Screenshots: Five text editors that can handle a variety of tasks

Introduction

Text editors are among the most versatile tools around. They\r\ncan be used for anything from simple composition to programming and\r\ndevelopment. Windows has long included its own text editor (Notepad), but a\r\nnumber of third-party text editors offer a larger collection of features. This\r\narticle lists five such editors.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Programmer's File Editor

Programmer’s File Editor contains all the basic text editing\r\nfeatures you would expect, along with a couple of other nice features. For\r\nstarters, the editor includes functionality for creating macros and for\r\nbuilding and using templates. It also provides shortcuts to the Windows Control\r\nPanel, the Command Prompt, and other areas of the operating system.

Crimson Editor

As free text editors go, Crimson Editor is one of the best. It\r\nincludes text editing capabilities that rival those of some word processors.\r\nFor instance, you can control word wrap, line spacing, screen fonts, printer\r\nfonts… and the list goes on and on.

Crimson Editor

Crimson Editor is designed to be used as a programming tool.\r\nIts killer feature is syntax highlighting. Obviously, syntax highlighting is\r\nnothing new. It has existed in one form or another since at least the 1990s.\r\nWhat makes Crimson Editor unique is that it provides syntax highlighting for\r\nmore than a dozen programming languages, including some you might not expect.\r\nYou can even create your own custom syntax highlighting rules.

EditPlus

EditPlus sells for $35.00, but a free trial version is\r\navailable for download.

UltraEdit

UltraEdit’s awesome feature set includes a multi-file search\r\nand replace, support for hex mode, column formatting support, conversion features,\r\nmacros—and just about anything else that you can imagine.

UltraEdit sells for $79.95, but a free trial is available.