Editing WordPress files can be a chore or a breeze – depending on the coding software you’re using. Today, in order to help you save time and boost your productivity, we’re going to take a look at some of the best WordPress file editors for Mac and Windows users alike.
· Windows: Notepad++
Let’s start things off with one of the simpler code editors for Windows. While Notepad++ is extremely user-friendly, it’s actually pretty feature-rich and handy. It allows users to make super-quick changes to their WordPress files, regardless of their coding skills.
In addition to being one of the simpler editors, this is also one of the best HTML CSS code editor for Windows out there. Just look at some of its features: syntax highlighting, auto complete, multiple doc support, and many, many more. There are also some plugins that allow you to extend its functionalities.
What did we like about it?
- It’s an open-source editor that comes under the GNU license
- Allows you to connect directly to a server through FTP
- Has great support for additional plugins that extend its functionalities
What we disliked about it?
- The interface might need some work to fulfill the industry standards
- Remote file editing doesn’t support SSH or HTTP
· Mac: Text Wrangler
You can look at this iOS-based editor as BBEdit’s little brother. Text Wrangler offers a lot of similar features, however, BBEdit simply has more functionality. For instance, unlike BBEdit, this editor supports only one language (English).
Nonetheless, it has all the basic features that are extremely useful for editing WordPress files. Some of the features include code folding, plugin support, spell checker, auto-correct functionalities, syntax highlighting, among others.
What did we like about it?
- It supports large files and more than 40 programming languages
- It gives you remote access to the server through SSH support
- Features an intuitive interface that allows you to edit code quickly
What we disliked about it?
- Only works on iOS systems
- It doesn’t allow the users to edit collaboratively
- It doesn’t have support for HTTP
· Cross Platform: Bluefish
Just like Notepad++ this is another simple code editor that supports all coding languages. The program is actually based on Pearl-compatible expressions. Since it’s an open-source program, you can always download it for free, however, it works as well as any other price of paid software on the market.
As a matter of fact, it’s safe to say that this is one of the most powerful WordPress editors available today. Best features include external file and program integration, search-and-replace functionalities, and multiple document support.
What did we like about it?
- Bluefish can load a full website in just a few short seconds
- It allows users to work on more than 500 documents at the same time
- It’s an open-source program that works well on every major OS
What we disliked about it?
- Some people feel like interface is not up-to-date
- It sometimes crashes on Windows
· Windows: Araneae
This is another tool that’s exclusive to a single operating system – in this case, Windows. In fact, this tool was specifically build to enrich the programming experience of Windows users. This code editor supports programming languages such as CSS, HTML, PHP, and XHTML, without any third-party extensions at all.
Furthermore, this is not a heavy program at all – it doesn’t demand more free space on your hard drive than your average development program. While it doesn’t support external plugins, it provides users with all the essential features like drag-and-drop, syntax highlighting, and search-and-replace, among others.
What did we like about it?
- It’s an open source program, free for all Windows users
- The code editor supports several instances
- It also supports a number of programming languages through extensions
What we disliked about it?
- Unlike most editors on the list, it only works on Windows
- It doesn’t really support any external plugins
· Mac: BBEdit
If you want a quality editing experience while coding for iOS, you won’t go wrong with BBEdit. If you’re a WordPress developer, you’ll surely find this code editor helpful. In essence, this all-in-one tool allows you to maintain a site, work with text files, and even write programs.
Some of its most useful features include search-and-replace files, multiple tabs, code folding, and completion. The editor has been around for more than a quarter of a century at this point, and besides coding, people have even used it to write full-fledged novels.
What did we like about it?
- BBEdit supports a wide variety of features for iOS
- It supports, SFTP, FTP, open and save features
- It also supports OS X, AppleScript, and HTML Mark Up
What we disliked about it?
- This particular code editor is limited to Apple devices
- Unlike most editors here, you have to pay for an individual BBEdit license
· Cross Platform: UltraEdit
This is a powerful editor that works great on all operating systems. UltraEdit is a great choice if you’re developing in CSS, HTML, Perl, JavaScript, Python or PHP. Even though the program comes with a high price tag, we can say that it’s worth every dime.
Due to a huge amount of useful features, UltraEdit will give you the peace of mind while working and allow you to as productive as possible. Some of the highlight features include FTP integration, code highlighting, multi-selection, advanced layout, etc.
What did we like about it?
- The editor prioritizes column and block editing
- It provides great support for data and file sorting
- It can handle every file you throw at it, no matter the size
What we disliked about it?
- The only real complaint we have is the high price tag
· Windows: RapidPHP
As its name suggests, RapidPHP is a unique code editor that puts emphasis on speed. While it’s built for PHP programming, the editor also supports CSS, HTML, and a number of other developer languages. It comes with features such as autocomplete, highlighting, and formatting.
Furthermore, Rapid connects to FTP, FTPS, and SFTP servers automatically and it comes with Git integration and various file management tools. Whether you’re a professional developer or just an enthusiast, RapidPHP will allow you to get the job done faster, save time, and increase productivity.
What did we like about it?
- RapidPHP provides amazing development speed
- The modern PHP framework will make your apps more secure
- It has a huge user-base of developers who regularly write and record helpful tutorials
What we disliked about it?
- The framework is not to easy master and will take some time to get used to
- It doesn’t give you too much control over its core and libraries
- A little bit pricier than other code editors on our list
· Mac: Atom
If you’re familiar with Sublime Text, you’ll definitely know how to use Atom. Moreover, the interface is fully customizable, so even if you have any problems finding your way around, you can still make a few tweaks that will make things easier.
The editor is created by GitHub, so you know that you’re getting a quality product. Some of its standout features include an integrated package manager, auto-completion options, and system file browsers, just to name a few.
What did we like about it?
- The interface is incredibly easy to get used to
- it’s specifically created for developers so it’s very customizable and extensible
- The core module can be extended with a number of different packages
What we disliked about it?
- Compared to other code editors on the list, Atom is definitely slower
- The editor isn’t really built to handle large files
- While it works with other OSs it only functions properly on the iOS
· Cross Platform: Vim
This spot on our list is reserved for Vim – an open-source code editor that works on Windows, iOS, and most surprisingly, DOS. Additionally, the software allows you to customize it to your liking, so no matter what code editor you used in the past, you won’t have any problems adapting to Vim.
Despite all of Vim’s features and functionalities, the install package is surprisingly small. Therefore, it shouldn’t take more than two minutes to download and install Vim on your device. In addition to regular features such as syntax highlighting, the recent extensions of Vim also support the mouse.
What did we like about it?
- Like any other IDE, it’s pretty customizable and expendable
- VIM’s interface is highly integrated and supports a number of plugins
- The program supports more than 200 languages so user all over the globe can use it
What we disliked about it?
- The program is not actually meant for inexperienced developers
- It will take some time to get used to the program and learn how to use it
· Cross Platform: Aptana Studio
Aptana Studio is a completely free code editor that works perfectly well on both Windows and iOS. While it is fairly intuitive, it might take up some time for a beginner to completely figure it out. It is a good tool for editing WordPress files because it supports JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
Some of Aptana Studio’s most impressive features are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript aid, deployment wizard, a helpful debugger, Git integration, command line terminal, and IDE customization.
What did we like about it?
- The support for Rails, Ruby, PHP, and Python
- That is completely free and cross platform
- This code editor has debuggers for JavaScript and Rails
What we disliked about it?
- Can prove challenging to beginners until they get the hang of it
· Mac: Coda
Coda is a very popular HTML and CSS code editor among Mac users. Coda has come a long way from its humble beginnings and many changes were made along the way turning it into the powerful editor we have come to love today.
Coda 2 has introduced a lot of new features like the touch bar for MacBook PRO users, speed improvements, editor customizations, indexing for local files, previewer and live editor, a brand new save and publish button, and synchronization of websites and passwords for an improved security.
What did we like about it?
- The easy creation of gradients
- You can edit local and remote files
- Support for MySQL queries
- Both the web inspector and debugger
- Comes with a free e-book
What we disliked about it?
- A bit on the expensive side
- It takes a while to get used to it
- Customer support response time is slow
· Cross Platform: Sublime Text
Sublime Text is a lightweight code editor compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac. It is still being constantly updated and improved and comes with features such as GoTo anything, GoTo definition, multiple selections, command palette, split editing, and instant switch.
What did we like about it?
- Has a lite version
- Works with Mac, Windows, and Linux
- Amazing syntax highlighting engine
- Highly-customizable
What we disliked about it?
- You need to purchase a license for more features
- Not beginner friendly
- Slow update releases
- Crashes sometimes
· Mac: TextMate
TextMate is one of the best code editor for Mac users. It has both a premium and a free version which are very easy to use and highly recommended for Ruby on Rails programmers. Apart from Ruby on Rails, TextMate also support over 50 more programming languages along with syntax highlight.
A few of its most powerful features are find and replace option, auto-pairing, auto-indent, auto-complete, clipboard history, file tabs, and many more.
What did we like about it?
- Can work as an editor for SFTP and FTP
- Can run shell commands
- Navigation and quick overview
- Supports SVK, XCode, Perforce
- Minimalist
- Easy to use
What we disliked about it?
- Remove file accessing can cause glitches
- Mac only
Final Thoughts
And there you have it – those are some of the best code editors for WordPress. Now, all of the editors we presented above are great options and it’s up to you to decide which one will suit you best. Our recommendation is to try a few of them, and see which one will save you the most time and help you work efficiently