Maybe I'm unusual with my relationship with my editor, or maybe it's because I'm old school.
I started out with WordStar, and all the hacks. Then there was Brief with all the macro and double-key goodness that allowed me to build in all the stuff I liked from WordStar. I even built in some stuff from WordPerfect back in that day.
Then Borland bought Brief and that was ok until I was trying to use it in beta Windows '98 and '98 did NOT like Brief as a DOS-based app.
My boss at the time said to go buy a couple copies of this thing called "SlickEdit". Boy... hard to remember the days that a boss would actually be a coder and also be interested in 1) an editor and 2) buying software but I digress.
I'm somewhat of a hard sell, so I investigated the options, and even called the SlickEdit folks to find out if I could somehow use all the goodness I'd come to be accustomed with Brief. They said yes, so did I, and a long-term affair was begun with SlickEdit.
I'm going to be somewhat cautious because this is a brave new world, but 'back in the day', SlickEdit was a big macro engine. All the built-ins were macros just like the ones you could write. The language looked a LOT like C and with a little finessing, you could modify something you keystroked in.
Time, companies, and life intervened and I eventually ended up buying my own copy a couple times because of course companies are no longer interested in providing developers with productivity tools... at least the ones I've been working for.
So I've got this version of SlickEdit that is version 7. It's like my old truck. It's not shiny any more, and it's taken a bit of a beating over the years. But... I've got a macro file with 102 macros in there that encompass close to 4300 lines of SlickEdit code. And I use the crap out of it. I have macros that help me build my 'Cream posts, I have toolbars of macros for work at my client's facility, and toolbars for personal coding things.
I had an opportunity a while back to testdrive a newer version of Slick Edit (version 13 maybe?), and had a tough time of it. I'm open to change, but my macros didn't want to compile, and the keystroke macro engine was getting all confused between the file extension templating and the replay. We back-and-forthed for a bit, but it was too painful for me to use, and I didn't hear from them.
Until SlickEdit 2009 came out
I have had a license for the latest version for a short while. I finally got it installed, and it's emulation of Brief wasn't pleasing me until I remembered that I had all sorts of other stuff inserted.
So this morning I took the time and re-learned how to insert the keystroke macros into the newer versions. It's actually pretty cool, like the install was. I'm too old school and wanted to just insert my bindings into the userdefs file but it was arguing with me. Maybe that's possible, but it's not like I had a thousand of them, so I typed them in, and am back using all the WordStar keystroke macros and all the Brief goodness.
Next step: My macros
To be honest, I haven't brought over everything, but I brought over what I use here and dang if it didn't compile without issue. I don't remember the last one being that accommodating... so I'm starting to get stoked here. Sort of like Lance in that breakaway in Stage 3.
The acid test: keystroke macros
I copied a couple files over to a temp area and started hacking away at them using keystroke macros in the manner I normally work and Booya... this sucker likes 'em!
I don't know what the SlickEdit guys did between the last version and this one, but I'm tentatively saying they hit a home-run with this version.
Negatives
Has to be some... right? ... I'm typing this file as an html file and of course I've read very little documentation (I'm a coder, why do I need documentation?), but hitting the backspace key is doing something. I have a feeling it has to do with the undo/redo buffer and saving. I found if I hit * it actually works pretty good. That's the undo, and it is taking characters and words away the same as backspace would do.
I'm going to use this and report anything else, and after a few days or so I'll let you know if I'm still using it, or if I reverted :) At this point, I'm thinking I'm going to install this at home too!
Thanks SlickEdit -- this is a good one!!!
posted @ Tuesday, July 07, 2009 12:55 PM