Editing Kate (text editor)

{{short description|Text editor}}
{{Primary sources|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox software
| title                  = Kate
| name                   = KDE Applications
| logo                   = Sc-apps-kate-editor.svg
| logo_size              = 64x64px
| screenshot             = Kate 24.12.0 screenshot.webp
| caption                = Kate 24.12.0 in [[KDE Plasma 6]]
| developer              = [[KDE]]
| released               = {{Start date and age|2001}}
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q261933|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date    = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q261933|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q261933|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date    = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q261933|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| repo                   = {{URL|https://invent.kde.org/utilities/kate}}
| programming language   = [[C++]], [[Qt (software)|Qt]]
| operating system       = {{Plainlist|
*25 [[Linux distributions]]<ref name=send-me-to>{{cite news |title=Distribution Packages |url=http://kate-editor.org/get-it/ |newspaper=Kate |date=9 July 2010 |publisher=[[KDE]] |access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Distributions Shipping KDE |url=http://www.kde.org/download/distributions.php |website=Kde.org |publisher=[[KDE]] |access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref>
*[[Microsoft Windows]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Kate on Windows|url=http://kate-editor.org/2016/01/28/kate-on-windows/ |website=kate-editor.org |date=28 January 2016 |publisher=[[KDE]] |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref>
*[[macOS]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Kate on Mac OS|url=https://kate-editor.org/get-it/ |website=kate-editor.org |date=9 July 2010 |publisher=[[KDE]] |access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref>
}}
| genre                  = [[Source code editor]]
| license                = [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL-2.0-or-later]],  [[MIT License|MIT]]<ref>{{ cite web |title=Kate |url=https://invent.kde.org/utilities/kate |access-date=2025-04-05}}</ref>
| website                = {{Official URL}}
}}

The '''KDE Advanced Text Editor''', or '''Kate''', is a [[Source-code editor|source code editor]] developed by the [[KDE]] [[free software]] community. It has been a part of [[KDE Software Compilation]] since [[K Desktop Environment 2|version 2.2]], which was first released in 2001. Intended for software developers, it features [[syntax highlighting]], [[code folding]], customizable layouts, multiple cursors and selections, [[regular expression]] support, and extensibility via plugins. The text editor's mascot is Kate the Cyber Woodpecker.

==History==
[[File:Kate the Cyber Woodpecker mascot 2021.png|thumb|left|upright|"Kate the Cyber Woodpecker" is the current mascot of Kate editor, designed by [[Tyson Tan]] in 2021<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kate-editor.org/post/2021/2021-04-28-lets-welcome-kate-the-cyber-woodpecker/|title=Let's welcome Kate the Cyber Woodpecker|date=2021-04-28|website=Kate|access-date=2021-04-29}}</ref> and replacing the earlier version designed in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kate-editor.org/2014/10/12/kates-mascot-kate-the-woodpecker/|title=Kate's Mascotthe Woodpecker|date=2014-10-12|website=Kate {{!}} Get an Edge in Editing|access-date=2017-07-20}}</ref>]]
Kate has been part of the KDE Software Compilation since [[K Desktop Environment 2|release 2.2]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kde.org/announcements/changelogs/changelog2_1to2_2.php |title=2.1 to 2.2 Changelog |website=KDE.org |access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref> Because of [[KParts]] technology, it is possible to embed Kate as an editing component in other KDE applications. Major [[list of KDE applications|KDE applications]] which use Kate as an editing component include the [[integrated development environment]] [[KDevelop]], the web development environment Quanta Plus, and the LaTeX front-end [[Kile]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Kate has won the advanced text editor comparison in ''[[Linux Voice]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linuxvoice.com/issue-2-is-out/ |title=Issue 2 is Out! |website=LinuxVoice.com |access-date=2015-07-02 |archive-date=2015-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703184555/http://www.linuxvoice.com/issue-2-is-out/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{As of|2014|07}}, development had started to port Kate, along with [[Dolphin (file manager)|Dolphin]], [[Konsole]], [[KDE Telepathy]], and [[Yakuake]], to [[KDE Frameworks 5]].<ref>
{{cite web |url= http://www.golem.de/news/unix-desktop-kde-sc-4-14-wird-4er-reihe-abschliessen-1407-107792.html |title= KDE SC 4.14 wird 4er-Reihe abschließen|website= Golem.de |language= de |date= 2014-07-10}}</ref>

In 2022, the KDE text-editor [[KWrite]] was modified to use the same code base as Kate with deactivated features.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Larabel |first1=Michael |title=KDE Starts April With Many Fixes, KWrite Internally Using The Same Code As Kate |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=KDE-Starts-April-2022 |website=www.phoronix.com |publisher=Phoronix Media |access-date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Features==
Kate is a [[Source-code editor|source code editor]] that features syntax highlighting for over 300 file formats with code folding rules.<ref>{{cite web|title=kate.git|url=https://projects.kde.org/projects/kde/applications/kate/repository/revisions/master/show/part/syntax/data|website=Projects.KDE.org|access-date=2020-01-29|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130909103201/https://projects.kde.org/projects/kde/applications/kate/repository/revisions/master/show/part/syntax/data|archive-date=2013-09-09|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=data/syntax · master · Frameworks / Syntax Highlighting Engine · GitLab |url=https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/syntax-highlighting/-/tree/master/data/syntax |website=GitLab |access-date=11 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The syntax highlighting is extensible via [[XML]] files.<ref>{{cite web|first=Christoph |last=Cullmann |url=http://kate-editor.org/2005/03/24/writing-a-syntax-highlighting-file/ |title=Writing a Syntax Highlighting File &#124; Kate &#124; Get an Edge in Editing |website=Kate-Editor.org |date=2005-03-24 |access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref> It supports [[UTF-8]], [[UTF-16]], [[ISO-8859-1]] and [[ASCII]] [[Code page|encoding schemes]] and can detect a file's [[character encoding]] automatically.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}} Kate offers code completion and reference finding for various programming languages through its [[Language Server Protocol]] Client plugin. The default configuration supports [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]], [[D (programming language)|D]], [[Fortran]], [[Go (programming language)|Go]], [[LaTeX|Latex]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]], and [[OCaml]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cullmann |first1=Christoph |title=Kate -LSP Client Status |url=https://kate-editor.org/post/2020/2020-01-01-kate-lsp-client-status/ |website=kate-editor.org |date=January 2020 |access-date=15 June 2022}}</ref>

Kate's main text editor widget is called ''KatePart'', which is reusable under the terms of the LGPL version 2 license.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kate-editor.org/about-katepart/ |title=KatePart &#124; Kate &#124; Get an Edge in Editing |website=Kate-Editor.org |access-date=2015-07-02 |archive-date=2014-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018084936/http://kate-editor.org/about-katepart/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It must not be confused with the KParts, a KDE plugin framework for user interface components that Kate also uses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=KParts - KParts|url=https://api.kde.org/frameworks/kparts/html/index.html|access-date=2020-10-30|website=api.kde.org}}</ref>

Kate can be used as a [[mode (user interface)|modal]] text editor through its ''[[Vi (text editor)|vi]]'' input mode.<ref>{{cite web |date=2008-10-27 |url=https://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2008/11/kdes-kate-text-editor-gets-vi-input-mode.ars |title=KDE's Kate Text Editor Gets Vi Input Mode|website=ArsTechnica.com |access-date=2009-05-04}}</ref>

Kate features [[multiple document interface]], window splitting, project editing<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-11-02|url=http://kate-editor.org/2012/11/02/using-the-projects-plugin-in-kate/ |title=Using the Project Plugin in Kate |access-date=2014-09-24}}</ref> and sessions to facilitate editing multiple documents. Using ''sessions'', one can customize Kate for different projects by saving the list of open files, the list of enabled plug-ins and the window configuration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.kde.org/stable/en/applications/kate/fundamentals-using-sessions.html |title=Using Sessions |website=Docs.KDE.org |access-date=2015-07-02}}</ref>

Kate includes the KDE [[terminal emulator]] [[Konsole]] through its Terminal Tool View plugin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Terminal Tool View Plugin |url=https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/kate/kate/kate-application-plugin-konsole.html |website=docs.kde.org |access-date=15 June 2022}}</ref> Since version 23.04, the terminal is also available on windows.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-20 |title=Make Konsole work on Windows (!814) · Merge requests · Utilities / Konsole · GitLab |url=https://invent.kde.org/utilities/konsole/-/merge_requests/814 |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=GitLab |language=en}}</ref>

The "quick open" feature allows searching opened files by name for quick recalling.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cullmann |first1=Christoph |title=Kate Text Editor - Quick Open |url=https://kate-editor.org/post/2021/2021-01-10-kate-quick-open/ |website=Kate |access-date=15 September 2021 |language=en |date=10 January 2021}}</ref> Line modification indicators highlight lines with unsaved changes and lines added in the current session.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 7. Configure KatePart |url=https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/kate/katepart/config-dialog.html |website=docs.kde.org |quote=Show line modification markers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Line Modification Indicators |url=https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/kate/katepart/kate-part-line-modification.html |website=docs.kde.org}}</ref>

Being a KDE application, Kate transparently opens and saves files over all protocols supported by [[KIO]] libraries. This includes [[HTTP]], [[FTP]], [[Secure Shell|SSH]], [[Server Message Block|SMB]] and [[WebDAV]], among others.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

{{As of|2021|09}}, unlike [[Xed]], ''Kate'' is equipped with a [[Session (computer science)|session]] manager which allows naming, saving, and restoring sessions, meaning a list of momentarily open file tabs. Saved sessions are stored as [[key–value pair|key-value]]-formatted <code>*.katesession</code> files into <code>~/.local/share/kate/sessions/</code>.

Other features are a [[clipboard (computing)|clipboard]] history with up to ten items, the ability to jump to a line number,<ref>[https://docs.kde.org/stable5/en/kate/katepart/dev-scripting.html "The editor holds a clipboard history that contains up to 10 clipboard entries."]</ref> and [[Version control|source control]] integration using [[Git]]<ref name="Crume 2021">{{cite web |last1=Crume |first1=Jacob |date=16 April 2021 |title=Kate Editor Set to Become KDE's Answer to Microsoft's Visual Studio Code |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/kate/ |access-date=15 June 2022 |website=It's FOSS News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://kate-editor.org/post/2023/2023-02-01-using-kate-git-support/ | title=Using Kate's Git Features | date=February 2023 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[List of KDE applications]]
* [[List of text editors]]
* [[Comparison of text editors]]
* [[List of computing mascots]]
* [[:Category:Computing mascots|Computing mascots]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website}}

{{KDE}}

[[Category:Applications using D-Bus]]
[[Category:Free text editors]]
[[Category:KDE Applications]]
[[Category:Unix text editors]]
[[Category:Cross-platform free software]]
[[Category:Free software for Linux]]
[[Category:Free software for Windows]]
[[Category:Free software for macOS]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU Lesser General Public License]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU General Public License]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C++]]
[[Category:Software that uses Qt]]