll stick with VIM, thanks. Still having another powerful editor available isn't a bad thing. [1] http://foicica.com/textadept/api/_M.textadept.keys.html#Key.Bindings http://foicica.com/textadept/api/_M.textadept.keys.html#Key....
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    The terminal version works only on Unix/BSD, but it was only introduced in 5.5. (Which means there might be glitches as well on Linux.)
marcusramberg 14y ago
Have you seen the scroll bars on this thing? Or the Icon? No way I'm using this on OSX...
- farmdawgnation 14y ago
  Agreed. Whoever suggested this thing is a good fit for OS X should be harpooned by the ghost of Steve Jobs.
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    I do use this on OS X and agree that it does not look quite 'native'. It might be possible to port Textadept to be fully native. Scite, which uses the same Scintilla engine, is available as a native OS X app. It might also be possible to tweak the GTK layouts for the OS X version.
    - nilium 14y ago
      I don't think sticking with GTK for the OS X version is a wise idea. It really just needs to go Cocoa or not bother, since right now it's downright unpleasant to use for me. Scrolling through text using a trackpad, for example, feels completely unnatural next to the rest of the OS X UI (horizontal scrolling appears to barely work at all - vertical scrolling isn't too bad but there is something very off about it). I think the decision to go with GTK for the OS X version was just a poor choice and probably not one made by anyone who uses OS X often. In the meantime, I guess I'll go look at the source and see what kind of changes would need to be made to use Cocoa in place of GTK on OS X.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- PedroBatista 14y ago
  Imagine your friends see this app running on your computer, i mean gooosh.... whatevahhh they wouldn't invite you to their minimalism exquisite design parties anymore.
dotmanish 14y ago
Suggestion about the website: Please include a separate section called "Screenshots". A lot of people directly click there to get a feel of the software before they download.
- leke 14y ago
  A video tutorial too would be awesome.
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    Not a video tutorial, but a demo of some Zen-Coding-like HTML editing on YouTube from 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA
- amarsahinovic 14y ago
  Screenshot with dark theme: http://i.imgur.com/oqByS.png http://i.imgur.com/oqByS.png
  - tern 14y ago
    Scrollbar chrome makes me instantly lose interest. If there was a screenshot without this (is there a terminal version?), I would regain interest. Screenshots are important especially to people like me who may or may not care. They're the fastest way for a potential user to answer the question: is this worth caring about at all. Some questions you can answer with screenshots: - Does it run on my platform? - Are there any glaringly ugly things about it that will be a dealbreaker? - Is it more beautiful/cool than what I'm already using? - To what extent can it be customized? - What kind of people are using it (if you have user screenshots)?
    - rainysunday 14y ago
      I can't point you to a screenshot, but scrollbars are easy to hide: buffer.v_scroll_bar = false
    - 14y ago
leke 14y ago
Just tried the Linux version and I like it! If the Windows version is portable, I'll carry it around on my USB stick.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  The Windows version is quite portable if you manually set the .textadept home to your USB stick. A while ago I wrote a Portable Apps launcher [1] that did that automatically for you, haven't used it in quite a while though. (I wrote this before GTK was included in the Windows package.) [1] https://github.com/rgieseke/textadept-portable https://github.com/rgieseke/textadept-portable
majke 14y ago
And a youtube video showing Textadept with some third party plugin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA
rymith 14y ago
What does this do that Vim doesn't? I'm just not sure I see any selling points. You can extend Vim with Lua, vim has multiple viewports, support for hundreds of languages, and all the other features like code complete, etc... What itch is this supposed to scratch, that something like Vim, a proven project, cannot? I understand that every developer wants to carve his name out and be king of his own sandcastle. But as a rule, I don't support that unless the developer has really thought about the problem and decided that a new project was the only way to solve a problem.
- irahul 14y ago
  > What does this do that Vim doesn't? It's not vim. That alone will be a selling point for a vast majority.
  - TallboyOne 14y ago
    I didn't realize a vast majority were nincompoops.
    - irahul 14y ago
      >> It's not vim. That alone will be a selling point for a vast majority. > I didn't realize a vast majority were nincompoops. I am a long time vim user. Where do I get in line for obtaining my free-with-vim pretentiousness and douchbagginess? Or it doesn't come with Vim and it's just you?
      - TallboyOne 14y ago
        At least you found the line for cant see when someone's being facetious.
        irahul 14y ago
        > At least you found the line for cant see when someone's being facetious You are a fucking asshole. Ha, ha. Just kidding. You just don't get my flippant sense of humor. Sorry. This doesn't work for me. Being facetious is different from being a jerk.
osa1 14y ago
let's see when will first vi plugin for it come out..
autotravis 14y ago
Does the "toggle block comment" option actually work (Ctrl+/)? Tried it with python (file saved with .py ext and syntax highlighting even showed up), but couldn't comment with that keybinding... edit: block commenting didn't even work when selecting it from the Edit menu.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  By default comment strings are not defined in core Textadept. Add them like this: http://foicica.com/wiki/comment-supplemental http://foicica.com/wiki/comment-supplemental Or install the Python language module: http://foicica.com/hg/python/ http://foicica.com/hg/python/
  - autotravis 14y ago
    Awesome, thanks. I just added that comment string def to init.lua and it works great. Edit: why is this not there by default? I'm not sure any developer would not want a block commenting function...
optymizer 14y ago
<rant>That's great. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to vim and gcc, because I don't have a cross-platform open source IDE that has been "relentlessly optimized" for my language of choice, to look slick, to not consume gigs of RAM and to not stop the world while I'm typing some text. What I have is a long list of text editors. Oh, here's another one. That's great.</rant>
pepve 14y ago
About that extensibility, would it be possible to implement inline diffs? (Paint margin green for added lines, show a red marker for deleted lines.)
- rainysunday 14y ago
  The (deprecated) debug module has some screen shots that show margin markers: http://foicica.com/wiki/lua-debugger http://foicica.com/wiki/lua-debugger The styling and symbol choice is configurable. Not sure how inline diff works though (for deleted lines), do you have an example in another editor?
  - pepve 14y ago
    Here is how Netbeans does it: http://netbeans.org/projects/versioncontrol/pages/Git_ui#Inline_diff_-_show_local_modifications_in_a_files_sidebar http://netbeans.org/projects/versioncontrol/pages/Git_ui#Inl...
    - rainysunday 14y ago
      What I see on the screenshots there should be possible in Textadept.
skymt 14y ago
It's a little off-putting that the documentation brags about the low line count without mentioning the use of Scintilla, which already implements most of a text editor. Still, I'm willing to give it a try.
spullara 14y ago
Sadly, on the Mac, this doesn't feel like a native application and things like changing the size of the window are broken. Also, a horizontal scrollbar appearing in an empty text window is strange. Might work great on Linux and I like the idea but the execution on Mac leaves a lot to be desired.
- godDLL 14y ago
  Yeah, I tried the 'source-map' layout but it won't remember the zoom levels when re-opening a session. http://i.imgur.com/mxYO0.png http://i.imgur.com/mxYO0.png And it doesn't use Exposé for windows, at all. That's a shame. I'd like to have several editor windows open, with separate buffer lists. I like where they're going with it, but are they there yet? Meh.
dualogy 14y ago
OK, so I find Sublime Text 2 extremely perfect for my needs... now how does this thing beat pure perfection? ;)
- polarix 14y ago
  I had a similar question, and looked through the docs... Textadept does not appear to have multiple select features on par with SublimeText. But then again who does?
- SeanDav 14y ago
  I tried using Sublime Text 2 but it has no ability to toggle automatic updating of changed files, unlike Notepad++ for example.
  - dualogy 14y ago
    Yeah it does auto-update changed files by default, but you can enable the option to highlight unsaved files more prominently (should be on by default really) so such cases for me always show up on my radar immediately. And then a simple Ctrl+Z reverts the file to whatever was in that editor-buffer beforehand.
crazydiamond 14y ago
Has anyone tried this out in terminal (ncurses version). I get an error on osx, so i can't load a file. I get this if I give a file on command line. > ....0.osx/Textadept.app/Contents/Resources/core/file_io.lua:143: bad argument #1 to 'iconv' (string expected, got nil) Open file (M-S-O) does nothing. Tried C-u (snapopen) and get a similar iconv error: > pt.app/Contents/Resources/modules/textadept/snapopen.lua:67: bad argument #1 to 'iconv' (string expected, I am executing the textadept-ncurses.osx file. Thx. Please note that <backspace> is acting like a TAB but C-h is working correctly.
eikenberry 14y ago
I didn't see this in the Debian repository yet? Years of experience have taught me that 99% of the time if a project isn't in the Debian repo it isn't mature yes or useful to more than a small niche and probably not worth my time. The 1% that is missing there is when I am part of the small niche. Not meant as an attack or anything. Just an observation and possibly a 'marketing' suggestion if you'd like more users.

89 points by amarsahinovic 14y ago

I just tried it out and parts of the ncurses UI seems less responsive than I'm used to in vim. For example, try hitting ctrl-alt-f for incremental find, then hit esc to leave it. It seems to take a second to exit incremental find mode. Does anybody else see this?

anonymouz 14y ago

> Unparalleled extensibility. A bold claim to make when your competition includes Vim and Emacs. Is there some kind of feature comparison somewhere? Or any particular highlights? The feature list is a nice start, but basically what I would expect of any decent editor anyway (except for code completion).

Breakthrough 14y ago
Don't forget about Notepad++ (Windows only though) and Sublime Text (best text rendering I've seen yet), which I'd argue are also valid comparisons - yes, even to Vim/Emacs. That being said, I did have a quick look through the Textadept manual, and there are quite indeed a few useful and unique features... Whether or not this indicates "unparalled" extensibility though, is another matter all together.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  Textadept is build on top of the Scintilla engine like Scite and Notepad++.
- MaggieL 14y ago
  If you're already running Java, jedit.org is worthy of your attention in this area. Extensible with Beanshell, or with plugins written in Java.
- eikenberry 14y ago
  IMO you can't compare an editor to Vim/Emacs if it can't run in a console.
  - yen223 14y ago
    IMO Vim is highly overrated, and its only selling point is that it can run in a console.
e12e 14y ago
The fact that this has a small core of C and Lua, according to the website, is a much better selling point than "unparalleled extensibility". I don't think even most Vim fans would claim vim is "as extensible" as Emacs -- while maybe on paper -- not really. I prefer Vim, but it's hard to argue with the sentiment that "Emacs is a nice operating system". Still with proper support for Lua, I suspect it might be forced to do a lot of the same things Emacs can be forced to do (such as email, for instance). Not sure if I want an editor that does all that. Yes, I'm aware Vim can be made do a lot of stuff like that as well, I just don't think quite as many users actually enjoy using Vim like that -- as does Emacs users. I might be wrong of course.
- irahul 14y ago
  > I don't think even most Vim fans would claim vim is "as extensible" as Emacs Vim fan reporting. Apart from async(which Vim can't do), Vim is as extensible as Emacs in letter and spirit. Considering that you are vowing vim allegiance, I think tpope's plugins would have made it pretty obvious how extensible vim is. > Still with proper support for Lua, I suspect it might be forced to do a lot of the same things Emacs can be forced to do Again, async. Vim can't and won't do async. If vim starts supporting async execution, vimscript will wrap existing imap, smtp implementation and update the ui. I am guessing emacs does the same. If it doesn't, I am in complete awe - not by the extensibility but by the pointlessness of implementing smtp server in elisp.
  - kindahero 14y ago
    > Vim is as extensible as Emacs in letter and spirit. without knowing Emacs how could you claim that. Actually Emacs comes with smtp written in elisp[1] and IMHO Emacs is more customizable than Vim. But I won't say Emacs is better than Vim. Peace.. [1] http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/smtpmail/Emacs-Speaks-SMTP.html#Emacs-Speaks-SMTP http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/smtpmail/...
    - irahul 14y ago
      > without knowing Emacs how could you claim that. Where did I say I don't know emacs? I don't know what is emacs's mail support implemented in doesn't mean I don't know emacs. > Actually Emacs comes with smtp written in elisp[1] I said: "If it doesn't, I am in complete awe - not by the extensibility but by the pointlessness of implementing smtp server in elisp." Implementing a smtp lib that talks to a smtp server is different from implementing a smtp server. > IMHO Emacs is more customizable than Vim. I have used Vim and Emacs for considerable length of time. I ended up choosing Vim and use it as my main editor. I have read source for many plugins in both Vim and Emacs. Vim is as extensible as Emacs. I won't debate how elisp is better or worse than Vimscript, because that doesn't affect extensibility.
rainysunday 14y ago
> A bold claim to make when your competition includes Vim and Emacs. The code base is actually small and mostly written in Lua, so that it is actually possible to change the editor to your liking.
- irahul 14y ago
  > The code base is actually small and mostly written in Lua, so that it is actually possible to change the editor to your liking. When I say extensibility, that's not what I mean. Code is available and it's small and mostly written in Lua - that's all good. But I don't want to mess with core because then syncing upstream is a huge pain. The only interface I want to deal with the extension interface. I haven't looked at the api yet, but I am skeptic about the claims. Vim has vimscript, Emacs has elisp, sublime has python...Editors has been providing extension interface for a long time.
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    Understood. I think it is still useful to have a small core base that you can read and understand and adapt if you want to. Don't like the GUI open file dialogs? Someone did a text based interface: http://nilnor.github.com/textredux/tour.html http://nilnor.github.com/textredux/tour.html No need to sync back upstream. I agree with you that 'Unparalleled extensibility.' might be a bold and difficult to actually prove claim.
    - irahul 14y ago
      > No need to sync back upstream. The canon doesn't need my changes but I need the canon changes. If I change the core, I will have to selectively merge whenever updates happen. It's great that core is small and can directly be changed, but I think that should be advertised as the last resort.

dysoco 14y ago

Looks interesting, does it support TTY mode? I might try it.

e12e 14y ago
From the link: > "The version of Textadept for the terminal requires only ncurses." I suppose that would fit? I notice that some keyboard bindings[1] are different in "Terminal"-mode (I suspect that means in terminal on GNU/Linux and possibly *BSD, but I suppose it might include MS Windows cmd.com (if supported) and OS X Terminal as well) -- as compared to the GUI-variants (MS Windows and OS X appear to just substitute control for command - while the "Terminal"-variant uses e.g. meta-control-n, rather than just meta-n or control-n for new file). I think I'll stick with VIM, thanks. Still having another powerful editor available isn't a bad thing. [1] http://foicica.com/textadept/api/_M.textadept.keys.html#Key.Bindings http://foicica.com/textadept/api/_M.textadept.keys.html#Key....
- rainysunday 14y ago
  The terminal version works only on Unix/BSD, but it was only introduced in 5.5. (Which means there might be glitches as well on Linux.)

marcusramberg 14y ago

Have you seen the scroll bars on this thing? Or the Icon? No way I'm using this on OSX...

farmdawgnation 14y ago
Agreed. Whoever suggested this thing is a good fit for OS X should be harpooned by the ghost of Steve Jobs.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  I do use this on OS X and agree that it does not look quite 'native'. It might be possible to port Textadept to be fully native. Scite, which uses the same Scintilla engine, is available as a native OS X app. It might also be possible to tweak the GTK layouts for the OS X version.
  - nilium 14y ago
    I don't think sticking with GTK for the OS X version is a wise idea. It really just needs to go Cocoa or not bother, since right now it's downright unpleasant to use for me. Scrolling through text using a trackpad, for example, feels completely unnatural next to the rest of the OS X UI (horizontal scrolling appears to barely work at all - vertical scrolling isn't too bad but there is something very off about it). I think the decision to go with GTK for the OS X version was just a poor choice and probably not one made by anyone who uses OS X often. In the meantime, I guess I'll go look at the source and see what kind of changes would need to be made to use Cocoa in place of GTK on OS X.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
PedroBatista 14y ago
Imagine your friends see this app running on your computer, i mean gooosh.... whatevahhh they wouldn't invite you to their minimalism exquisite design parties anymore.

dotmanish 14y ago

Suggestion about the website: Please include a separate section called "Screenshots". A lot of people directly click there to get a feel of the software before they download.

leke 14y ago
A video tutorial too would be awesome.
- rainysunday 14y ago
  Not a video tutorial, but a demo of some Zen-Coding-like HTML editing on YouTube from 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA
amarsahinovic 14y ago
Screenshot with dark theme: http://i.imgur.com/oqByS.png http://i.imgur.com/oqByS.png
- tern 14y ago
  Scrollbar chrome makes me instantly lose interest. If there was a screenshot without this (is there a terminal version?), I would regain interest. Screenshots are important especially to people like me who may or may not care. They're the fastest way for a potential user to answer the question: is this worth caring about at all. Some questions you can answer with screenshots: - Does it run on my platform? - Are there any glaringly ugly things about it that will be a dealbreaker? - Is it more beautiful/cool than what I'm already using? - To what extent can it be customized? - What kind of people are using it (if you have user screenshots)?
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    I can't point you to a screenshot, but scrollbars are easy to hide: buffer.v_scroll_bar = false
  - 14y ago

leke 14y ago

Just tried the Linux version and I like it! If the Windows version is portable, I'll carry it around on my USB stick.

rainysunday 14y ago
The Windows version is quite portable if you manually set the .textadept home to your USB stick. A while ago I wrote a Portable Apps launcher [1] that did that automatically for you, haven't used it in quite a while though. (I wrote this before GTK was included in the Windows package.) [1] https://github.com/rgieseke/textadept-portable https://github.com/rgieseke/textadept-portable

majke 14y ago

And a youtube video showing Textadept with some third party plugin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAinGsc7dA

rymith 14y ago

What does this do that Vim doesn't? I'm just not sure I see any selling points. You can extend Vim with Lua, vim has multiple viewports, support for hundreds of languages, and all the other features like code complete, etc... What itch is this supposed to scratch, that something like Vim, a proven project, cannot? I understand that every developer wants to carve his name out and be king of his own sandcastle. But as a rule, I don't support that unless the developer has really thought about the problem and decided that a new project was the only way to solve a problem.

irahul 14y ago
> What does this do that Vim doesn't? It's not vim. That alone will be a selling point for a vast majority.
- TallboyOne 14y ago
  I didn't realize a vast majority were nincompoops.
  - irahul 14y ago
    >> It's not vim. That alone will be a selling point for a vast majority. > I didn't realize a vast majority were nincompoops. I am a long time vim user. Where do I get in line for obtaining my free-with-vim pretentiousness and douchbagginess? Or it doesn't come with Vim and it's just you?
    - TallboyOne 14y ago
      At least you found the line for cant see when someone's being facetious.
      - irahul 14y ago
        > At least you found the line for cant see when someone's being facetious You are a fucking asshole. Ha, ha. Just kidding. You just don't get my flippant sense of humor. Sorry. This doesn't work for me. Being facetious is different from being a jerk.

osa1 14y ago

let's see when will first vi plugin for it come out..

autotravis 14y ago

Does the "toggle block comment" option actually work (Ctrl+/)? Tried it with python (file saved with .py ext and syntax highlighting even showed up), but couldn't comment with that keybinding... edit: block commenting didn't even work when selecting it from the Edit menu.

rainysunday 14y ago
By default comment strings are not defined in core Textadept. Add them like this: http://foicica.com/wiki/comment-supplemental http://foicica.com/wiki/comment-supplemental Or install the Python language module: http://foicica.com/hg/python/ http://foicica.com/hg/python/
- autotravis 14y ago
  Awesome, thanks. I just added that comment string def to init.lua and it works great. Edit: why is this not there by default? I'm not sure any developer would not want a block commenting function...

optymizer 14y ago

<rant>That's great. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to vim and gcc, because I don't have a cross-platform open source IDE that has been "relentlessly optimized" for my language of choice, to look slick, to not consume gigs of RAM and to not stop the world while I'm typing some text. What I have is a long list of text editors. Oh, here's another one. That's great.</rant>

pepve 14y ago

About that extensibility, would it be possible to implement inline diffs? (Paint margin green for added lines, show a red marker for deleted lines.)

rainysunday 14y ago
The (deprecated) debug module has some screen shots that show margin markers: http://foicica.com/wiki/lua-debugger http://foicica.com/wiki/lua-debugger The styling and symbol choice is configurable. Not sure how inline diff works though (for deleted lines), do you have an example in another editor?
- pepve 14y ago
  Here is how Netbeans does it: http://netbeans.org/projects/versioncontrol/pages/Git_ui#Inline_diff_-_show_local_modifications_in_a_files_sidebar http://netbeans.org/projects/versioncontrol/pages/Git_ui#Inl...
  - rainysunday 14y ago
    What I see on the screenshots there should be possible in Textadept.

skymt 14y ago

It's a little off-putting that the documentation brags about the low line count without mentioning the use of Scintilla, which already implements most of a text editor. Still, I'm willing to give it a try.

spullara 14y ago

Sadly, on the Mac, this doesn't feel like a native application and things like changing the size of the window are broken. Also, a horizontal scrollbar appearing in an empty text window is strange. Might work great on Linux and I like the idea but the execution on Mac leaves a lot to be desired.

godDLL 14y ago
Yeah, I tried the 'source-map' layout but it won't remember the zoom levels when re-opening a session. http://i.imgur.com/mxYO0.png http://i.imgur.com/mxYO0.png And it doesn't use Exposé for windows, at all. That's a shame. I'd like to have several editor windows open, with separate buffer lists. I like where they're going with it, but are they there yet? Meh.

dualogy 14y ago

OK, so I find Sublime Text 2 extremely perfect for my needs... now how does this thing beat pure perfection? ;)

polarix 14y ago
I had a similar question, and looked through the docs... Textadept does not appear to have multiple select features on par with SublimeText. But then again who does?
SeanDav 14y ago
I tried using Sublime Text 2 but it has no ability to toggle automatic updating of changed files, unlike Notepad++ for example.
- dualogy 14y ago
  Yeah it does auto-update changed files by default, but you can enable the option to highlight unsaved files more prominently (should be on by default really) so such cases for me always show up on my radar immediately. And then a simple Ctrl+Z reverts the file to whatever was in that editor-buffer beforehand.

crazydiamond 14y ago

Has anyone tried this out in terminal (ncurses version). I get an error on osx, so i can't load a file. I get this if I give a file on command line. > ....0.osx/Textadept.app/Contents/Resources/core/file_io.lua:143: bad argument #1 to 'iconv' (string expected, got nil) Open file (M-S-O) does nothing. Tried C-u (snapopen) and get a similar iconv error: > pt.app/Contents/Resources/modules/textadept/snapopen.lua:67: bad argument #1 to 'iconv' (string expected, I am executing the textadept-ncurses.osx file. Thx. Please note that <backspace> is acting like a TAB but C-h is working correctly.

eikenberry 14y ago

I didn't see this in the Debian repository yet? Years of experience have taught me that 99% of the time if a project isn't in the Debian repo it isn't mature yes or useful to more than a small niche and probably not worth my time. The 1% that is missing there is when I am part of the small niche. Not meant as an attack or anything. Just an observation and possibly a 'marketing' suggestion if you'd like more users.