Best (Windows) Ruby editor

[Peter C. Verhage]

Hi,

What is in your opinion the best (Windows) Ruby editor out there? I'm
searching for an editor with very good syntax highlighting (like Syntax
0.7.0 can do, but then real-time in the editor) and if possible an
editor which has auto-completion (at least for the standard library).
I've looked at several Scintilla based editors, but the syntax
highlighting is nowhere near complete and as far as I know none of them
support auto-completion. I've seen video's / screenshots of an editor
available on OSX which seems to have great syntax highlighting but as
far as I know it is not available on Windows. Any suggestions?

With kind regards,

Peter

 

[Luc Heinrich]

I've seen video's / screenshots of an editor
available on OSX which seems to have great syntax highlighting but as
far as I know it is not available on Windows. Any suggestions?

Switch to OS X... :>

 

[Peter C. Verhage]

Switch to OS X... :>

Doesn't run (without an emulator) on my PC. But yeah, my next
computer will probably be a Mac. But before I can buy such a beast, I
first need to earn some money by building a great Ruby application, for
which I need a good editor, which I can use on my current computer.

Regards,

Peter

 

[Lothar Scholz]

Hello Peter,

PCV> Hi,

PCV> What is in your opinion the best (Windows) Ruby editor out there? I'm
PCV> searching for an editor with very good syntax highlighting (like Syntax
PCV> 0.7.0 can do, but then real-time in the editor) and if possible an
PCV> editor which has auto-completion (at least for the standard library).
PCV> I've looked at several Scintilla based editors, but the syntax
PCV> highlighting is nowhere near complete and as far as I know none of them
PCV> support auto-completion. I've seen video's / screenshots of an editor
PCV> available on OSX which seems to have great syntax highlighting but as
PCV> far as I know it is not available on Windows. Any suggestions?

Look at my signature.
The syntax highlighting is even better then TextMates.
And you get a build in debugger

 

[Jay Levitt]

Look at my signature.
The syntax highlighting is even better then TextMates.
And you get a build in debugger

I just checked out the web page, and it's looking interesting... how far
along is it? There doesn't seem to be anything detailing what's
complete, what's left to do, etc., and the support forum (where I'd
expect to see a bunch of active beta testers discussing what the worst
showstoppers are) is just a 404 link...

 

[Ville Mattila]

I just checked out the web page, and it's looking interesting... how far
along is it? There doesn't seem to be anything detailing what's
complete, what's left to do, etc., and the support forum (where I'd
expect to see a bunch of active beta testers discussing what the worst
showstoppers are) is just a 404 link...

Arachno ruby is fully working. It has bit steep learning curve, but
when you get used to the ide, the working with ruby code is really
productive. Arachno is really powerfull ruby ide. The best.

- Ville

 

[B. K. Oxley (binkley)]

Look at my signature.
The syntax highlighting is even better then TextMates.
And you get a build in debugger

Does Arachno support refactoring? Which refactorings?


Cheers,
--binkley

 

[John-Mason P. Shackelford]

I like RDT for Eclipse (http://rubyeclipse.sourceforge.net/),
particularly since w/ Eclipse I can use the same environment no matter
what language I happen to be using. I like being able to add other
plug-ins too. For example, I use plug-ins to connect to source control.
RDT has an active developer community so improvements and new features
are being added all of the time.

Presently RDT features syntax highlighting, an outline view, a debugger,
a unit testing plugin, and regexp tester. The version presently in
development offers a wealth of new features.

Best of all, RDT is open source software so when if I am unhappy with
the way something works or imagine a feature which would save me time, I
can make the change and submit it back to the project.

I have used Arachno, RDE, Scite, etc. but finally landed on RDT.


John-Mason Shackelford

Software Developer
Pearson Educational Measurement

2510 North Dodge St.
Iowa City, IA 52245
ph. 319-354-9200x6214
(e-mail address removed)
http://pearsonedmeasurement.com

 

[Lasse Koskela]

Presently RDT features syntax highlighting, an outline view, a debugger,
a unit testing plugin, and regexp tester. The version presently in
development offers a wealth of new features.

Any chance #6 (refactoring) on the following wiki page would be one of
those new features?
http://tinyurl.com/5nx8j

-Lasse-

 

[John-Mason P. Shackelford]

Lasse,

Any chance #6 (refactoring) on the following wiki page would be one of
those new features?
http://tinyurl.com/5nx8j

I don't believe so, but the new version uses the parser from JRuby and
has a more robust model which will enable development of refactoring in
the future.


John-Mason Shackelford

Software Developer
Pearson Educational Measurement

2510 North Dodge St.
Iowa City, IA 52245
ph. 319-354-9200x6214
(e-mail address removed)
http://pearsonedmeasurement.com

 

[Randy Kramer]

I have used Arachno, RDE, Scite, etc. but finally landed on RDT.

I also need / want to pick an IDE for Ruby, and would welcome comments by
anyone using kdevelop, especially in comparison to any other IDEs. I am sort
of considering (without having done any research so far) either kdevelop or a
more Ruby specific IDE (like FreeRIDE?). (I may eventually learn C and write
a few C programs ("extensions" to Ruby).)

Randy Kramer

 

[Lothar Scholz]

Hello John-Mason,

JMPS> Lasse,

JMPS> I don't believe so, but the new version uses the parser from JRuby and
JMPS> has a more robust model which will enable development of refactoring in
JMPS> the future.

Refactoring is not a problem you can solve with a parser. You need
runtime semantics.

A parser helps only in static typed languages and
for some very easy refactoring moves. Thats why none of the non image
script languages haven't good refactoring tools - and will never
have.

 

[B. K. Oxley (binkley)]

A parser helps only in static typed languages and
for some very easy refactoring moves. Thats why none of the non image
script languages haven't good refactoring tools - and will never
have.

Can you explain this further, please?

Some refactorings are not relevant to untyped language (e.g., changing
the type). Others work just fine on the AST (e.g., rename). What sorts
of problems do you foresee?


Cheers,
--binkley

 

[Belorion]

Another +1 for jEdit. You can even write macros in jEdit using Ruby
(with the superscript plugin). Not to mention cross platform
compatability.

Matt

 

[Lothar Scholz]

Hello B.,


BKOb> Can you explain this further, please?

BKOb> Some refactorings are not relevant to untyped language (e.g., changing
BKOb> the type). Others work just fine on the AST (e.g., rename). What sorts
BKOb> of problems do you foresee?

This is a typical java -> ruby switcher question

If you want rename method call "subscribe" in class "Newspaper" to a
method call "register", then how do you know if

foo->subscribe(a,b)

should be renamed? You can only look at heuristics like: it has two
parameters like the subscribe method i want to rename, so i hope it is
a call of a Newspaper.subscribe and not of RealEstateContract.subscribe

Another question:
And how do you find all files where we look for subscribe ?
This can be very hard to tell. require is way too dynamic.

Think about it and further problems or just search groups.google
to find more discussions about the problem.

 

[B. K. Oxley (binkley)]

If you want rename method call "subscribe" in class "Newspaper" to a
method call "register", then how do you know if

foo->subscribe(a,b)

should be renamed?

Katsu!

Thank you,
--binkley

 

[Richard Dale]

I also need / want to pick an IDE for Ruby, and would welcome comments by
anyone using kdevelop, especially in comparison to any other IDEs. I am
sort of considering (without having done any research so far) either
kdevelop or a
more Ruby specific IDE (like FreeRIDE?). (I may eventually learn C and
write a few C programs ("extensions" to Ruby).)

Ruby support in KDevelop 3.2.0 is probably at least good as Eclipse RDT,
although KDevelop doesn't run on Windows. I would love to hear the opinion
of someone who has tried both too.

-- Richard

 

[Timothy Byrd]

I'm just finishing up a Ruby-mode for the Epsilon editor (
www.lugaru.com ). Epsilon is like Emacs (on steroids?), but its macro
language is C-like, not Lisp-like. I've been using it for nearly
twenty years. (Given its age, you can guess it's not open source, but
the developer is responsive, and the license includes Windows, DOS and
*nix versions.) I haven't tried every editor, so I can't claim "best"
but I am very used to Epsilon.

My Ruby-mode does syntax coloring and auto indentation.

Auto-completion seems tricky. What situations can you see completing
on? Something like this gives no context:

def foo(x)
x.

A way to call 'ri' from inside the editor could be handy, though.

-- Timothy

 

[BG - Ben Armstrong]

Hi,

What is in your opinion the best (Windows) Ruby editor out there? I'm
searching for an editor with very good syntax highlighting (like Syntax
0.7.0 can do, but then real-time in the editor) and if possible an
editor which has auto-completion (at least for the standard library).

Cream, found at http://cream.sf.net is based on Vim, but modeless &
conforming to standard Windows editor look-and-feel. Cream, like Vim,
has good syntax-highlighting. Vim itself has some provision for
auto-completion, but I have never used it. Also, auto-completion
key-mappings may not be compatible with Cream. But if the facility is
there, Cream could probably be modified to make use of it.

Ben

 

[James Britt]

Another +1 for jEdit. You can even write macros in jEdit using Ruby
(with the superscript plugin). Not to mention cross platform
compatability.

The very reasons I like using vim.


James