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Which text editor for web design?

definitive

definitive

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 4, 2008
2,088
1,020
Could someone recommend me a free text editor for Mac (10.6 compatible) that has more features (such as html code highlighting, etc) than the regular TextEdit? I've read that TextWranger was good, but are there any others that might be better? Also prefer that it would be easy to use, and maybe tabbed (like CS4 DreamWeaver).
 
Aside from Dreamweaver, I sometimes use Smultron. It's not feature-packed, but it has tabs (I think), code highlighting, code snippets, allows you to group related files into projects and it's free and very Mac-like. Unfortunately, it's not being developed anymore although the latest (last?) version is 10.6 compatible.
 
+1 for Komodo Edit.

It is a little heavy but nowhere near as bad as Dreamweaver. I love all of the features it has and considering it is free it is, in my opinion, one of the best.
 
Dreamweaver is probably the best choice since it does so much. Smultron is an awesome editor for hand coding, but it is not as good and doesn't have as many features.

I would go with dreamweaver. It really depend on your budget and needs.
 
Angelo95210 said:
Ohh man!! You guys forgot the best one!!
No seriously talking BBEdit is great, or TextWrangler is you want the free version.
Click to expand...

No, you just forgot to read the OP, which mentions he's currently using TextWrangler ;)

TextWrangler is my free choice, though I use BBEdit as my paid favorite.
 
For free, easy HTML editing, put me down as a +1 for TextWrangler. I'm not an expert but here's my site that I completely coded in TextWrangler: http://www.blackbackstudio.com.

Check out my stylesheet's source code too, cuz TextWrangler makes it easy to create very organized HTML.
 
I agree with the previous post that BBEdit is more than worth the price. Text Wrangler is a nice, free choice. I used jEdit for years and like it alot, but it is a little slower than BBEdit and Text Wrangler.
 
definitive said:
Could someone recommend me a free text editor for Mac (10.6 compatible) that has more features (such as html code highlighting, etc) than the regular TextEdit? I've read that TextWranger was good, but are there any others that might be better? Also prefer that it would be easy to use, and maybe tabbed (like CS4 DreamWeaver).
Click to expand...

I mostly use Dreamweaver anymore, but I've used Komodo Edit and Textwrangler. I think that'd make me a +1 for Textwrangler.
 
Angelo95210 said:
Shame on me... :eek: Sometimes I even wonder if it 's worth it to pay for BBedit as Textwrangler is already so good...
Click to expand...

Depends if you need the extra functionality that BBEdit offers. The Markup menu does have some nice features, like translating HTML entities back and forth, but that's easy enough to write up in AppleScript and add into TextWrangler. One feature I do like in BBEdit that TW doesn't have is the integration with CVS and Subversion. If my work place hadn't bought me BBEdit though, I don't think I would have bought it myself and I feel for what I do, TW would be sufficient, plus the scripts I've written and integrated into it.
 
I go back and forth between bbedit, textmate and coda. I like how textmate and coda works so I typically stick with them. While I love the features of bbedit, it has a feel of bloatness and the slow start up times (compared to the other two) seem to confirm this.
 
I love Textwrangler. Between regex search/replace and the ability to provide syntax highlighting for every programming language I've ever encountered, nothing quite matches it (well, except BBEdit).
 
I'm learning Dreamweaver, but it sure does have a steep learning curve. Some of my classmates have pretty much mastered it, but Im not there by a long way yet. Though once I have a good page, I can keep and modify it, and it makes my sites look consistent.
I'm still using TextEdit, but TextWrangler is another one that my classmates recommend.
Those are the three I use, but Im still pretty much a beginner at this, and my sites are pretty basic, as Im mostly into family pictures, slide shows, and albums.
 
What about TextMate? It's not free, but outperforms any and every other editor that I tried...just a suggestion - it's only a few £ :)
 
I find that Dreamweaver is too bloated for my needs. I hand code, and for free text editors, Smultron and Text Wrangler are great choices (I know you referred to Text Wrangler in your OP). I have both installed on my Macbook Pro. Komodo Edit is also worth checking out. It has syntax highlighting, html preview, code snippets and tabs etc.
 
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