

Using a loose mix of initials and prefixes, you learn to land on almost anything in your code as soon as it comes to mind.

You can use it to quickly open any file in your project: type “idsp”, and the list of possible files narrows down to include selections such as “ideas_spec” and “server.pid,” with the relevant letters shown in bold type. The rest of Sublime Text is keyboard-centric, and much of its appeal lies in a real-time search algorithm that’s remarkably clever. The minimap is unique for another reason: Its use of the mouse. Sublime Text uses a text file for configuration, which is an acquired taste. When working on long files, you can use the minimap as a visual scrollbar and instantly scrub around the file for points of interest. The most noticeable one, and the only one you’ll see at first glance, is the minimap – a miniaturized bird’s eye view of your code, which runs along the right-side gutter of the editing pane. This is because it uses its own custom cross-platform UI framework, which also lends it some unique controls you won’t find in other editors.
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Sublime Text’s sophisticated fuzzy text matching lets you quickly get to the files you need.Īnother benefit of using Sublime Text is that it looks the same across Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. But ask for more, and Sublime Text shall deliver. You can run it and just start typing, Notepad-style. Unlike Vim, for example, it doesn’t feel inscrutable to the uninitiated.

What’s so nice about Sublime Text is that it lets you slowly grow into using its power. But that simplicity is only skin-deep: dig in just a bit, and you’ll find yourself immersed in plug-ins, clever auto-completion tricks, and more. Sublime Text certainly feels lean on the surface, with no toolbars or configuration dialogs. Part of the appeal of a text editor is its leanness and simplicity. But for those who prize a simple approach with plenty of power under the hood, it might be worth it. At $70, it is also incredibly expensive for a text editor–in fact, it’s $21 more than JetBrains’ excellent WebStorm JavaScript IDE. But if you prefer the simplicity of text editors, Sublime Text is way up there with the very best. If you’re an IDE kind of guy, JetBrains is famous for its highly evolved environment. Even choosing between a text editor and a complete environment (debugger, code hints, and all) is a big choice, and may have a major impact on your coding style, productivity, and comfort. For a coder, using a text editor or an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is almost a political statement.
