The need for text editors has risen with the advent of computer programming and software development. Programmers use text editors to write codes in various programming languages.
A programmer can also use these tools to edit and modify existing code.
But with dozens of text editors already available in the market, which one should you pick?
Let’s level the playing field!
Here’s my pick of two powerful text editors –
- Notepad++.
- UltraEdit.
These tools include Notepad++ and UltraEdit, among others. These tools have both pros. and cons., making them unique from the rest of their competitors in the market today!
So, today, I’ll compare these editors and let you know which one’s better than the other. Let’s get started –
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a text editor for Windows. It is free, open-source software and is available in over 60 languages. It is a top-rated program and is used by programmers around the world.
Notepad++ Features
Notepad++ has many features that make it a better text editor than UltraEdit. It offers syntax highlighting, search and replace, syntax check, bookmarks, multiple document interface (MDI), tabs for each file opened in the editor window, and auto-completion and finds in files feature.
Syntax highlighting
Syntax highlighting is the ability of a text editor to highlight programming language keywords and other code fragments according to their functionality.
This feature makes coding easier to read and makes it possible to determine at first glance whether certain parts of your program are correct.
Notepad++ supports more than 200 languages out-of-the-box, including C++, C#, HTML5, JavaScript, LUA, etc., so you don’t need any plugins on top of it if you want something custom written into your IDE!
Auto-completion
Auto-completion feature, which helps you find any symbol or keyword from your code quickly
Pros and Cons of Notepad++
Notepad++ is a better text editor than UltraEdit. It has more features and is a better choice for programmers, Linux users, Windows users, and Mac users.
Notepad++ has the following advantages over other text editors:
- More advanced syntax highlighting for various programming languages (C++, Java, VBScript), HTML, XML, and others. It also supports regular expressions in search/replace operations. One can add custom language settings to Notepad++ without any problem.
- A plugin system lets you customize the program as per your need by installing new plugins from the official website or third-party websites like GitHub, which makes it stand out from other text editors such as UltraEdit in terms of customizability.
UltraEdit
Now coming in direct competition against Notepad++, is UltraEdit up for the challenge? Let’s find out –
- Syntax highlighting
- Code folding and outlining
- Code navigation (go to any function, class member, or variable)
- Bookmarks/favorites (store your bookmarks)
UltraEdit Features
UltraEdit is a powerful text editor for programmers. UltraEdit can be used to edit code, create system scripts and batch files, perform HTML editing, and more. It’s not free, but the price tag of $60 is reasonable considering its many features.
UltraEdit has multiple panes that allow you to view multiple documents side-by-side and navigate between them using hotkeys or tabs. You can zoom into your document using the mouse wheel while hovering over the desired text (or hold down CTRL while using the mouse wheel).
The software also offers syntax highlighting for multiple programming languages such as C++, C#, HTML/XML/CSS/Javascript/PHP, etc., which helps make it easier for you to identify different words in a given programming language so that you don’t have any trouble finding what’s relevant when working on projects involving different languages from different sources at once.
Apart from these powerful features, UltraEdit allows you to –
- Highlight your Syntax
- Fold & Outline your programming code.
- Instant code navigation between function, class member, and variable.
- Store your Bookmarks.
Pros and Cons of UltraEdit
UltraEdit has a lot of features that Notepad++ doesn’t have. You can do things like FTP and SFTP, which is great if you’re working with a remote server or somewhere without text editors. UltraEdit also has more configuration options than Notepad++, so if you’re looking for something where you can change the settings to make it work exactly how you want it to, UltraEdit might be better.
The downside of this flexibility is that UltraEdit might be more complex than Notepad++ (which isn’t necessarily bad). It’s also more expensive than Notepad++; you get what you pay!
Notepad++ vs. UltraEdit Review – Which One is Better for Programmers
Notepad++ and UltraEdit are free text and source code editors for Windows. Both have a similar set of features, which include:
- Syntax highlighting a tabbed interface makes organizing multiple files at once easy.
- Keyboard shortcuts for everyday tasks like saving or printing documents
- Line numbering.
- Spell-checking capabilities.
- Autocomplete suggestions for commonly used words or phrases as you type them in the editor window (this is particularly helpful when writing code), and more.
You can customize how each handles certain aspects of your document(s), such as indenting text or adding line breaks between paragraphs within an essay or story. You can also format your documents by changing the font size/color/style if desired.
And based on these valuable features, I’ve decided on a winner between these two text editors.
So, who’s the winner in the battle of Notpad++ and UltraEdit?
It’s NotePad++!
But wait, don’t get me wrong!
It’s not like UltraEdit is terrible; NotePad++ has an edge as it’s an open-source and free text editor.
FAQs
Q: Is UltraEdit more powerful than Notepad++?
A: UltraEdit is arguably more feature-rich, offering several advanced features like integrated FTP and SSH capabilities. However, the “power” of a text editor often depends on the specific project requirements and the user’s preferences
Q: Which one handles large files better?
A: Notepad++ can handle moderately large text files, but users have reported issues when opening large files, often greater than ~500MB. In contrast, UltraEdit is designed to easily handle and edit very large text files, even those over several GB.
Conclusion
I hope that this article was helpful in your quest to find the best programmer’s text editor. I’m sure there are other terrific options, but I think Notepad++ and UltraEdit are two of the most powerful ones.
If you want something free, Notepad++ is an excellent option with many features; if you have some money to spare and need more advanced features like syntax coloring or code folding capabilities, then UltraEdit will work for you.
Now that I’ve shared my choice with you, make up your mind and choose one text editor based on your requirement.
That’s all for now. If you’ve any questions regarding either of these two text editors, feel free to reach us in the comments below.
