In this article we highlight some things to think about when installing a text editor for web development.
| Prerequisites: | You should already know about various software you need to build a website . |
|---|---|
| Objective: | Learn how to choose a text editor that best suits your needs as a web developer. |
A website consists mostly of text files, so for a fun, pleasant development experience you should choose your text editor wisely.
The sheer number of choices is a bit overwhelming, since a text editor is so basic to computer science (yes, web development is computer science). Ideally, you'd try as many editors as you can and get a feel for what suits your workflow. But we'll give you some pointers for getting started.
Here are the primary questions you should consider:
Notice we didn't mention price. Obviously, that matters too, but a product's cost has little connection with its quality or capability. There's a big chance you'll find a suitable text editor for free.
Here are some popular editors:
| 编者 | 许可 | Price | OS | 支持 | Doc. | Extensible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atom | MIT/BSD | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | 论坛 | Online Manual | Yes |
| Bluefish | GPL 3 | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | Mailing list , wiki | Online Manual | Yes |
| Brackets | MIT/BSD | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | 论坛 , IRC (互联网中继聊天) | GitHub Wiki | Yes |
| Coda | Closed source | $99 | Mac | Twitter , 论坛 , 电子邮件 | eBook | Yes |
| CodeLobster | Closed source | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | 论坛 , 电子邮件 | Online Manual | Yes |
| Emacs | GPL 3 | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | FAQ , Mailing list , News Group | Online Manual | Yes |
| Espresso | Closed source | $75 | Mac | FAQ , 电子邮件 |
No end user doc,
but plug-in doc |
Yes |
| Gedit | GPL | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | Mailing list , IRC (互联网中继聊天) | Online Manual | Yes |
| Kate | LGPL, GPL | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | Mailing list , IRC (互联网中继聊天) | Online Manual | Yes |
| Komodo Edit | MPL | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | 论坛 | Online Manual | Yes |
| Notepad++ | GPL | Free | Windows | 论坛 | Wiki | Yes |
| PSPad | Closed source | Free | Windows | FAQ , 论坛 | Online Help | Yes |
| Sublime Text | Closed source | $70 | Windows, Mac, Linux | 论坛 | Official , Unofficial | Yes |
| TextMate | Closed source | $50 | Mac | Twitter , IRC (互联网中继聊天) , Mailing list , 电子邮件 | Online Manual , Wiki | Yes |
| TextWrangler | Closed source | Free | Mac | FAQ , 论坛 | PDF Manual | No |
| Vim | Specific open license | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | Mailing list | Online Manual | Yes |
| Visual Studio 代码 | Open Source under MIT license/ Specific license for product | Free | Windows, Mac, Linux | FAQ | 文档编制 | Yes |
In this active learning section, we would like you to try using and/or installing a text editor of your choice. Your computer may already be installed with one of the editors suggested above (e.g. Gedit if you use GNOME desktop, Kate if you use KDE etc.), if not then you should try installing one or more text editors of your choosing.
Try digging through the settings of your editor and read the manual or documentation to see what its capabilities are. In particular (if possible in your editor), try to:
While you're learning the default settings of most text editors should be fine to use, but it is important to become familiar with your chosen tools, so you can select the best one for your usage. You will learn more about customizing your editors and tools as you gain experience, and more importantly you will learn what features are more useful to your purposes.
So, in more detail, what should you be thinking about when you choose a text editor?
Of course it's your choice. However, some editors are only available for certain OSs, so if you like switching back and forth, that would narrow down the possibilities. Any text editor can get the job done, if it runs on your system, but a cross-platform editor eases migration from OS to OS.
So first find out which OS you're using, and then check if a given editor supports your OS. Most editors specify on their website whether they support Windows or Mac, though some editors only support certain versions (say, only Windows 7 or later and not Vista). If you're running Ubuntu, your best bet is to search within the Ubuntu Software Center. In general, of course, the Linux/UNIX world is a pretty diverse place where different distros work with different, incompatible packaging systems. That means, if you've set your heart on an obscure text editor, you may have to compile it from source yourself (not for the faint-hearted).
Generally speaking, any text editor can open any text file. That works great for writing notes to yourself, but when you're doing web development and writing in HTML , CSS ，和 JavaScript , you can produce some pretty large, complex files. Make it easier on yourself by choosing a text editor that understands the technologies you're working with. Many text editors help you out with features like:
Most text editors now support syntax highlighting, but not necessarily the other two features. Make sure in particular that your text editor supports highlighting for HTML , CSS ，和 JavaScript .
It depends on your needs and plans. These functionalities are often helpful:
An extensible editor comes with fewer built-in features, but can be extended based on your needs.
If you aren't sure which features you want, or your favorite editor lacks those features out of the box, look for an extensible editor. The best editors provide many plugins, and ideally a way to look for and install new plugins automatically.
If you like lots of features and your editor is slowing down because of all your plugins, try using an IDE (integrated development environment). An IDE provides many tools in one interface and it's a bit daunting for beginners, but always an option if your text editor feels too limited. Here are some popular IDEs:
It's always good to know if you can get help or not when using software. For text editors, check for two different kinds of support:
Use the written documentation when you're learning how to use the editor. Get in touch with other users if you're troubleshooting while installing or using the editor.
Well, that's a matter of taste, but some people like customizing every bit of the UI (user interface), from colors to button positions. Editors vary widely in flexibility, so check beforehand. It's not hard to find a text editor that can change color scheme, but if you want hefty customizing you may be better off with an IDE.
Installing a text editor is usually quite straightforward. The method varies based on your platform but it shouldn't be too hard:
.exe
or
.msi
file. Sometimes the software comes in a compressed archive like
.zip
,
.7z
，或
.rar
, and in that case you'll need to install an additional program to extract the content from the archive. Windows supports
.zip
默认情况下。
.dmg
file. Some text editors you can find directly in the Apple Store to make installation even simpler.
.deb
or
.rpm
file for prepackaged software, but most of the time you'll have to use your distro's repository server or, in worst case scenario, compile your editor from source. Take the time to carefully check the installation instructions on the text editor's website.
When you install a new text editor, your OS will probably continue to open text files with its default editor until you change the file association . These instructions will help you specify that your OS should open files in your preferred editor when you double-click them:
Now that you have a good text editor, you could take some time to finalize your basic working environment , or, if you want to play with it right away, write your very first web page .
最后修改： , 由 MDN 贡献者