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There are many text editors featuring plugins but I would like to know if there is one text editor that makes it very easy for the user to write a plugin, using a simple language and with a lot of examples and tutorials.

Macros are not enough for me. Notepad++ for example makes it very easy to create and to use macros for example but I need plugins.

I would like to write plugins for doing things like:

  • reverse the lines in the selected text
  • add prefix/suffix to the selected text
  • compress whitespaces in the selected text
  • join the top half lines with the bottom half lines
  • merge every N rows in the selected text
  • join groups of N lines
  • create a list (menu) with all the occurrences of the string "@Chapter@". When I click on one such item, jump to the corresponding line. Similar with the "folder favorite" menu in Free Commander (practically I want chapters for plain text files)

I'm using Windows but also it's a good reference to know about such an editor that makes it easiest to write plugins, no matter what OS it is for.

I am looking for a text editor, but it's also interesting to know about various IDE's that makes it easy to write plugins

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    So, what's wrong with NotePad++ ? Mcuha s I want to know the answer to this (I marked it as favo(u)rite, it is likely to get closed as "primarily opinion best". We simply don't do "best" questions here. If you tell us what you don't like about NotePad++, or what features you need, then we can help you
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Aug 31, 2018 at 8:45
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    Which operating system? Do you mind if you have to pay for the editor?
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Aug 31, 2018 at 8:48
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    What type of things would you like you plugins to do? Can you provide examples?
    – End Anti-Semitic Hate ♦
    Sep 1, 2018 at 2:32
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    @Mawg: I'm using Windows but also it's a good reference to know about such an editor that makes it easiest to write plugins, no matter what OS it is for.
    – DreamCode
    Sep 1, 2018 at 7:30
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    @RockPaperLizard: I've mentioned those things in my question now
    – DreamCode
    Sep 1, 2018 at 7:45

4 Answers 4

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I will go with CudaText. It has Python plugins, and to make a plugin you need to call "Plugins - Make Plugin", fill the dialog, and example plugin is created. And opened in editor. With dummy method "run" which you can change. With the reading/writing config, if you set it in the dialog.

Lot of examples here.

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I will go with either Vim or Emacs.

There are tons of books, tutorials and videos about how to write plugins for either. Emacs beeing a Lisp runtime will allow you to test your code "on the fly". It even has an interactive REPL. If javascript is more of your jam you should try VS Code

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  • A perfectly cromulent answer (+1), since the OP doesn't state that the editor should be modern or easy to learn ;-)
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Aug 31, 2018 at 8:48
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Atom

A hackable text editor for the 21st Century

Atom is a free-of-cost and open-source text editor that has become popular lately. Interestingly, it is a cross-platform desktop app built using web technologies, including JavaScript-related technologies.

Atom is based on Electron, an app framework built using Chromium and Node.js, written in CoffeeScript and Less.

While ready out-of-the-box to be used productively as a text-editor with IDE-like features, Atom is also expressly designed to be customized and hacked on.

Atom uses the term packages for plugins/add-ons.

See also:

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  • I upvoted, although I consider Atom to be an IDE, rather than a text editor. OP, do you care which?
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Aug 31, 2018 at 8:50
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    @Mawg Atom is definitely a text-editor. Open the app, start typing text in a window, save, and quit. No project, no configuration, no build system, no runtime/debug profile. The project has been been adding some IDE-like features over time, but those are superfluous to its core usage.
    – Basil Bourque
    Aug 31, 2018 at 14:28
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All of those functions (except creating new GUI elements) can be easily achieved in Notepad++. This can be done via one of the existing scripting plugins, for example the PythonScript plugin . There is also LuaScript plugin if you prefer Lua, and maybe some other plugins for such tasks.

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