Sublime vs UltraEdit

[ajones]

I have been a long time UE user and I know some people that are pushing Sublime for our use (PHP/HTML/Web/ETC). Some of the advantages I have readabout Sublime over UE seem to be things that might have been true a few version back in UE but not sure if they are still true. Has anyone done a comparison? I expect a basis answer, but what are the things that make UE better than Sublime?


thanks

Alan

[rhapdog]

I've researched this myself recently, and the only thing I've been able to find that you can't do with UE that you can do with Sublime is the "minimap." I honestly don't see the sense in the minimap, though, because if you have very much code in a single file, you won't be able to tell what is where in the minimap because it will be so small. If you don't have very much code, then the minimap just isn't necessary. So, to me at least, the minimap is a gimmick to try to sell an editor. I don't believe in falling for gimmicks, I believe in getting functionality that I can actually use.

All in all, UE has much more powerful features already built into it, and Sublime has many of these with quite a few more made available in plug-ins.

Plug-ins is the other thing that Sublime offers. They have Python based plug-ins, which basically can do the type of functionality that you can do with a UE script. Both editors have a macro language, but Sublime offers Python script support and calls it "plug-ins" and UE offers JavaScript script support and calls it scripting.

You will find many "apparent functions" that Sublime will do that is not listed in UE. That is because Sublime says "toe mah toe" and UltraEdit says "toe may toe". Just the same thing pronounced differently, so to speak.

Sublime also accomplishes the same thing that UE does in vastly different ways. I have found that a vast majority of the functionality is actually easier and faster to accomplish using UltraEdit for the same task, because of the path you take to accomplish that task. A few things may be faster to accomplish in Sublime, but I haven't found any as of yet.

Sublime is available in 64-bit for Windows (from what I understand.) Although I use 64-bit Windows 7, I don't see the need for this unless I am regularly editing text files that are larger than 4GB in size. I have only done this once, and it was a text file I created in order to test that particular functionality. UltraEdit is not available in 64-bit. However, I have found the speed to be a bit better performance wise in favor of UltraEdit. I don't have benchmarks to show, but perhaps one day I'll get around to it. It's more of a "feel" for me on that one at this point, after working with both side by side. I have been on some editors that are quite painfully slow. Sublime is fairly quick, but UE is quicker.

Other differences that are of importance to note:
Number 1: The Compiled Packages
Sublime is available as the exact same package for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are no differences between versions, as it all uses the same code and they cross-compile it to the different platforms. Because of this, there are no kernel optimizations, and must go through a special code library to interpret for the kernel on the platform on which it runs. This is why I notice it is not as quick as UltraEdit.

UltraEdit is available for these 3 platforms, but the development for Mac and Linux is a bit behind, as they are developed from the ground up separate from the Windows version. Mac and Linux share a kernel, so they are developed together and cross-compiled. The Windows version is developed exclusively for Windows and takes advantage of the Windows API extensively in order to make it as fast and responsive as possible. This is something not possible with Sublime.

Number 2: Licensing
When you purchase Sublime, you get access to all 3 platforms without having to pay additional. Same price, whether you want it for one platform or all 3. Licenses are per user, which means you can use it on as many computers as you wish, as long as you are the one using it.

You cannot get site licensing for Sublime text. You cannot get a life-time license. You will have to purchase the next major version at the upgrade price if you want the next major version.

With UltraEdit, you can purchase a license for a particular platform, but then if you decide to use it on another you have to purchase another license. There is an option to upgrade to the multi-platform package, with allows you to use it on all three.

You can get site licensing for UltraEdit, and you can purchase lifetime upgrades where you never have to pay for it again and will always have the latest version available.

Number 3: Pricing
Sublime Text: $70 USD (no info on upgrade price, it is the same as far as I can determine.)
Price for Sublime is good for the major version you are currently on, and for all point releases.
(Currently version 3) You must pay again to obtain next major version.
UltraEdit:
Single License Windows: $59.95 USD, $29.95 USD Upgrade.
Price is good for one year from date of purchase. If new major version comes out during that 12 month period, you get that, too!
You can obtain a lifetime of unlimited upgrades by paying 3x the normal purchase price of a product, and never have to buy again.

Number 4: Integration with other great products
UltraCompare: While UltraCompare lite comes bundled with UltraEdit and is fully integrated, Sublime doesn't offer this functionality at all. Also, you can get UltraCompare Professional for a host of new functionality with the compares and it will be fully integrated with UE as well.

UltraSentry: Work more securely, with full integration with UE.

UltraFinder: Locating files has never been easier, and this also integrates into UE.

Number 5: UEStudio... can't touch this.
Remember, IDM also offers UEStudio. The project management features here just can't be beat. There is a lot you can do with UEStudio that can't be done with either UE or Sublime. For differences between UE and UEStudio, check here. Hey, UEStudio does integrated PHP debugging! I use that all the time. There is a plug-in that will allow you to use Xdebug with Sublime from what I understand. This is not an option with UE. Something to consider as well. I have found the language specific PHP Intellitips to be invaluable as well. Check the link I have you on the full list of what UEStudio can do for you.

And no, I don't work for IDM.

Number 6: Portability
Sublime is Desktop only. UltraEdit comes in a portable version in case you want to install it on a flash drive and take it with you. So does UltraCompare. Sure, you can install Sublime where ever you need to, but you won't always have install rights on a computer you are visiting, and it is bad form to install YOUR software on another person's computer without their consent.

Number 7: UE Companion
You can't customize your syntax highlighting in Sublime as easy as this makes it for UE. Although, on this one, It's hard for me to be objective.

[ajones]

thanks for the comparison

There is also some interest in using Sublime or UltraEdit on a Mac. So no UEStudio then

Any other users try both Sublime and UltraEdit?

[hugov]

There are several small things I like about Sublime, this in particular:

Use Multiple Selections to rename variables quickly.
Here Ctrl+D is used to select the next occurrence of the current word.

It is something really convenient and the multiple text insertion points is very useful. (you can see it action on the SublimeText website homepage as first "feature" in the animation). Requested it to be added to UE as well... Other things: command palette and the GoTo anything (also featured in the animation)

[rhapdog]

The "multiple text insertion points" that I saw in the demo is possible with UE using column mode, and selecting multiple rows. When typing, it inserts the text into all the rows.

Multiple selections to rename variables quickly is just a different way of doing search/replace. You can do a global search/replace and use exact match, whole words only, or regex to make sure you change only the actual variable you want, and this is already possible. Ctrl+D to select next occurance is F3 in UE. You can highlight all occurrences of a word by holding down SHIFT while double clicking the word in UE.

GoTo anything? Try Ctrl+G in UE. Enter any bookmark, page break, line number, or line/column number and instantly go there. It's called Go To. Of course, if you don't know the bookmark name, or if you aren't naming bookmarks, or if you don't know the line, etc., then you can always find what you're looking for with a good text or regex search. The finding of the text can also be done with a Find in Files, to search your entire project path including subdirectories if needed. It is very advanced and very powerful. When you search in files, it will send to the output window all occurrences, listing them by line number, in all files where it was found. Double click the entry you were looking for, and it opens that file to that location.

It's always easy to get where you want to go in UE. I can't think of anything GoTo Anything in Sublime Text can do that UE doesn't already do. Requesting it for a feature is not necessary.

Command palette? That's the same thing as Advanced->Tools Configuration in UE. You can configure any user commands or tools to be run from UE, that can be passed parameters and the current document, or whatever info is needed. Same thing, different name. Except that the Tools configured in UE have more configuration options and you can specify how you want the command output to be captured/displayed, or if you want text to be replaced in the document by this command if how it should be replaced, etc.

Like I said before, different ways of doing the same thing. Sublime may make it simpler to find for a novice, but UE offers more power on each in most cases.

[hugov]

Sorry rhapdog, but I don't think you have actually tried those features as they don't do what you describe. Even IDM said "that is nice we'll consider it". I've been using UE since v5 so I know my way around UE I suggest you actually try it to see what they do. I'm always trying other editors to see what features they have and if I like something I'll try to replicate with a macro or script or additional tool or request/suggest it to IDM. For example, in Notepad++ you don't have to switch to column mode before you can use it, you can just press alt+shift and UP/DOWN arrow - it is very convenient (much more so as pressing the shortcut for column mode, then followed by shift and UP/DOWN). I do believe UE to be the best editor out there, but that doesn't mean I stop looking at other programs to see what tricks I can learn from them. I also believe some UE features are very poorly implemented and I do hope they will get improved or expanded. ( Another example: why haven't they implemented the 'ASCII value in statusbar" when they (finally) upgraded the status bar recently viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8874 )

[Mofi]

It is very good that there are UltraEdit users which take also a look on other editors to see what the other editors have perhaps better implemented or which features they have currently not supported by UltraEdit and let IDM know about those features by a suggestion or feature request email. That helps improving UltraEdit and make it more useful for a wider range of persons interested in a powerful text editor.


Use Multiple Selections to rename variables quickly.

I have not looked on the sublime demo for this feature. So please forgive me if I'm writing nonsense. But from what you wrote it is really just another method of replacing several occurrences of a string. Programmers need to rename a local variable of a function on many occasions. A replace can do that, but it must be restricted on code of the current function. There are several ways to do that manually or by using a macro or script. I do not need to rename function variables often and therefore have not yet coded a macro or script for that task. I do it manually. The steps are:

• Select the variable to rename and press Ctrl+C to copy it to clipboard.
• Move up to the beginning of the function. Usually the functions do not spread over multiple pages and therefore I simple move caret up by key. But searching upwards for ^\{ (Perl, Unix) respectively %{ would do this job also in my C/C++ files.
• I set caret left to { which starts the code block of a function and hit the hotkey for executing command Select to Matching Brace. Now the entire function code block is selected in which the variable should be renamed.
• Next I press Ctrl+R to open the Replace dialog, press Ctrl+V to insert the copied variable name as string to find, press Tab and enter the new name, select options (by key) like Match Case, Match Whole Word Only and important select Selected Text and finally press Alt+A to execute the Replace All.

That's it and after restoring caret position I can continue typing code for this function.

Of course the steps above read awful, but with a macro or even better with a script the manual steps can be decreased to just 2: pressing hotkey for starting macro or script and entering new name of the variable if the caret is set currently at beginning or within the variable to rename in the function.

However, replacing all highlighted strings after Shift+Double Click by a command would be surely very helpful for users not so experienced in extending UltraEdit with custom scripts or macros for reducing often executed command sequences as much as possible.


Here Ctrl+D is used to select the next occurrence of the current word.

Well, Find Next assigned usually to key F3 does this also in UltraEdit, as long as

• configuration setting Find Next/Prev finds selected text (not last searched for text) is enabled and
• last find/replace was not a regular expression replace.

But again it is possible to use a macro for this task which would work independent on configuration setting and regular expression option.

Code: Select all

IfSel
Else
SelectWord
EndIf
UltraEditReOn
Find MatchCase MatchWord "^s"

The usage of the find options Match Case and Match Whole Word Only in the macro depends on type of file. Both make sense in C/C++/C# and many other case-sensitive programming languages. Not using those 2 find options might be better on the other hand for others files. The macro can be extended with several IfExtIs commands to run the find with the options suitable for the type of file based on file extension.


Alt+Shift and UP/DOWN arrow for making a rectangular selection

In UltraEdit holding left Alt key while making a selection with left mouse button results also in making rectangular selection. But it is right that holding Alt+Shift and pressing a caret moving key does not result in making a rectangular selection. That's good for me because I have assigned Alt+Shift+Left, Alt+Shift+Right, and so on to commands which I need very often and which move the caret, for example Back (last position) and Forward (next position). I do not have a problem pressing Alt+C and then holding just Shift while making the rectangular selection as most often after making the selection, I want to replace the block with something different and therefore need the column editing mode anyway.


ASCII value in status bar

As IDM published the first beta of UE v19.00 with the new status bar (which I don't use as I prefer the basic status bar), I suggested also to IDM that it would be good to let the users select via a configuration dialog from a list of items what should be displayed in the status bar. My suggestion was not yet implemented in UE v19.00 and v19.10. But IDM agreed that more items selectable via a configuration might be useful in future depending on how many users request for a special information shown in status bar like the code value of the current character. Therefore IDM added the basic status bar option already on a completely new configuration dialog instead of adding this option to an existing configuration dialog to make it easier in future to add more status bar related options.

So you need to find more UltraEdit and UEStudio users who want also the code value of current character displayed in the status bar in decimal and or hexadecimal to get such an enhancement in the near future.

[hugov]

@Mofi thanks for the reply, surely useful for people reading the thread. The gist of my message is not specific points as such but that some programs do things easier or differently which may suit the personal requirements of someone better. Column editing was once a unique feature of UE (for the windows platform, it existed before that in a variety of MS Dos editors). Now many editors have column editing and some implementations are easier for me. I use it a lot (say every couple of minutes) and the switching between modes is annoying. I actually don't see a reason* (any more) for a specific column mode as such - so if UE where to introduce a Notepad++ like column mode selection (configurable of course so people can choose) that would be helpful for me. Interesting to note is that quite a few Notepad++ features actually made their way to UE (highlighting of closing tag for example was present in N++ a few years before it appeared in UE, there was a N++ plugin that has Smart Templates features well before it appeared in UE etc). I also use a lot of external tools to expand UE. I'm just saying use the tool that suits you and the task at hand. UE is by no means perfect (some functions are only available via the mouse but not via the menu or keyboard shortcut for example), but no other editor is either.

You yourself wrote a "InsertStringMultipleTimes" script, so even you might find a "multiple text insertion points" handy at times

(Just to note I have UE with unlimited upgrades)

*edit: apart from pasting in column mode

[Mofi]

You yourself wrote a "InsertStringMultipleTimes" script, so even you might find a "multiple text insertion points" handy at times.

It's right that I wrote this script and published it, but not for myself. I have never used it for myself after publishing it.

[rhapdog]

Now many editors have column editing and some implementations are easier for me. I use it a lot (say every couple of minutes) and the switching between modes is annoying.

As Mofi stated, you don't have to switch between modes. Hold down Alt while selecting with the mouse or Alt+Shift while selecting with the keyboard (instead of the normal Shift) will result in selecting in column mode. I don't find the way Notepad++ or Sublime does column mode any easier than that. I also don't find a quick "Alt+C" to enter and exit exclusive column mode hindering or annoying, as it is quite an easy to remember and use shortcut.

I never stated that what I was saying about UE was the SAME thing as Sublime, but I did give alternate ways to accomplish the same task. As rare as I do those particular tasks, and as rare as I use them, I would rather have my editor set up for things I access more frequently, which is what UE does for me. (Well, actuall UES for me, though I do still use UE on occasion, as I have unlimited upgrades for both UE and UES.)

[hugov]

Sorry but I hate using the mouse while in my TEXT editor - especially selecting text/lines/blocks (it hurts, literally). What you describe weren't alternatives - they do something else completely I'm afraid - but again they were just examples to illustrate the general idea. You may find it hard to believe but there are something that other editors simply do better for certain people or in certain situations. By the way N++ has a "document map", I'm sure you'll love it if you try it (just kidding - but it does show how easy it would be to add to UE as well if enough people ask it - I don't think the N++ developer(s) spent months writing the code for it). To each their own.

Edit: what I'm actually missing (and which I've requested to IDM but they said "we'll think about it") is a suggested or planned feature list/overview. It is always a surprise what new features are added in the annual update. There are useful (social) tools nowadays that help with gathering user feedback and showing (potential) customers what will be in store for future editions...

[rhapdog]

Sorry but I hate using the mouse while in my TEXT editor - especially selecting text/lines/blocks (it hurts, literally).

That part right there tells me you didn't read the entire post, you skimmed the first part and made assumptions.

The mouse wasn't the only way to use column mode without column mode being active. Mofi and I both stated Alt+Shift with the arrow keys will select block column mode for you, without having to enter column mode, and without having to take your hand off the keyboard for the mouse. I only mentioned the mouse as an additional way to do it, because for some reason many people do selecting only with the mouse.

To go on and say that I didn't describe alternatives and were something else completely really makes me think you didn't actually fully read my alternatives either. Perhaps you don't have the attention span for my long posts, so I'll stop posting about it, since you don't read it anyway.

[hugov]

You sound like a really fun person to hangout with
I'm sorry but when I press Alt+Shift with the arrow keys nothing happens - it never has - as I've coping/importing/upgrading the settings perhaps something is/has gone wrong with my personal settings - I'll investigate. And yes I did read your post - I could say the same of you. But you are not reading this anyway

[Mofi]

Sorry rhapdog, but making a rectangular selection with Alt+Shift+arrow keys does not work in UltraEdit as I wrote and that is good for me as I'm using those key codes for executing other internal commands.

Just with holding left Alt + left mouse button + moving the mouse pointer a rectangular selection can be made without enabling column editing mode. That's a feature I also never use because I do nearly everything by keys in UltraEdit like hugov and also you too prefer as far as I know.