Looking for the Perfect Editor

[Omar]

I'd love the perfect editor that would be:

a) free

b) enable me to drag and drop code snippets from a sort of browser into
the code

c) can run programs right from within

d) can edit
- PYTHON
- Javascript
- HTML
- actionscript (since I'm also learning flash)

e) easy to learn

suggestions?

[Ramon Diaz-Uriarte]

On 9/15/06, Wildemar Wildenburger <wi******@freakmail.dewrote:

Ramon Diaz-Uriarte wrote:

c) can run programs right from within

But of course. And, contrary to some others (e.g., JEdit, which I
think forces you to use Jython, so you are stuck with Python 2.1 for
now) you use the current python interpreter you have installed.

Wrong. But so terribly wrong ;). Jython is not at all needed to use
python with jEdit. I think the only reason to actually use Jython in

OK, so I stand corrected. However:

- I did not want to imply that you need Jython for editing Python with
JEdit. JEdit can eidt Python files without Jython, of course.

- I was referring to executing arbitrary sections of a Python file in
a Python interpreter in an "integrated way". When I tried JEdit, I
think that Jython was the way to go. (And I think this was also the
case for a while, at least to judge from D. Metrz's review
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-cpyide/

The console plugin (probably THE most useful of the pack) gives you a
system shell and means to start compilers/interpreters based on your

But isn't this a "generic console": you go to the console, and then
type "python2.3" or "python2.4" or whatever? How do you send arbitrary
selections of Python code from the file you are editing to this shell?
Is there a way to mark a section of code and have it evaluated by the
python interpreter? Or a function definition?
R.

[Ramon Diaz-Uriarte]

On 9/15/06, David J. Braden <db*****@invalid.addwrote:

Wildemar Wildenburger wrote:

(...)

jEdit is extensible though java, and with the jython plugin also through
python.

Thanks. That helps me get a sense of the landscape.

As an emacs user, this is a clear plus for JEdit (and for vim, for that matter).

>
Very much so, and many thanks. My only languages are C and VBA, and the
environments of R and Mathematica (hey, I'm ancient).

If the "R" you refer is the statistical environment, "GNU S", then you
probably want to check Emacs (with ESS): you get an integrated
environment where you can edit code, submit code pieces (lines,
regions, buffers, functions, etc) to a running R process (which looks
like another Emacs buffer), opening R help in another buffer (with
the possibility of executing the example in the R process), clean up a
transcript of an R session to keep only the code, etc, etc, etc.
Moeover, you get a "smart" edition of Sweave (noweb literate
programming), where emacs knows when you are in a LaTeX part and when
you are in an R code chunck.

Alternatively, in the Windoze world, you might want to check Tinn-R,
which, regarding R, provides some similar functionality, and I think
it is also very nice for Python, LaTeX, etc.

HTH,

R.

--
Ramon Diaz-Uriarte
Bioinformatics Unit
Spanish National Cancer Centre (CNIO)
http://ligarto.org/rdiaz

[Wildemar Wildenburger]

David J. Braden wrote:

I've come to sense, in the last (many) threads and topics brought up
that I have read in the last 3 weeks, that this NG attracts folks who
are very much into the web-app interface potential and usefulness of
Python, as you yourself seem to be (see following), and others, such as
I, who appreciate its power for technical apps, such as hard-core stats,
optimization, and integration with even more sophisticated off-the-shelf
apps, as well as home-brewed stuff, hopefully even original algorithms.
I have seen, several times in this NG, references to "scientific
stuff". I take it to mean apps meant for, or used by, folks in
engineering, physics, applied mathematics, exploratory theoretical stats
and practical applied stats (at a very high level) --- these users have
PhDs in areas dealing with "scientific stuff". What's *your* view take
on this?

I use python purely for personal coding, so I cannot give you much
advice on scientific use of python. I understand however that it is very
much used for what you describe. I still don't know what you're asking
exactly, so I hope that's what you wanted to hear.

>You might want to look at python packages such as scipy (?) or numpy
(for numerical calculations) or whatever those are called.

"Whatever those ..." ?!? Maybe this clarifies my response.

Scipy: http://www.scipy.org/
Numpy: http://numpy.scipy.org/ (maybe that explains my confusion ;))
Scientific Python: http://sourcesup.cru.fr/projects/scientific-py/

Better?

Thanks. I hope to very soon. Potential interactions with other APIs are
keeping me up nights. I could use your help on one of these in the near
future.

By 'you' you certainly mean the newsgroup, right? 'Cause I know nothing
of that.

>>I am not interested in Web/html apps.

Too bad, that's the future ;).

For whom?!? When? Been to a so-called 3rd-world country for an extended
period yet? Think Angola, Chad, ...

I. Was. Kidding.
Sort of ... :)
Seriously: Many people use it for the web, because python is just so
darn good at it. An there is a trend towards web-based apps. There's n
denying that.
Are you telling me that in, say, Angola they only use python for their
hardcore scientific calculations? I don't quite get that argument.
Though I understand your angle.

I'm out
wildemar

[Wildemar Wildenburger]

Ramon Diaz-Uriarte wrote:

- I was referring to executing arbitrary sections of a Python file in
a Python interpreter in an "integrated way". When I tried JEdit, I
think that Jython was the way to go. (And I think this was also the
case for a while, at least to judge from D. Metrz's review
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-cpyide/

>The console plugin (probably THE most useful of the pack) gives you a
system shell and means to start compilers/interpreters based on your

But isn't this a "generic console": you go to the console, and then
type "python2.3" or "python2.4" or whatever? How do you send arbitrary
selections of Python code from the file you are editing to this shell?
Is there a way to mark a section of code and have it evaluated by the
python interpreter? Or a function definition?

Ahh, I see. Well, you're right, that is not that easily possible. But
you know what? I've never missed such functionality; the "if __name__
...." trick always sufficed for me. Buts thats taste of course, lets not
debate that.
So OK, jEdit is not that 'integrated' after all. Oh well ...

:)
wildemar

[Ramon Diaz-Uriarte]

On 9/15/06, Wildemar Wildenburger <wi******@freakmail.dewrote:

Ramon Diaz-Uriarte wrote:

- I was referring to executing arbitrary sections of a Python file in
a Python interpreter in an "integrated way". When I tried JEdit, I
think that Jython was the way to go. (And I think this was also the
case for a while, at least to judge from D. Metrz's review
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-cpyide/

The console plugin (probably THE most useful of the pack) gives you a
system shell and means to start compilers/interpreters based on your

But isn't this a "generic console": you go to the console, and then
type "python2.3" or "python2.4" or whatever? How do you send arbitrary
selections of Python code from the file you are editing to this shell?
Is there a way to mark a section of code and have it evaluated by the
python interpreter? Or a function definition?

Ahh, I see. Well, you're right, that is not that easily possible. But
you know what? I've never missed such functionality; the "if __name__
..." trick always sufficed for me. Buts thats taste of course, lets not
debate that.

Thanks for the clarification. (And no, I won't debate that: the choice
of editor is (and should be) very much a matter of personal taste, and
JEdit is certainly a very fine and interesting editor).
Best,

R.

[Patrick Thomson]

Personally, I use the non-free but absolutely phenomenal TextMate
(http://macromates.com/), but I've enjoyed my work with jEdit
(http://www.jedit.org/) and, of course, (X)Emacs.

[BartlebyScrivener]

>which allows soft word-wrap (no

>line breaks stored in the file)

gvim 7.0

if you set wrap and linebreak

:set wrap

:set lbr

The lines will softwrap only at whitespace and various punctuation
marks.

For the indentation issue, use autoindent.

rd