Xed (XML text EDitor) is a simple text editor with more features than your average editor. It features support for utf-8 to encode edited files, auto indentation, syntax highlighting, printing, and file comparison among others.
Xed is extensible using plugins and it even comes straight out of the box with preinstalled plugins to help users edit files quicker and more easily.
This is a good reason why Xed is usually suggested as a replacement for text editors like Gedit and Pluma. In actuality, it is a fork of Pluma which is a fork of Gedit 2.x. And the main difference between Pluma and Xed is that the latter is an X-App.
It has a typically neat and responsive text editing User Interface.
Features in Xed
- Complete support for UTF-8 text
- Auto indentation and configurable indentation values
- View CVS changelogs
- Colored syntax highlighting
- Remote file editing
- Smart find and replace
- Print preview and printing
- File comparison
- File history
- Complete preferences interface
- Support for plugin customization
- Optional python support
- Prebundled plugins including Spell checker, Case Transform, File browser, Sort, and Insert Date/Time
- Edit multiple files in one window using tabs
Remember that Xed is a simple one so don’t expect it to drag for top-tier spots with advanced ones like Ice Coder, Visual Studio Code, or even EncryptPad.
Xed is the default editor application on Linux Mint so if that’s your preferred Linux distro then you own it already.
To download Xed on Ubuntu and its derivatives, add the PPA to your rep via the terminal:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:embrosyn/xapps $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install xed
For other Linux distributions, you can clone and install it from source as shown:
$ git clone https://github.com/linuxmint/xed.git $ cd xed/ $ ./autogen.sh $ make $ sudo make install
what’s your take on Xed? Is it a better simple editor than Gedit or is it even worth having at all since there are so many advanced text editors out there? The comments section below.
Divine Okoi: Awesome name by the way! I will thank you, 6 years on, for this post. Xed is awesome! Therefore, It is time to make a new post for 2023, if you are still into doing this kind of thing (any Moderator). I have a question as a long time user of Gedit and now Xed via Linux Mint-C. Neocities has HTML checking as a part of its function. After I build and spell check an HTML file, I will upload it there, but then, I have to open it in Neocities edit mode, to make sure I did not forget an end tag, or any other HTML mistake. It provides a handy big red X next to any errors, so I can pick them up quickly. However, I would like to be able to do this, before I upload; while in Xed. Is that possible? A setting I do not know of? A plugin perhaps? Thanks!
A situation arises when I have many tabs open, so that they don’t all fit the width of the screen. I find it impossible to move a tab further to the left than the start of the last several tabs that fit on the screen.
where is file comparison?
Asking about an app?
Is there any way to make files executable?
Yes. You right-click the file in the file manager, select Properties and select the permissions tab. If you own the file, you may check the executable box. Useful for when you write a text file named example.sh (Bash script), to name but one.
It would be helpful to me if list of previous documents would be a permanent list of select-able number of documents and of course ability to delete those no longer needed to be retained.
The absolute best, at least for me. I couldn’t live without it. Nemo + Xed – I install them on every distro I try, cause there’s no go without them.
Have you been able to try out VS Code yet? It’s one of the most awesome editors these days
No print icon? Only drop down….
I don’t understand your question
Hy,
Is there the possibility to use xed for replacing a text by a combinaison of Hexadecimal character & text.
For example replace “
I got xed to work on windows ubuntu fine, but I get a ton of warnings. Is there any way to suppress warnings?
Any guide how to install Xed on Debian Jessie?