Why Do We Love Textpad?

PeteTheBloke · Post by **PeteTheBloke** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:32 am

1. Fast (usually)
2. Reliable (e.g. the search in files doesn't normally tell you lies)
3. Configurable
4. Block select - dunno if other editors do this, but I lurve it
5. Regex - not perfect, but you get used to it
6. Feel free to add your own

What we don't love......
1. Almost complete lack of communication from Helios
2. Code collapsing
3. No facility to edit macro code
4. Add your own, but be reasonable - if you use TP there must be something about it you like

kengrubb · Post by **kengrubb** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:15 am

What we love ...
7. Reliable - I will second this and add that I have seen Find In Files lie in other editors
8. Sort - I use it almost every single day, and it has probably added years to my life that would otherwise be spent piddling around the Mainframe or in MS Access
9. Find In Files
10. Highly configurable Color Syntax Highlighting - I have built my own custom COBOL syntax for Unisys 2200, Unisys MCP, HP NonStop, ECL, and probably a few others
11. Workspaces (think Projects in other editors) - I love it and live it. Workspaces are a productivity tool for me.
12. Font, printing, color, tab and more configurability at the Document Class level
13. Tab stops configurable to use specific columns, and this is Heaven Sent for Cobolasaurs.
14. You can live a Mouse-free existence. I live a mostly Mouse-free existence, but one of my coworkers goes around completely Mouse-free and is delighting in TextPad.

What we don't love ...
5. Lack of Find In This File, but I can make it happen rather quickly with Find In Files, Defaults, Browse
6. Lack of Perl/ECMAScript Regex - I am wedded to Posix Regex, but I do wish TextPad would get Perl/ECMAScript Regex, like WildEdit, and then I could evolve to it
7. A configurable vertical line, but I think only we Cobolasaurs would delight in it. Between columns 6 and 7, 7 and 8, and 72 and 73.
8. Lack of a $PreviousFile Tool Parameter Macro so I could integrate an external comparison tool with TextPad.

PeteTheBloke · Post by **PeteTheBloke** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:22 pm

Reliable - I will second this and add that I have seen Find In Files lie in other editors

That's why I mentioned it. I was toying with another text editor till it lied to me.

kengrubb · Post by **kengrubb** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:08 am

PeteTheBloke wrote:That's why I mentioned it. I was toying with another text editor till it lied to me.

Was it UE? That's the one that lied to me.

PeteTheBloke · Post by **PeteTheBloke** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:25 pm

No. Notepad++ for windoze.

kengrubb · Post by **kengrubb** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:07 am

Interesting. Do you have an example where NPP lied? That could be useful to me as there are several singing the praises of NPP.

PeteTheBloke · Post by **PeteTheBloke** » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:48 pm

It was just a find in files search. I was pretty sure it should have found something so I ended up searching for something I knew was there. I went through every tick box making sure I wasn't doing the wrong type of search, but in the end, I just bought a new TP licence (I was trying not to ask a new employer to buy things before I'd even produced a useful line of code!)

I like having the occasional moan about TP, but I love it really. I just hope they (i.e. Helios) don't completely disappear, because there are a few updates I'm crying out for.

hankster · Post by **hankster** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:37 pm

Pros:
1. Find in Files - I use this all the time and have had pretty good luck with it.

2. Block select - Another feature I use frequently.

Cons:
1. Lack of updates and communication from developer(s).

lrichardlewis · Post by **lrichardlewis** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:36 pm

The biggest reason I use TP exclusively (even though I also have UltraEdit, SlickEdit, MultiEdit, etc.) is the ease of copying bookmarked lines to the clipboard.

I like almost everything about TP. I can think offhand of only two quibbles:

[1] occasionally failing to restore workspaces fully

[2] the down arrow not moving down precisely vertically when overtyping text down a column in block mode; it actually shifts one position to the right, which differs from the nice behavior in non-block mode

kengrubb · Post by **kengrubb** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:26 pm

lrichardlewis,

On quibble #2, you might check out using TP in non-block mode with "Constrain the cursor to the text" unchecked.

Configure, Preferences, Editor

I am spitballing, but a coworker recently was telling me almost the exact same thing, I suggested this option, and it appeared to create the behavior he desired in TP.

kengrubb · Post by **kengrubb** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:30 pm

I love TextPad and I'm OK,
I sleep all night and I code all day.

I chop up files, I cut and paste, I go to the Forums page.
I write scratch Macros weekly, makes TextPad better with age.

I love TextPad and I'm OK,
I sleep all night and I code all day.

...

lrichardlewis · Post by **lrichardlewis** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:24 pm

kengrubb,

I always use constrain the cursor to text.

The problem occurs when I am in block mode and want to change the text. If I, in block mode, insert a byte, for example, between positions 2 and 3 and press the down arrow key, TP positions the cursor to the right of the insert position. In non-block mode, it positions the cursor directly under the insert position.

In terms of cursor positions:

Block mode ... before insert, cursor is at pos. 2 after insert at pos. 3 after down arrow at pos. 3.

Non-block mode ... before insert, cursor is at pos. 2 after insert at pos. 3 after down arrow at pos. 2.

ben_josephs · Post by **ben_josephs** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:43 pm

Yes, I find that a bit irritating too. The only solution I am aware of is to turn off block select mode. I've assigned the shortcut key <Alt+Insert> to the command that toggles block select mode:
Configure | Preferences | Keyboard | Categories: Configure | Commands: ToggleBlockSelect

tarraccas · Post by **tarraccas** » Wed May 02, 2012 9:06 pm

The #1 killer TP feature I continue to enjoy is maintained indention wordwrap. I'm willing to forgo code folding and auto-complete features for it. It's a style thing but I have this tendency to write in long unbroken lines of code and maintain indent keeps it tidy and sane for me. It was esp. important years ago with lower screen resolution.

I also like how flexible and easy it is to use other programs with TP. It starts fast, gives me few if any problems and I can jump right into a project with little if any fuss.

A hex editor, code folding and a kind of code navigator (classes, functions, etc.) panel and maybe an API would be be very useful but I don't want to see TP becoming anything like an IDE.

SELVOL · Post by **SELVOL** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:39 am

I decided to give ultra edit a go......

I uninstalled it 12 hours later.

It took an additional week to get all my file extensions to open once again
with TP.

Yes even after I checked the Box setting TP as the default exe.
No matter what I did it Seemed Ultra Edit did something to make sure it was not as easy as it should be to restored to normal.

Please Except me back to TP.......

Selvol

Community

Why Do We Love Textpad?

Why Do We Love Textpad?

Biggest advantage of TextPad

Ok after 10 years.....