If you work with WordPress (WP), sooner or later you’re bound to find yourself in a position where you need to alter, add or delete some code —perhaps you might want to include Google Tag Manager on your pages or add a touch of CSS styling or a JavaScript library.
The thing is that to ‘play’ with the code, you’re going to need what’s called a “text editor” to affect those changes. However, if you’re not a coder, it’s very important to note that you must make a backup of any file you want to tinker with 1st.
We’re going to take a look at 5 popular WordPress text editors that will help you in your task:
Notepad++ (Windows default text editor)
For anyone dealing with Website codes or software coding, Notepad, Windows default text editor, is well known. Everyone, besides those who use Linux or Mac machines, starts out by using Notepad++ to write code. It’s a no frills editor that’s easy to use, & does not have a steep learning curve. However, there’s no code highlighting, no error detection for PHP or any other assistance offered, so if you use this editor, you’re likely to soon graduate to something a little more sophisticated.
Although DraftCode isn’t completely free (there’s a nominal one-off fee), it’s sheer brilliance & ease of use makes it a must for those who want to do some coding. Also, because it is a mobile app, it is that much more appealing. After all, these days, almost any task associated with website development can be done on mobile.
This editor comes with a 1-click WordPress install, so that you can use it as a staging ground for any WP code alterations & eliminate errors before pushing them ‘live’. It supports PHP, MYSQL, SQLITE, HTML, JavaScript & CSS. It has an offline inbuilt browser to run your code, so you can actually run a test of the Site on any Apple phone or Tablet. Enjoy colored, differential syntax highlighting, error reporting & a clean, easy to use interface.
A free editor that packs in fabulous features you might see only on costly paid editors, such as a fully integrated FTP server. This app offers an intuitive editing interface as well as a split-screen filemanager, which means that manipulating files & their Content becomes a breeze. Komodo is available for most operating systems, & is effortless to install & use.
Xammp is available for download from Friends of Apache & can be installed on any PC. It’s much more than a basic text editor & it’s free to boot. The app runs & executes PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS & has a built in MySQL database, which means that you can run WordPress on Xammp, even offline — so that you can test, & manipulate your code before pushing it ‘live’. The app is simple to install, & such fun to use that you might find yourself starting to learn programming so that you can do more than just play around with a few inserts—you might be writing your themes & plugins in no time at all.
Another great free text editor, which is fully integrated with GitHub, meaning that you can push, pull; all the while having the power of all GitHub’s repositories under the hood. Easy to install & use on any PC.
In conclusion: Tweaking WordPress code is often the way many people are introduced to the concept of coding. Many quickly become fascinated & embark on a new career path they have never envisaged, but whatever your requirements, you now have a list of text editors to go & try out.
