Which editor do you use when opening files like .bash_profile, etc?
Ben Halpern
γ»1 min read
And is it the same editor you use for the majority of your software development?
Classic DEV Post from Oct 31 '18
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Confusingly, this is the
onlything I use vim for. Everything else is in a different tool.I don't find this to be overly odd. I was actually specifically curious as to whether this was a thing.
I think since some people (myself included) think of vim as an editor just for quick edits, we use it for just that
What about the thought that stuff like
viis often the default way to do these things, it becomes your standard procedure, even if for code editing you've always used other types of editors?I feel like this scenario could play out because folks may not switch off of the approximate default behavior.
What if the situation in which we edit these files is one where we're on an ssh connection in a console window where vim is the most powerful choice that isn't a desktop application? And then that becomes default behavior for config files, like you suggest.
I used to do this in
vim, I think because I thought it was quicker. Since I have VS Code open almost all of the time, especially if I'm doing something to.bash_profile, it's just as quick to open in Code and easier (well, more comfortable) to edit.Also, I have tended to use the terminal from within VS Code more these days, so the whole open and edit process can happen in the same program and I like that.
For me it's the same. The only downside is that my vim skills don't evolve as fast as I want them to.
SAME! I have never even considered opening it in Sublime which is my main editor of choice when I am coding
I use the same, and never thought about other tool to edit it.
I do the same.. but i use nvim.
Nanoooo
100% nano, and if using a current release of nano, -lmx is nice Β°>Β°
code -r /path/to/fileThis opens the file with VS Code to the same workspace as rest of the files making it a really fast process. Then just save and close it like usual. I'm only using Vim when I'm working over SSH.
Cool. I don't know it
nano -wIf you're just going in and out, why get fancy. You still get emacs-like keyboard nav at a fraction of the cost.
On Linux I like use more nano than vim
Vim, but i also use vim as my regular editor.
I feel like if you use a terminal editor, it's probably the obvious choice.
I'm curious if folks who use standalone editors choose terminal apps in these contexts.
It is (I do everything except Java in NeoVim); but also, if I'm just looking something up and don't mean to make changes, we've got other shell tools. I use
lessandgrep/rga lot with history files and so on.Makes sense
Nano.
but now I see many people using VS Code to open, I will give that a try too π
Vi. It was the only editor in town other than emacs when I first learned to edit anything on the computer.
I still use Vim for CLI stuff and VS Code for other stuff. Donβt know why I donβt use Vim for writing anymore. Probably years of other options making their way into MY $PATH.
Same
Vim, and Iβll use that as my regular editor if itβs just a few files Iβm throwing together to try something, or if it is on a less powerful computer. It works good but looking at multiple files and projects, I canβt be as productive. I know the shortcuts and the plugins. It just doesnβt work as well as vs code for me.
Vs code is definitely my high productivity, big brain space editor of choice. It is just generally a little slower if Iβm just tweaking a few lines or doing a quick search and replace.
Although, vs code does have some amazing command line flags that make it ideal for git commit message editor, diff viewer, and more.
VIM, despite the fact I was a massive emacs fan back in the day.
Just because VIM is definitely going to be on every terminal I end up defaulting to it on the command line.
I don't use it anyway else, I'd prefer an IDE like InteliJ.
You can also use Emacs in vi mode π
I do some hefty customization with my bash_profile, so opening up in VS Code (along with everything else) is nice. I don't use vim and nano would fine if I had a smaller file. It's not much to do
code ~/.bash_profile.Nano or VS Code, with using only VS Code looking likely going forward after seeing some of the comments here. Slightly controversial perhaps, but I never bothered to learn
vimsince I just want to open something that works and code away, rather than having to learn another language before I can do that πI swear by Micro. It has made editing in the command line a joy.
Features:
Sublime text
ππ
For the longest time, my answer was nano.
Then, Iβve been trying to get better at using dotfiles across multiple operating systems β Mac, Chromebook, Linux servers.
This means I treat the files more like a program, so I use my usual editor, VSCode.
However, when I am editing on the command line, Iβve been using micro β think of it as an upgraded nano that also has mouse support and a bunch more features. Including that you just download the binary and donβt need admin access to use it.
Bash scripts =>
nano(vionly if I'm absolutely stuck on a system that's not mine).htaccess files and quick HTML/CSS edits =>
xed(akagedit)Markdown => Remarkable
Everything else => VS Code
Nano makes a lot of sense in its control scheme.
vihas been a tough habit to break. I use it pretty much anywhere I can (thank you Cygwin/Moba). And, when I can't use it, I pray that, at the very least, I can install a copy of Notepad++ (harder, these days, now that Windows 10+ more-easily affords enterprise-managed systems the ability to allow only the installation of whitelisted tools).Nano : if I am on terminal
IntelliJ : for practicing Java
Gedit : writing diary, editing files launched from file manager and just about everything else
BONUS :
echo $TEXT >> $FILE_PATHfor just adding a line at the EOFIt's either vim or jed, depending on what's installed.
For coding, I use IDEs with more language-specific support, either Visual Studio or PhpStorm. Never got into pimping out vim with plugins, or didn't find them to be as good when I tried.
I used to be a
nanofan, but since I don't havenanoat my company servers, I become avimuser. So, I'm gonna sayvim.Esc+:wq:P:x (less typing π)
VS Code for everything these days. I just started using the Insider Build so I could try out the Remote Development Extension Pack.
vim with plugins
I don't edit anything outside of vim. It's just most efficient for me. I have no arguments about vim being good or bad for other people. I only know that I run circles around others when in group editing situations [even without plugins].
With that said, my first question to potential programming employees in the past has been "what editor do you you use?". I've never cared what the answer was beyond that there IS an answer.
Personally I hate mouse / cursor interaction. It's bothersome to me. But I'm not going to say that my method of interacting with clunky computers is better than others. The answer should always be, 'whatever works'.
Nano or VS Code depending on how many edits I want to make!
Makes sense, Nano for speed, Code for going bigger.
Just like @irreverentmike for quick edits to text config files I almost always use
vim. Most other text type files I'll usevscode.The closest thing to that is my .cshrc file. I used to edit it via nano, now I edit it through GitHub. Yeah, my console profile is a git repo now!
All of my actual work though is done in Sublime. Because Sublime is BEST!
I feel any editor which can open quickly is fine. If the editor can be opened from terminal it becomes really easy for terminal users. I generally use vscode. editors like vscode, sublime have fast load times & also they can be accessed from terminal
Well I use visual studio code for this too.
All i need to is
>code ~/.bash_profileHowever inside servers, there is no other choice but to use VIM.
I used to use nano for this, but more recently I've been using neovim. I've been using WebStorm for my main IDE, but I've been working to introduce neovim more often, and it is perfect for dotfiles. I also just saw someone in this thread mention micro, and that looks really cool as well.
If it's something quick,
vim. If I'm doing a bunch of stuff, I'll use VS Code (my main editor).vioremacsSame. π
While my primary text editor is emacs (and I'm getting up to speed on VS Code), when I want to edit a config file I'm almost always going to use vim. It's minimal, I've frequently needed to do edits over trans-Pacific ssh connections and the edits I've needed to make are generally < 10 lines. I can also pretty much guarantee that vim or vi are available on the remote end, too.
.bash_profile = nano
else
VS Code
Vscode and nano for terminal.
for files like .bashrc, i use bash's nano editor.
I don't have a usecase for IDE as of now
I use gvim (don't like vim on terminal) as my only editor. Even though I spent significant time learning many of its magic stuff, I've fallen off track since leaving my job. These days, I'm mostly using it for markdown files and short programs. No plugins.
Vim.
I use Neovim/Sublime text for coding.
This is like the perfect use case for micro, it's a terminal based editor but it has the same keybindings that modern editors have like ctrl+s for save, ctrl+z for undo, ctrl+x for cut and it even has multiple cursor support. (If someone is getting it, download the nightly build)
I use only neovim (vi) for everything, but I guess is old habits. If I recall correctly, in last stack overflow surveys, vim is more common around sysadmins/devops, which in a way confirm your suspicions.
I think it is important to use an editor that makes syntax colouring and apply rules of indentations and use of spaces/tabs coherent with the rest of the file. It even makes more sense if it is files like YAML for configuration.
By the way, I use Emacs for this. It is kind of the same than using Vim, except you can exit it.
I've recently switched to micro editor as my goto editor for everyday tasks, such as configuration editing, quick shell scripts, etc. It's brilliant.
However, I'm sticking with Sublime for any major development work, for the extra features and IDE-like convenience.
Notepad++ β€
I feel like VSCode is a bit too much for such files.
Same here, using Moba term which gives a File Explorer like interface in ssh connections, opens file in Notepad++ on my PC then saves back to same opened from directory on the remote server
Do you think this feeling is a matter of practicality and productivity or more of a personal taste/aesthetic/feelings?
Both actually π
VSCode has many extra features (side panel for git & file explorer).
But, notepad++ gives you just the text front of you so you can make changes or peek into the file as quick as possible... save & quit.
My thinking is generally like this: Do I need to open the whole folder and play with it?
It's vim, and yes it's the same editor I use for the majority of everything.
It feels straight-up weird to see configuration files in VSCode.
I do agree on the weirdness of seeing config filed in VSCode, even though I do it (about half the time)
Most of the time I use vim for config files like that. But if I'm making more involved edits I open them in VS Code via the
codecommand.I still use my main editor (VS Code for this).
I type
changeand it opens up my.zshrcfile in VS Code.Then I type
updateand it refreshes my terminal window with the newest.zshrcconfig.vim before, but nowadays, I use VS Code for almost everything, including
.bash_profilefilesI use nano for them even though VSCode is my primary editor.
Emacs, nano or VSCode, there's no logic there :D
vim because it feels the most natural to open a path starting from the HK e directory
Although I guess I could use
code ~/.zshrcI prefervim ~/.zshrcOn my local Ubuntu, I use Sublime mostly. Oddly, even if I could use the same Sublime for remotes, I just use vim.
nano if I'm looking at something fast, Sublime Text is I will be using it for a while
I use Sublime for most of my development
Vim, but I useVIMfor everything though :)