Notepad++ vs PlatformIO

Overview

Notepad++

Stacks20.4K

Followers16.8K

Votes422

PlatformIO

Stacks111

Followers150

Votes18

Notepad++ vs PlatformIO: What are the differences?

Introduction

Notepad++ and PlatformIO are both software tools that are widely used in the field of software development. While they serve similar purposes, there are several key differences between the two that make them distinct from each other.

User Interface and Features: Notepad++ is primarily a text editor with syntax highlighting and other basic features that aid in writing and editing code. On the other hand, PlatformIO is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that provides advanced features such as code completion, debugging tools, and project management capabilities. PlatformIO offers a more comprehensive and user-friendly interface compared to Notepad++, making it a preferred choice for professional developers.
Platform Support: Notepad++ is a Windows-based software and is primarily designed for this operating system. It does not provide support for other platforms like macOS or Linux. In contrast, PlatformIO is a cross-platform tool that can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it more versatile for developers working on different operating systems.
Project Management: Notepad++ does not provide any built-in support for project management. It is essentially a standalone tool for editing code files. PlatformIO, on the other hand, offers extensive project management capabilities. It allows developers to create and organize projects, manage libraries and dependencies, and easily switch between different projects within the IDE.
Hardware Development Support: Notepad++ does not offer any specific features or support for hardware development. It is primarily focused on text editing and coding. PlatformIO, however, is specifically designed for embedded systems and offers built-in support for various hardware platforms such as Arduino, ESP8266, and STM32. It provides libraries, frameworks, and tools that are specifically tailored for hardware development.
Debugging Capabilities: Notepad++ lacks built-in debugging capabilities. It is primarily a text editor and does not provide tools for step-by-step code execution or variable inspection. PlatformIO, on the other hand, offers debugging tools that allow developers to set breakpoints, step through code execution, and inspect variables at runtime. This makes it easier to identify and fix issues in the code during the development process.
Community and Support: Notepad++ has a large and active community of users who share tips, tricks, and plugins to enhance its functionality. However, it does not have official support channels or dedicated documentation. PlatformIO, on the other hand, has a well-established community and provides extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. It also has a professional support option for enterprise users, making it a more reliable choice for developers seeking assistance.

In summary, while Notepad++ is a lightweight text editor with basic code editing features, PlatformIO is a feature-rich IDE with advanced project management, hardware development support, debugging capabilities, and cross-platform compatibility. PlatformIO provides a more comprehensive and user-friendly environment for software development, making it a preferred choice for professional developers.

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Advice on Notepad++, PlatformIO

Andrey

Managing Partner at WhiteLabelDevelopers

May 18, 2020

Decided

Since communication with Github is not necessary, the Atom is less convenient in working with text and code. Sublim's support and understanding of projects is best for us. Notepad for us is a completely outdated solution with an unacceptable interface. We use a good theme for Sublim ayu-dark

539k views539k

Comments

René

Sr. Financial Analyst

Aug 21, 2020

Review

I have used and like them both... here's my take on what to use in your case.

Use whatever software your instructor is using when learning a language. It makes it simpler to start. Then change to whatever you like.
Use an IDE (Integrated Development Enviroment). For Java I'd pick InteliJ (because I have found the Jetbrains IDEs great) or Visual Studio as a second pick (because it's free for individual coders).
Pick your text editor: the Atom vs Notepad++, vs others question Both Atom and Notepad++ offer many features and add-ons, making it a long-disputed competition. This is what drives to chose between one and the other, and I have been alternating: On Atom: The good:

Good looking coding environment
Good autocomplete
Project focused structure to your files The bad:
Higher system resources usage
Slower loading time (if you are opening and closing)

Notepad++ The good:

Very light system resources use
Fast and simple, with decent code higlighting
Loads very fast The bad:
Not as pretty as Atom
Autocomplete and syntax checking is not that good
File-focused editing

495 views495

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Notepad++	PlatformIO
Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.	PlatformIO is an open source ecosystem for IoT development. Cross-platform build system and library manager. Continuous and IDE integration. Arduino and MBED compatible. Ready for Cloud compiling.
Syntax Highlighting and Syntax Folding;User Defined Syntax Highlighting and Folding: screenshot 1, screenshot 2, screenshot 3 and screenshot 4;PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expression) Search/Replace;GUI entirely customizable: minimalist, tab with close button, multi-line tab, vertical tab and vertical document list;Document Map;Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion and Function parameters hint;Multi-Document (Tab interface);Multi-View;WYSIWYG (Printing);Zoom in and zoom out;Multi-Language environment supported;Bookmark;Macro recording and playback;Launch with different arguments	C/C++ Intelligent Code Completion ;Smart Code Linter for the super-fast coding;Multi-projects workflow with Multiple Panes.;Themes Support with dark and light colors;Built-in Terminal with PlatformIO CLI tool
Statistics
Stacks 20.4K	Stacks 111
Followers 16.8K	Followers 150
Votes 422	Votes 18
Pros & Cons
Pros 104 Syntax for all languages that i use 60 Tabbed ui 56 Great code editor 54 Fast and lightweight 38 Plugins Cons 3 No default plugin manager 2 Can't install more advanced packets	Pros 7 Support for various Embedded Boards 5 It is the best 3 Integrates with VSCode and Atom 1 CLI (command line tools 1 CI (continous integration)

What are some alternatives to Notepad++, PlatformIO?

Sublime Text

Sublime Text is available for OS X, Windows and Linux. One license is all you need to use Sublime Text on every computer you own, no matter what operating system it uses. Sublime Text uses a custom UI toolkit, optimized for speed and beauty, while taking advantage of native functionality on each platform.

Atom

At GitHub, we're building the text editor we've always wanted. A tool you can customize to do anything, but also use productively on the first day without ever touching a config file. Atom is modern, approachable, and hackable to the core. We can't wait to see what you build with it.

Vim

Vim is an advanced text editor that seeks to provide the power of the de-facto Unix editor 'Vi', with a more complete feature set. Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. It is an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems. Vim is distributed free as charityware.

Visual Studio Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications. Code is free and available on your favorite platform - Linux, Mac OSX, and Windows.

PhpStorm

PhpStorm is a PHP IDE which keeps up with latest PHP & web languages trends, integrates a variety of modern tools, and brings even more extensibility with support for major PHP frameworks.

IntelliJ IDEA

Out of the box, IntelliJ IDEA provides a comprehensive feature set including tools and integrations with the most important modern technologies and frameworks for enterprise and web development with Java, Scala, Groovy and other languages.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio is a suite of component-based software development tools and other technologies for building powerful, high-performance applications.

WebStorm

WebStorm is a lightweight and intelligent IDE for front-end development and server-side JavaScript.

NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE is FREE, open source, and has a worldwide community of users and developers.

PyCharm

PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!

Related Comparisons

Notepad++ vs PlatformIO: What are the differences?

Introduction

User Interface and Features: Notepad++ is primarily a text editor with syntax highlighting and other basic features that aid in writing and editing code. On the other hand, PlatformIO is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that provides advanced features such as code completion, debugging tools, and project management capabilities. PlatformIO offers a more comprehensive and user-friendly interface compared to Notepad++, making it a preferred choice for professional developers.
Platform Support: Notepad++ is a Windows-based software and is primarily designed for this operating system. It does not provide support for other platforms like macOS or Linux. In contrast, PlatformIO is a cross-platform tool that can be used on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it more versatile for developers working on different operating systems.
Project Management: Notepad++ does not provide any built-in support for project management. It is essentially a standalone tool for editing code files. PlatformIO, on the other hand, offers extensive project management capabilities. It allows developers to create and organize projects, manage libraries and dependencies, and easily switch between different projects within the IDE.
Hardware Development Support: Notepad++ does not offer any specific features or support for hardware development. It is primarily focused on text editing and coding. PlatformIO, however, is specifically designed for embedded systems and offers built-in support for various hardware platforms such as Arduino, ESP8266, and STM32. It provides libraries, frameworks, and tools that are specifically tailored for hardware development.
Debugging Capabilities: Notepad++ lacks built-in debugging capabilities. It is primarily a text editor and does not provide tools for step-by-step code execution or variable inspection. PlatformIO, on the other hand, offers debugging tools that allow developers to set breakpoints, step through code execution, and inspect variables at runtime. This makes it easier to identify and fix issues in the code during the development process.
Community and Support: Notepad++ has a large and active community of users who share tips, tricks, and plugins to enhance its functionality. However, it does not have official support channels or dedicated documentation. PlatformIO, on the other hand, has a well-established community and provides extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. It also has a professional support option for enterprise users, making it a more reliable choice for developers seeking assistance.

Notepad++ vs PlatformIO

Overview