A few new Tricks in Notepad++

March 12, 2011 — I've been on the road for a few months programming on a Windows 7 Samsung netbook. (I didn't want to bring the Macbook with me and risk breaking it or worse).

The one thing I love about Windows is Notepad++. Sorry Textmate, you just can't compete.

Here are some things I'm using a lot more now in Notepad++:

• Bookmarks. Hit Ctrl+F2 to set a bookmark on any line of code and then hit F2 to jump between bookmarks. Shift+F2 goes back a bookmark.
• SourceCookifier. This is a neat plugin that lets you jump to the definition of a function by hitting Ctrl+Shift+Enter. This is one feature from IDEs that I missed. It also provides a nice sidebar with a breakdown of your code(functions, vars, etc.).
• FileSwitcher. A plugin that lets you hit Ctrl+Shift+o and then just type the name of the file you want to work on. Much quicker way to switch files than clicking or ctrl tabbing.
• Goto. Ctrl+G lets you jump to a line number quick. I've used this in the past but am using it more often now.
• Column Editor. Pretty handy sometimes.
• Automation PHP Plugin. F9 to run your script. Great for quickly testing small sections of code.