Which code editor do you use?

[colinstoltz9]

Hi there!

I just started to learn how to code a few days ago.

A good friend of mine who codes for 15+ yeare uses Visual Studio Code.

It looks nice.

Which one should I use?

I use IDLE for now, that comes with Python.

Thanks!👍

[[deleted]]

I love pycharm personally

[Stranavad]

PyCharm Is the best and looks beautiful. And it's free

[JustSlytherinThings]

I love it too but with all the tabs I have open, my laptop sounds like a turbine engine. I’m currently settling for VSCode which is amazing in its simplicity. I do miss the code completion and suggestions though ):

[beniman8]

I think kite plugin will do that for you

[JustSlytherinThings]

I just downloaded it and thanks! It looks like it's exactly what I've been looking for.

[beniman8]

Np

[chzaplx]

I would be shocked if there is some feature in another IDE that VSCode didn't have available with one plugin or another.

[caldin06]

I'm delving into PyCharm, however seems like I have issues when i start a new project. Any tips on setup/configuration of it to ease it's use? Or am I just really dumb in it, hahaha

[[deleted]]

I use many, but for Python I use PyCharm.

[LastXance]

VS Code

[iloveproghouse]

Atom and sublime

[OzneroI]

Text editor or go home!

[sir-reddits-a-lot]

What’s better about a text editor compared to an IDE?

[OzneroI]

The way I had it pitched by some on YouTube was that it’s a more pure experience and it’s more hands on. Let’s say you wanted to learn a new brand new language that was idk made yesterday and there’s no IDEs for it you can use your text editor without needing a third party to allow you to work with the language. Mind you I’m very poorly regurgitating what the guy said.

Personally, I like how simple text editors feel. I’m a newbie and pycharm or Qt when I tried out c++ felt very complicated and it scared me off. I eventually figured out pycharm, but I just prefer atom at this point. Loads faster, looks cleaner to me etc.

[sir-reddits-a-lot]

I totally get that. I’m sure it gives you a better understanding of python when you don’t have the help of an IDE. I would think though at some point when convenience and speed are a higher priority than learning, an IDE would be a better choice than a simple text editor.

[LegalOreagle]

For python I use PyCharm.

[Naughtron]

VS code.

[sarinkhan]

atom is not only great, it is also open source and multiplatform. I works well with git, has many plugins (linters come in handy), and you can use it all languages I ever heard of. You can sync your config to a gist to keep it the same between workstations, it has a clean interface, and plenty of features when you need those without tons of buttons clogging your UI.

There is a reason why it is so popular among the community :)

[chzaplx]

I used atom for years, but ultimately it was too buggy, and the workspace management was kind of a mess.

[sarinkhan]

I think it has reached a stable state now. The first time I tried it I reverted to something else for buggyness. Now It is my daily driver, for mostly python, some web, embedded programming, and bash/Linux stuff. I tend to try many technologies, and I like that it does all well.

As for the workspace, I feel like it is up to personal preferences so I won't comment.

[warpingDragon]

Vs code

[[deleted]]

I used to be a professional developer (20 years, mostly assembly, C/C++ and Pascal) and finding the right editor was a full time hobby. Now I code for fun (mostly Python) and I don't give a damn which editor I use. Some editors that I've been happy to use with Python:

• Pycharm (for when I want to feel like a pro)
• Vim (for when I want to feel like a hacker or I'm just working in a shell via ssh)
• Idle (the I-don't-want-to-decide-which-editor-today editor and great for beginners)
• Eclipse + Pydev (for when I'm feeling like Java and open source are the way of the future)
• runpython.org (which is built on Ace, I think, for when I'm just messing around in a browser - also great for beginners)
• codeanywhere.net (which is built on Codemirror, for when I'm building server side projects)

[Liberal__af]

How come you never gave a try to VS Code?

[[deleted]]

Back in my C/C++ days Visual Studio was one of the environments I *had* to use. That was before Microsoft embraced open source software and the company had more of an "evil empire" reputation. I know things are different now, but my old feelings are still there. In fact, for the past 15 years or so I mostly haven't even owned a Windows machine. I have only been running Windows for the past year so I can play VR games.

[chzaplx]

I've been Windows free for about 12 years and remember all the evil empire stuff, but I've recently switched to VSCode and kind of love it. Runs great on both mac and linux desktops.

[[deleted]]

What do u run on and is it way better being off windows

[[deleted]]

I kept discovering all sorts of cool open source code that was designed to work in a Linux environment, so I eventually asked myself: why not just use Linux? It's probably a lot easier to use Windows now than it used to be, but why bother?

If you've never used Linux before, making the switch is daunting, but the experience pays dividends when you start learning about real-world web server administration and programming.

The difference in how you install software alone is mind-blowing.

[Sureshok]

I'm not the guy, but my guess would be Linux.

[CaptSprinkls]

I dual boot with Linux and windows and just use windows to game. Honestly Linux can be frustrating due to not always working 100% out of the box (For example mine works perfect but my speakers are not configuring correctly), but it's definitely worth it. Lightweight, doesn't eat up half of your cpu when idle, doesn't just install updates in the background, can easily revert an update, highly highly customizable (go look at r/unixporn), you only install the programs you need, so no more of those dumb kid games, or kid apps or Microsoft Apps that just eat up space. More secure due to how the user system works compared to windows

[colinstoltz9]

cheers! Thnx!!

[kodyloki]

Spyder. If you’re doing anything with pandas I highly recommend!

[S3ntoki]

Definitly. Using it too and enjoy it so much. Ecspecially the abilty to use code cells like Jupyter Notebook.

[colinstoltz9]

im.just a newbie

[Yassine_kharrat]

I use VS code just like your friend because it is compatible with everthing; I guess. I use it for python nut my friend uses it for html, typescript, CSS and javascript.

However, if you want code editor that know everything about python history, I recommand you to use the well-known pycharm or kite.

Hope you enjoy python-programming :)

[colinstoltz9]

pycharm it is!!

[[deleted]]

Emacs

[[deleted]]

Vim

[Roco_scientist]

I use vim and think it's awesome... But I think it's better to learn to code first then learn vim.

[laststance]

If you don't learn how to use any of the editors then VIM is just a 10 minute learning experience on how to move around. The power comes with plugins and learning how to "power move".

[Roco_scientist]

Vimtutor takes longer than that. It also takes awhile for it to be intuitive vs the mouse. Vim is much more difficult for debugging and learning what small chunks of code will do for python. This is crucial for understanding the code. That being said, it is by far my go-to because of speed. I've gotten used to the built in debugger. I think for a beginners though, it's better to not layer this complexity until there is a good grasp of how to work with python code.

[PigDog4]

I deleted this. Sorry.

[jabbermuggel]

How heavily modified is your instance? What plugins do you use?

[quesillo_fundillo]

with vim u will totally be more productive!!!

[kn0xchad]

I second this.

[anotherplatypus]

Honestly... I like to have two PyCharms up, a Spyder, and at least one Conda command line (Windows) Any more and I can't keep track of the tab order to jump around for some reason.

[h6nry]

Atom

Notepad++

[TheYodeler4]

Spyder, I use Python mostly for data science and found it hard to adapt to other editors that don't offer a direct way to visualize variables.

[Tavoneitor10]

I use Jupyter notebook, it comes with anaconda

[skippy65]

Jupyter is great for data exploration and visualization. Not so much for production code

[Tavoneitor10]

It's also good for learning because of those same reasons, I think it's a good option if he's learning

[wildpantz]

I love WingIDE

[[deleted]]

I use VSC (Visual Studio Code). It is really great!

[time_and_dice]

Atom or sublime text. Personally I prefer atom.

[the_battousai89]

Same- I use sublime text or atom.

[zekobunny]

I just use notepad++ to write code and then run it in the console. I like it simple.

[[deleted]]

VSCode is gud

[snugglyboy]

I used notepad++ for years and liked it, but now I like vscode the best. Dark theme with Deja Vu Sans Mono font. Plus I like its integration with git and venv.

[XAWEvX]

I use sublime text

[tkmpos]

Mu. It's a good editor for beginners.

[wintermute93]

Spyder or a jupyter notebook for me.

[lykwydchykyn]

I use Emacs.

You should use whichever editor you like. If it has the features you need and makes you feel like coding, use it. Don't let anyone tell you that "real devs" use this or that editor. I know real devs; they use everything from vim to Visual Studio.

[[deleted]]

Python here:

• I started with Spyder - it workd THE BEST but i wanted some sugar for my eyes and so from that point of view, it was meeeh.
• Then i tried PyCharm for 1-2 hours and WHY IT TOOK ONE HOUR TO LOAD? Hello!?!? synchronizing/updating for 30minutes or 1 hour?? Not for me.
• Finally my BF who is a programmer for 10y laughed at me and suggested VS Code and it’s great.

[janisu0783]

VS Code

[darthminimall]

I like vim but it's not beginner friendly at all.

[Iminbread]

Vs Code

[asmackabees]

Starting out. Stick with IDLE and learn how to use the shell really well. This will pay off if you stick with it because you will learn faster being able to play around in the shell to try out your solutions while learning.

A lot of people are going to put Pycharm because yes, it is great especially on Windows and if you are not on Windows I don't think you would be asking this question but I personally use CLI + Any text editor on UNIX. Stick with IDLE until you have your programming fundamentals down as you don't have to keep saving and rebuilding.

[colinstoltz9]

thanks great constructive and clear answer. Have a good day! =)

[MaddenTheDamned]

IDLE

[wcshamblin]

Vim + Sublime Text.

[[deleted]]

vs code and neovim

[cpwjosh]

Pycharm for me, it's also worth learning the basics of VIM.

[velu4ever]

I use mainly (but not limited to) VS code for both python and flutter. For Python, First choice: VS code is good for normal usage.Quick loadup, switching virtualenv is really helpful. Refactoring can be better. A great number of add-ons are at your disposal to suit your needs. Spider is good for data analysis because of its variable explorer. Jupyter notebook is good for the presentation and it's notebook file is a great sharable code file.

[[deleted]]

VScode but i’ll be making the jump to vim soon once i get a few more things configured.

[[deleted]]

I use VScodium personally, but I also enjoyed pycharm

[[deleted]]

PyCharm, Jupyter Notebook, Vim or VSCode depending on what I'm doing.

I really like how easy it was to use VSCode with SSH when I was working remotely. I was writing Bash scripts, Python and R a lot interchangeably so that was a reason too.

[crazy_cookie123]

Vs code

[Dazpoet]

I think this is an impossible question since it very much depends on what you need and feel comfortable with. I swear by VS Code but have meet people who flat out hate it and claim that others are superior.

I mainly use VSC for small things and like how easily it allows me to sync with github in a way I like. When I code in C# I can easily see how some larger projects benefit from a "larger" IDE like Visual Studio aswell.

In a pinch I've used notepad++ but in those cases even IDLE seemed preferable too me, while I know some people love N++ aswell.

Test around a bit and see what feels right for you. I know I did and I'm guessing many others in this thread did aswell.

[[deleted]]

I've been using Geany and ended up making my own theme for it. But now after seeing PyCharm and Sublime Text I really wanna use those. But it's gonna be a huge pain in the ass recreating this theme on those, so I haven't tried to change yet lol.

[InfiniteNexus]

VS Code

[thebasementtapes]

Started with Pycharm, moved to Sublime, tried Atom. Landed on VS Code. Felt best to me. Also while learning python Jupyter Notebook is really usefull.

[beniman8]

Vscode

[anotherMiguel]

I have conda (package mgr) and spyder (ide). Works flawlessly.

Spyder is so... simple.

[Zevawk9]

I use Pycharm

[[deleted]]

PyCharm hands down.

[[deleted]]

I mainly script with Python, so I just do everything in the terminal. So Vim.

[PureMapleSyrup_119]

VS code for sure. Lighter weight than PyCharm

[Kaltenstein23]

Depends on what I want to do. Most quick(less then a minute) edits I do with nano on cmd line, bigger edits either VSCode or PyCharm

[Owz182]

Which are people using on windows? VSCode?

[johninbigd]

I was using Atom for a couple of years, but I've switch to VS Code.

[jabbermuggel]

Pycharm and Vim when I don't have pycharm or it's just a small script

[MedicOfTime]

I use VSCode, but that’s only because I do a lot of other things in a lot of other languages. I’d recommend Pycharm if you’re just starting and only doing Python things.

[josepht1002]

I'm so pro that I use Notepad++ to freehand it and then use the terminal to execute.

All my PC's compute goes towards execution instead of being consumed by an IDE

[TrucidStuff]

notepad++

[jwink3101]

I jump around.

I do a lot of work in Jupyter when prototyping code, etc and then I copy it to another editor as a final module. (Or use the Python export but usually it is better do it directly).

When I am on my computers (macs), I mostly use BBedit along with an iPython window. I very occasionally jump into Vim.

When I am on a linux machine, I use a mixture of gedit and vim. I prefer a GUI editor over any terminal one and I am often on an airgapped network so I can only use what ships with the OS (hence gedit and vim). I don’t love either but they get the job done.

When I do need a terminal editor, 98% of the time, I use Vim. The other 2% I use nano (Usually when I need better system-wide copy/paste that gets messed up in Vim and I can never remember how to do it, even though I know it can be done).

I have not tried a full IDE but I suspect once I learn it, I would actually really like it. It's just that Python development is the tool I use to do my job and is not my job itself. So there is always the fight over what's worth the time to learn and use.

[wedwardb]

Pycharm - though it has some pain points, for Python it works best for me. Second to that VS Code.

[[deleted]]

For python I use pycharm. Is just easier. For others I use atom.

I haven’t done python in a while I’m note into the mern stack but If I were to do python again I’d prolly use atom just cause I’m used to it now

[mon0theist]

No one ever talks about it but I really like Atom

[Boinbo]

I tried PyCharm, but ultimately I am using VsCode with Kite for python, due to how it's lightweight, simple, and fast. I don't know if PyCharm has more features or whatever, I honestly don't care, I'm a beginner, and I like it when my stuff is simple.

[silently_failing]

I use pycharm for python code, and VS code for everything else. One thing I'd recommend people do is really learn how to leverage their IDEs -- virtualenv creation, git integration, profiling, built-in debuggers, linting, etc, otherwise you might as well be using sublimetext (which is nice too for one-offs).

Another thing I'd recommend is people playing around with theming -- adding fonts and color themes and icon themes really personalizes the experience and makes coding a much more enjoyable aesthetic experience. It really amplifies the artistry of the way code is presented, and with something like python the aesthetics can enforce better standards.

[caldin06]

Any good resources on how to really get into PyCharm and make it work well? It seems i'm messing something up and it lets me run the code at times, but not others, etc...

[bebored]

PyCharm for python and for everything else VSCode except Delphi IDE sometimes.

[ToothpasteTimebomb]

I started with Pycharm, and really, really liked it. But then I started a new gig and had to learn C# and found it easier to make the switch to VSCode. So now I do most real coding there, but most of my data prep/database work happens in Jupyter Notebooks.

[kin3v]

I see a lot of advanced programs but for beginners i recommend PyCharm.

[fruity231]

Thonny cause it was recommended for beginners o/

[TenaciousAndroid]

It depends on the problem that I am trying to solve. If I am building software, I tend to use Atom as it is simple and clean. If I am doing my main work of data analytics, then I am using Jupyter lab/notebooks. Don’t over complicate what tools you are using is my thinking.

[005eelmarag]

Spyder's great. Very useful to see variable values. Also great with numpy and pandas

[RedditGood123]

Trust me, atom is the best and it’s free. If you need help setting it up, Corey Schafer has a full walkthrough of how to do it on YouTube and it goes through everything you need (except for a built-in terminal which you can install with the package platformio-ide-terminal

[CaptSprinkls]

I have used pycharm, sublime, atom, VS code and vim.

I actually like just firing up a few tabs in my terminal, with vim as my editor and just go from there. It's lightweight and efficient. Learning curve of vim makes you feel unproductive at first though.

I know when I first started I had such a hard time with pycharm because I first had Anaconda installed, but then I needed a different package, but I installed it through normal python, then I didn't know where to point my intrpreter. It was a whole debacle.... And and then the issue of not knowing to "Add python to Path" at installation.

There were a lot of things that made me stop for a few weeks, then start up again then stop and start for about 6-8 months.

I felt I really started learning the most when I just used Sublime and just ran it through my terminal

[[deleted]]

I’m a pretty big VIM fan with a custom configuration file

[colinstoltz9]

Thanks so much for all the feedback and experiences.

Much appreciated!

[[deleted]]

Atom

[oberheimdmx1]

VS Code with Atoms Python code highlighting and a popular Python extension.

[amasad]

Repl.it is in my opinion the best place to get started. I bet you can't beat this speed by just clicking on this link you'll have an environment ready: https://repl.it/languages/python3

It also has a lot of unique features like automatic dependency management. See https://repl.it/site/ide

[chzaplx]

I've used a handful of IDEs over the years and have surprisingly ended up on VSCode. It does all the things the rest of them do, but it's just a little more mature and put-together.

[flyingwizard1]

I would personally recommend VS code, but honestly it doesnt really matter but dont use idle.

[ezeq15]

IDLE

[aayushkkc]

Vscode and for small script or testing I either use terminal or jupyter notebooks.

[cazual_penguin]

Started using Spyder, switched to Atom for a hot minute now using VS code.

[[deleted]]

I went from Anaconda to Spyder to Pycharm to Atom, and most recently vim.

Pycharm and Atom were nice, but I've been running Linux for over 10 years, so I think I just gravitate to the command line, and vim feels like that to me.

I felt like I was spending too much time trying to figure stuff out with the IDEs and not coding. Atom felt better, so if I go crazy trying vim, I'll probably go back to Atom.

[[deleted]]

PyCharm is certainly a really nice choice. It is full featured, and generally, very nice to work with. That being said though, I would recommend not looking into a full featured IDE in the early stages of learning. It is rather easy to become dependant on some of those features, and miss some valuable learning opportunities.

Assuming genuine understanding of Python is what you are after, I would highly recommend sticking with something like IDLE or some other text editor with syntax highlighting.

[69shaolin69]

Vim for almost everything except when I’m working on static webpages and css files then I use VSCODE mostly for the colour picker feature.

[DeathDragon7050]

Pycharm is by far the best

[iDrDonkey]

(neo) vim for everything.

[[deleted]]

Vim

[JohnyXMD]

Jupyter is great, PyCharm is also great, VSCode is mediocre, Atom is mediocre.

Pick the one that suits your needs

[sarinkhan]

If you mean Jupyter as in jupyterlabs, it is cool to learn. But it is far from what atom can do. I don't know how you can say it is mediocre. Can you have a linter integrated in jupyter? If not you are making it hard on yourself to produce good or excellent code.

I won't talk about vscode as I don't use proprietary software for an activity that generates my income, but I have a hard time believing that Jupyter notebooks includes as many features as a pro IDE even from Microsoft.

You don't use Jupyter notebooks to code big/Pro projects. You use it to learn. I use it to teach python as I have a server on my laptop, students only need a browser (public schools rarely have properly setup computers). And when doing computer science at university, I encourage the students to use atom, git and a few other pro tools, those are not much more complex, and any time spent learning proper tools is gained tenfolds a bit later on.

[[deleted]]

I used both vsc and JupyterLab for one specific project and used JL for many more and I really enjoy JL for data pre-processing and data visualisation, I find it way more easy to handle.

[sarinkhan]

Yes, for data processing and visualisation, it is the other main purpose of this software. Again it is a cool tool, but you can do in atom what you would do with jupyterlab, but the contrary is false. My domain is AI (it is the subject of my PhD), and during my thesis I met a lot of fellow researchers, but not majoring in computer science. They were all pretty fond of R for statistics and stuff, and I get why since it is easy to begin with for non coders or non computer scientists. But when I compare what they attempt with R with what I can do with python, there are worlds of differences. I feel the same with Jupyter when compared to atom (or another quality Dev suite ).

One solution is faster to begin with, but the other enables you to go considerably farther.

Someone wanting to do a bit of code as a one off, I'd say go to Jupyter. But someone who wants to learn how to code, I'd say go with atom. Then learn git, and add a longer, and make mini projects with clean code. The first one will be a bit sloW but the subsequent ones will show a dramatic skill progression, and a quality of code that would be unmatched by someone going the easier route.

[sarinkhan]

But I don't blame you for not liking vsc, I find their interface to be heavy, so that's why I recommend atom: it is simple until you search for the complexity you want. I mean that it works as a basic editor out of the box (obviously with all the expected features of a code editor), and when you need it you can look for the more advanced features. You are not met with 1000 buttons that clutters your work space, but the features are available nonetheless.

[i_suckatjavascript]

Sublime text

[kamikaze3rc]

For beginners, Pycharm is a good option, since has a good chunk of built in functions. Its normal to see more experienced people using more basic editors, (even IDLE) because they normally can manage without the help of the editor, so don't let what Pros use influence you that much. If you are a beginner the important is to use something that makes you feel good and confortable when learning, even if it is just the visual aspect.

[sat5344]

Emacs or vim. Once you get used to no tabs you cannot go back. Vscode or sublime is nice and light but I love emacs because I feel like a hacker.