Editing Source-code editor

{{Short description|Text editor specializing in software code}}
{{Lead too short|date=September 2024}}
[[File:Notepad++ v5.1.PNG |thumb |Screenshot of using [[Notepad++]] to edit [[XML]] code]]
A '''source-code editor''' is a [[text editor]] program designed specifically for editing [[source code]] of [[computer program]]s. It may be a standalone application or it may be built into an [[integrated development environment]] (IDE).

==Features==
Source-code editors have features specifically designed to simplify and speed up typing of source code, such as [[syntax highlighting]], [[Indentation style|indentation]], [[autocomplete]] and [[brace matching]] functionality. These editors also provide a convenient way to run a [[compiler]], [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]], [[debugger]], or other program relevant for the [[software-development process]]. So, while many text editors like [[Microsoft Notepad|Notepad]] can be used to edit source code, if they do not enhance, automate or ease the editing of code, they are not ''source-code editors''.

[[Structure editor]]s are a different form of source-code editor, where instead of editing raw text, one manipulates the code's structure, generally the [[abstract syntax tree]]. In this case features such as syntax highlighting, validation, and code formatting are easily and efficiently implemented from the [[concrete syntax tree]] or abstract syntax tree, but editing is often more rigid than free-form text. Structure editors also require extensive support for each language, and thus are harder to extend to new languages than text editors, where basic support only requires supporting syntax highlighting or indentation. For this reason, strict structure editors are not popular for source code editing, though some IDEs provide similar functionality.

A source-code editor can check syntax while code is being entered and immediately warn of syntax problems. A few source-code editors <!-- such as [[PBASIC]], the [[Applesoft BASIC]] editor, the [[Commodore BASIC]] editor --> compress source code, typically converting common keywords into [[BASIC interpreter#Tokenizing and encoding lines | single-byte tokens]], removing unnecessary whitespace, and converting numbers to a binary form. Such tokenizing editors later uncompress the source code when viewing it, possibly [[prettyprint]]ing it with consistent capitalization and spacing. A few source-code editors do both.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

The [[Language Server Protocol]], first used in Microsoft's [[Visual Studio Code]], allows for source code editors to implement an LSP client that can read syntax information about any language with a LSP server. This allows for source code editors to easily support more languages with syntax highlighting, refactoring, and reference finding.<ref name="Krill 2016">{{cite web |last1=Krill |first1=Paul |title=Microsoft-backed Language Server Protocol strives for language, tools interoperability |url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/3088698/microsoft-backed-langauge-server-protocol-strives-for-language-tools-interoperability.html |website=InfoWorld |access-date=19 June 2022 |language=en |date=27 June 2016}}</ref> Many source code editors such as Neovim<ref name="neovim LSP">{{cite web |title=LSP documentation - Neovim |url=https://neovim.io/doc/lsp/ |website=neovim.io |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> and Brackets<ref name="Shubham 2019">{{cite web |last1=Shubham |first1=Yadav |title=Language Server Protocol Support in Brackets · adobe/brackets Wiki |url=https://github.com/adobe/brackets/wiki/Language-Server-Protocol-Support-in-Brackets |website=GitHub |access-date=19 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> have added a built-in LSP client while other editors such as Emacs,<ref name="Emacs LSP">{{cite web |title=LSP Mode - Language Server Protocol support for Emacs - LSP Mode - LSP support for Emacs |url=https://emacs-lsp.github.io/lsp-mode/ |website=emacs-lsp.github.io |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> vim,<ref name="Devlieghere 2018">{{cite web |last1=Devlieghere |first1=Jonas |title=Using LSP & clangd in Vim |url=https://jonasdevlieghere.com/vim-lsp-clangd/ |website=Jonas Devlieghere |access-date=19 June 2022 |language=en |date=22 April 2018}}</ref> and Sublime Text<ref name="LSP Sublime">{{cite web |title=Home - Sublime Text Language Server Protocol Documentation |url=https://lsp.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ |website=lsp.readthedocs.io |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=12 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612152851/https://lsp.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> have support for an LSP Client via a separate plug-in.

==History==
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In 1985, [[Mike Cowlishaw]] of [[IBM]] created [[LEXX (text editor)|LEXX]] while [[Secondment|seconded]] to the [[Oxford University Press]]. LEXX used live parsing and used color and fonts for syntax highlighting. IBM's LPEX (Live Parsing Extensible Editor)<ref name="LPEX User Guide">{{cite web |title=LPEX Editor's User Guide - Version 4 |url=https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/system/files/support/swg/swgdocs.nsf/0/b056dfda5f29d02a85256ab000109653/$FILE/lpex.pdf |website=IBM |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> was based on LEXX and ran on [[VM (operating system)|VM/CMS]], [[OS/2]], [[IBM i|OS/400]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], and [[Java virtual machine|Java]]<ref name="Cowlishaw Bio">{{citation
   |url=http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_people.nsf/pages/cowlishaw.bio.html
   |title=Mike Cowlishaw FREng BSc CEng FIET FBCS CITP
   |publisher=IBM
   |accessdate=June 20, 2022
   |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061018092456/http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/research_people.nsf/pages/cowlishaw.bio.html
   |archive-date=2006-10-18
   |url-status=dead
   }}</ref>

Although the initial public release of [[Vim (text editor)|vim]] was in 1991, the syntax highlighting feature was not introduced until version 5.0 in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Vim |url=https://jovicailic.org/2014/06/the-history-of-vim/ |website=Jovica Ilic |date=5 June 2014}}</ref>{{better source needed|this is a [[WP:BLOG|blog]], not written by an expert in the field|date=June 2022}} On November 1, 2015, the first version of [[Neovim|NeoVim]] was released.<ref>{{Cite web |title=0.1-first-public-release Milestone · neovim/neovim |url=https://github.com/neovim/neovim/milestone/5?closed=1 |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=GitHub |language=en}}</ref>

In 2003, [[Notepad++]], a source code editor for Windows, was released by Don Ho. The intention was to create an alternative to the java-based source code editor, JEXT<ref name="Orin 2015">{{cite web |last1=Orin |first1=Andy |title=Behind The App: The Story Of Notepad++ |url=https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/06/behind-the-app-the-story-of-notepad/ |website=Lifehacker Australia |access-date=17 June 2022 |language=en-AU |date=18 June 2015}}</ref> 

In 2015, [[Microsoft]] released Visual Studio Code as a lightweight and cross-platform alternative to their [[Visual Studio]] IDE.<ref name="Somesegar 2015">{{cite web |last1=Somasegar |first1=S |title=Introducing Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio 2015 RC, Application Insights Public Preview and .NET Core Preview for Linux and Mac - Somasegar's blog - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/somasegar/archive/2015/04/29/introducing-visual-studio-code-visual-studio-2015-rc-application-insights-public-preview-and-net-core-for-linux-and-mac.aspx |website=blogs.msdn.com/ |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=17 June 2022 |date=4 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704023456/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/somasegar/archive/2015/04/29/introducing-visual-studio-code-visual-studio-2015-rc-application-insights-public-preview-and-net-core-for-linux-and-mac.aspx |archive-date=4 July 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The following year, Visual Studio Code became the Microsoft product using the Language Server Protocol.<ref name="Krill 2016"/> This code editor quickly gained popularity and emerged as the most widely used source code editor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 |url=https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2021#overview |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Stack Overflow |language=en}}</ref>{{better source|date=January 2025}}

==Comparison with IDEs==
A source-code editor is one component of a Integrated Development Environment. In contrast to a standalone source-code editor, an IDE typically also includes debugger and build tools.

Standalone source code editors are preferred over IDEs by some developers when they believe the IDEs are bloated with features they do not need.<ref name="Petreley 2003">{{cite web |last1=Petreley |first1=Nicholas |title=Java text editing software for Linux |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2579485/java-text-editing-software-for-linux.html |website=Computer World |access-date=17 June 2022 |date=11 Feb 2003}}</ref>

==Notable examples==
<!-- Do not add to this list without talk page discussion. If you have *reliable sources* for your editor being one of the TOP FEW most POPULAR or WELL-KNOWN SCE's, then bring them to talk page.  All additions without discussion WILL BE DELETED. -->
*[[Atom (text editor)|Atom]]
*[[Brackets (text editor)|Brackets]]
*[[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]]
*[[Emacs]]
*[[Gedit]]
*[[NetBeans]]
*[[Notepad++]] (Windows only)
*[[SlickEdit]]
*[[Sublime Text]]
*[[TextMate]] (macOS only)
*[[UltraEdit]]
*[[Vi (text editor)|vi]]/[[Vim (text editor)|Vim]]
*[[Visual Studio Code]]

==Controversy==
Many source-code editors and IDEs have been involved in ongoing user arguments, sometimes referred to jovially as "holy wars" by the programming community.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars.HTML |title=Holy War (Hacker Jargon) |access-date=2016-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402134919/http://www.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/~joern/jargon/holywars.HTML |archive-date=2012-04-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2022}} Notable examples include [[Editor war|vi vs. Emacs]] and [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]] vs. [[NetBeans]]. These arguments have formed a significant part of [[internet culture]] and they often start whenever either editor is mentioned anywhere.

==See also==
* [[Integrated development environment]]
* [[Comparison of integrated development environments]]
* [[Comparison of online source code playgrounds]]
* {{section link|Comparison of text editors|Programming features}}
* [[Comparison of JavaScript-based source code editors]]
* [[Comparison of hex editors]]
* [[Comparison of HTML editors]]
* [[List of text editors]]
* [[Editor war]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Text editors|*]]
[[Category:Programming tools]]
[[Category:Types of tools used in software development]]