Best Source Code Editor For Mac

The C++ editor included in EditRocket includes many tools to make C++ programming and source code creation easier. Listed below is information on the C++ specific tools offered by EditRocket. See the General Highlights section at the bottom of the page for more of what EditRocket has to offer.

The humble text editor is great for managing code, writing down quick notes, or just as a distraction-free writing tool. This week, we’re looking at five of the best, based on your nominations. Best Text Editors for macOS. Note: In this article, we are focusing on the best text editors for coding but if you are looking for a text editor for your writing purposes, you can check out our article on the best writing apps for Mac. Sublime Text 3. Sublime Text is probably one of the most famous text editors available for Mac and for all the right reasons. Best Text Editors for macOS. Note: In this article, we are focusing on the best text editors for coding but if you are looking for a text editor for your writing purposes, you can check out our article on the best writing apps for Mac.

C++ Sidekick

The C++ Sidekick has a tab with a clickable list of common C++ coding structures such as the #include syntax; if, else, for, do while, and struct syntax; and main, and cout syntax. The C++ sidekick also has a tab for the C++ Method Navigator, which allows users to jump directly to any method in the editor with the click of a button.

C++ Method Navigator

The C++ Method Navigator tool parses the editor contents for C++ methods or functions and displays them in a clickable list. Clicking an option from the list takes the user directly to the point in the editor where the function is defined.

Other C++ Tools

EditRocket also provides other tools for C++ such as auto completing code blocks for if, else, while, etc.

General Highlights

Source Code EditorCoding Tools
Macros, coding inserts, plugins, syntax highlighting, and more. Sidekicks, code builders, function navigators, program execution, and more.
Web Development ToolsValidators
CSS style builder, HTML tag builder, tag navigators, and much more. XML, HTML, and CSS validators
Search ToolsAuto Completion and Lookup
Regular expression capable find and replace, find / replace in files across the entire file system and more.Auto code completion, tag completion, and lookup for many programming languages.
File System BrowserFile Compare
Browse files and directories, perform file operations, and more.Compares files similar to the Unix diff command.
FTP and SFTP Client
Connect to SFTP and FTP servers. Browse, upload, download, rename, and delete files and directories and much more.

Additional Features

  • Syntax highlighting for over 20 programming languages
  • Coding Sidekicks for C, C++, C#, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSP, Perl, PHP, PL/SQL, Python, Ruby, Shell Script, SQL, SQL PL, Transact-SQL, and XML
  • Code Builders for C, JavaScript, Java, Perl, PL/SQL, PHP, Python, Ruby, Shell Script, and Transact-SQL
  • A robust CSS Style Builder for creating CSS style sheets and an HTML Tag Builder, HTML Tidy Tool, and HTML Entity Selector
  • The programming editor behind RazorSQL, a popular database query tool, since 2004
  • Function / Method Navigators for displaying clickable lists of functions / methods contained in the editor
  • Function / Method Lookup for quickly inserting functions or methods
  • A Tag Navigator tool for displaying clickable lists of tags contained in the editor
  • Key Ahead customizable by language for quickly entering text
  • Bookmark functionality for quickly navigating through code.
  • Recordable Macros for executing common tasks
  • Code Inserts for over 19 languages for quickly inserting code
  • File tools such as head, tail, regular expression search, move, copy, and delete
  • Customizable and pre-defined code templates
  • Spell Checker
  • Works with all major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, macOS, Linux, and Solaris.

A good word processor is one of the few pieces of software you simply can't live without. You might be able to manage without a spreadsheet tool or something for making slideshows, but text documents are unavoidable. Thankfully, you don't need to splash out on a full Microsoft Office subscription; there are some superb word processors available to download and use completely free.

Here we’re looking at the very best word processors that can be used offline (particularly useful for distraction-free writing), but there are also several excellent browser-based tools to consider if you'd rather do your writing online.

Google Docs is the most obvious choice, and has the advantage of saving your work automatically so you don’t have to worry if your connection fails. It’s also a good choice for collaborative working, and means you don’t have to upload work to a separate cloud storage service. However, it has a limited selection of templates, there’s no way to import content from other Google applications, and any online tool is going to be surrounded by distractions like social media.

If you'd prefer an offline word processor, read on – the perfect one is only a click away.

1. WPS Office Free

A word processor with cloud storage and support for all text files

Interface almost identical to Word
Free cloud storage

If you’ve used a modern version of Microsoft Word, there’ll be no learning curve when you switch to Writer – the word processing component of WPS Office Free.

This free word processor looks and behaves almost exactly like its premium counterpart, and even has its own equivalent of OneDrive, offering 1GB free cloud storage.

Its selection of pre-installed templates gives you everything you need for common document types, and you can easily create your own for bespoke tasks. It’s compatible with every text file format you can think of, including current and legacy versions of Microsoft Word dating back to Office 97.

WPS Office Writer is supported by discrete ads, which can be removed by upgrading to the premium version, but they’re barely noticeable and no features are locked behind a paywall. Overall, WPS Writer is very impressive, and in our opinion it’s the best free word processor available to download today.

WPS recently launched a free PDF to Word converter as well, which is a great companion to its word processor.

2. LibreOffice or Apache OpenOffice

All-singing, all-dancing word processors for any text-based work

Document template galleries

LibreOffice is a fork of Apache OpenOffice, and although there are some differences between the two suites (LibreOffice receives more frequent updates, for example, and has a more lively userbase), their word processing components are so similar, we’re listing them together.

Best Source Code Editor For Mac

Both versions of Writer are feature-packed analogs of Microsoft Word, packed with all the features you could possibly need for any text-based work.

The two versions of Writer include wizards and templates for common document types, such as invoices and letters, and it’s easy to create your own templates for future use as well. The word processors also work together with the other office software in their respective suites – so you can use Base to create a bibliography, for example.

Both word processors support all the most popular file formats, and can export documents to PDF without the need for additional software. If you’re looking for a word processor that can stand in for Microsoft Word, either of these two will be a perfect candidate.

Notepad++

3. FocusWriter

The ideal word processor for first drafts, with no fussy formatting

Best Code Editor For Mac

Blocks out distractions
Auto-save function

If you simply want to hammer out some words without worrying about formatting, you could just use Windows’ built-in Notepad app, but FocusWriter is full of clever tools that will help you maximize productivity without ever getting in the way.

As the name implies, FocusWriter blocks out all distractions so you can give that all-important first draft your full attention. In normal use, all you see is a blank page – toolbars are only visible if you move your mouse pointer to the edge of the screen – but there’s a killer feature in Focused Text, which fades everything into the background except the current paragraph or sentence.

FocusWriter also features alerts that are triggered at certain times, or when you’ve reached a predefined word count, so you don’t need to worry about watching a counter (as you would in Microsoft Word). This also makes FocusWriter a good tool to use in tandem with the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working hard for a period of time that’s long enough for you to work productively, but not so long that you become fatigued.

It’s not suitable for editing, but for productivity, FocusWriter is hard to beat.

4. SoftMaker FreeOffice

Another great looking word processor, but watch your file formats

Can export to EPUB format
Opens password-protected files

TextMaker – the word processing element of SoftMaker FreeOffice – is good looking, and comes with several handy templates for creating letters and other everyday documents. The selection isn’t as extensive as some of its rivals’, but you can also make new designs for future use and save them in TMV format.

All the features you’d expect from a modern word processor are present and correct, including advanced formatting options, the ability to create databases for managing bibliographies and footnotes, and a function for tracking changes to collaborative projects.

The only real drawback of TextMaker is its inability to save your work in DOCX format (though you can open and edit these files with no difficulty). This feature is limited to the premium version of SoftMaker Office, which retails for £48.20 (about US$60, AU$75).

Source Code Editors For Windows

5. Writemonkey

Productivity-focused word processing with quick shortcuts

Distraction-free interface
Handy keyboard shortcuts

WriteMonkey is another no-frills word processor designed to help you maximize your output without fussing with editing and formatting. It’s not intended for documents like letters or CVs, but is great for committing early ideas to paper (or screen) so you have the raw material to develop later.

Unlike FocusWriter, which is compatible with all the most common text formats (including Microsoft’s DOC and DOCX), WriteMonkey only works with TXT files, so you’ll have to convert any works in progress before opening them. WriteMonkey’s hidden controls are tricker to navigate, too – everything is accessed via a large right-click menu, or a vast collection of keyboard shortcuts.

That said, if you’re happy to commit those shortcuts to memory, you’ll find WriteMonkey faster to use than toolbar-based alternatives.

We also like the ability to look words up in Wikipedia, Google Images, Poetry.com, Answers.com, and many others without opening a browser winder manually and leaving yourself open to the temptations of Twitter and Facebook.

WriteMonkey is a portable app, so there’s no need to install it – just extract all the downloaded files to a removable drive or cloud storage service and fire it up by running the file WriteMonkey.exe.