Glad to see 2.0 released on 9/29/19. I've used this app since 2005! Later I switched mostly to Sublime Text and others, but could never quite let go of TextMate. So interesting and elegant, and now modernized (multiple cursors, etc.). It's currently free - "version 2.0 of TextMate is being developed as open source" - but that could change with 2.1, according to their website. No problem, it's worth paying for a license IMO. However I hope they'll go with donations instead of paid licenses, so people don't get mad about it moving back to proprietary software.
Still the best editor on macOS, sure emacs could beat it but neither can be configured to the degree they actually need and surely not in an acceptable time frame. Sublime too is a good contender but still has problems with most macOS native features like accent panels etc.
Back in 2005, when I switched from Windows to OS X, this was my editor of choice. During this time TextMate was without equal and was considered the best code editor that money could buy. Fast forward a decade or more and it's still a fantastic text editor for developers. However, it's also starting to show its age and rapidly falling behind competitors like BBEdit, Atom, and Microsoft's Visual Studio Code in terms of features. Sounds bad, right? Fear not, TexMaters, all is not lost. The editor has gone open source, new features are slowly being added, and, even considering all its current misgivings, there's still something unique and special about it that makes it super fun to use compared to the others. Would I pay $50 for it? No, not at this point in time. However, I have high hopes that one day Textmate will return to its former glory.
Edit: I forgot to mention that you can download the source for TextMate from https://github.com/textmate/textmate
Fast, with huge potential. For almost 12 years, still the best editor for Mac. Convenient bundles management, depending on needs. I love this application.
I think, design of Textmate is a little outdated. Today other design is good in text editors: Sublime-text like, Atom like.
Like
Version 2.0-beta.7.7
2 answer(s)
Iliketrash
10 February 2016
TextMate follows good Macintosh user interface practices. Sublime Text and Atom are cross-platform apps and as such roll their own interfaces which are non-standard, non-Mac.
Version 2.x of this outstanding text editor introduces the whiplash-inducing removal of the Project Drawer! Without this feature I cannot use the program. I use version 1.5.11 almost every day. Version 2.x does introduce a Finder-level file browser but that does not replace the Project Drawer. One could imagine making a Finder folder with aliases to all of your files that are represented in the Project Drawer but in recent versions of OS X, aliases are 3-5 MB each, up from a few bytes or KB. I suppose my Project Drawer contains 1,000 files so making a Finder folder with aliases to duplicate the organization of the Project Drawer would take 3-5 GB! It is baffling why this feature has been removed from 2.x. I think the concept of "project" has changed in 2.x, whatever that concept is/was, and I think that the developer associated that concept innately with the Project Drawer, and thus—somehow—the Project Drawer disappeared. I and I suppose many others don't rely on the project "concept" but sorely need the simple and efficient organization of the Project Drawer. Until the Project Drawer is returned or someone makes a plugin, I'll stick to using 1.5.11 and when that no longer works I'll have to look around for a TextMate replacement.
Like (5)
Version 2.0 beta 7.6
1 answer(s)
Strider72
01 July 2016
I agree. This is basically an app-breaking change for me. The project drawer is a huge deal.
For such a feature-rich editor that you might use every day in your work, the price seems very reasonable. If you just need an editor for more casual use, there are many free ones available
This current beta asked me if I wanted to allow it to access my contacts!? WTF!?
Why would software, as this is, want to have access to my personal contacts?
Though I like how the software generally performs, software that snoops is not a good sign.
Like (1)
Version 1.5.11
1 answer(s)
Ochre
31 January 2015
Many apps ask for this because they have to request access to your Contacts to automatically fill in your name in, eg. registration text fields.
I've been using jEdit for years and have been wondering whether trying another editor was worth the time investment. Has anyone used/compared TextMate with jEdit? If so, would you mind sharing your thoughts/opinions?
Cheers.
Like
Version 1.5.11
3 answer(s)
Essadee
19 March 2014
I don't know anything about jEdit but TextMate 2 is awesome and free, this listing is old. The "alpha" warning for TextMate 2 is because the manual isn't done, long story short: TextMate 2 is great, I prefer it to Atom.io from GitHub.
Like (1)
Shodan
19 March 2014
Thanks for the info, it's really appreciated, Especially the part about it being free. However, when I went to the website TextMate 2 cost about $56 - can you tell me where the "free" version is available?
Thanks.
Like
Essadee
19 March 2014
I was vague but not intentionally, I just wasn't being as thoughtful as I should have been.
As best as I can discern, TM2 is available to be used free of charge at this time. Licenses are available but are not required to use the software. My non-expert opinion after reading this: http://macromates.com/license_policy is that I'm allowed to use the TM2 Alpha without buying a license.
There is also a GitHub repository for the source and it's available under the GPLv3 license. It is being actively developed afaict and it's possible that the "final" release of 2.0 will require a license but as best as I can tell I am not required to buy one to be in compliance at this time.
If you come to a different conclusion I'd enjoy hearing it because I don't intend to willfully disregard it, and the best and most polished alternative at this time (IMO), SublimeText is roughly the same cost.
I am between this and Sublime 2 both are awesome but I think Sublime 2 has the edge right now. Anyone else think this, or not?
Like (1)
Version 1.5.11
1 answer(s)
svoop
02 July 2013
Sublime Text 3 (currently in public beta) is a very nice editor and fits at least my needs better than a Methuselah version of TextMate. (The preview has crashed a few times on me, so I dropped it for good.)
TextMate has been king of the hill for quite some time - and still has the potential to reclaim the crown. But right now it's not "the missing editor" as it claims but rather "the editor missing". Furthermore, Sublime Text works on all OSes which is great news for long standing Mac dudes like me who are increasingly irritated by the way Apple behaves and thus consider to switch to Linux in the future.
Textmate 2.0 is open source: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/08/textmate-2-0-goes-open-source-in-response-to-os-x-restrictions/
Like (5)
Version 1.5.11
3 answer(s)
Regular-Warren
09 August 2012
Thanks for the heads-up! Is it just the source code for 2.0 that is available right now? Let me know if I'm missing anything.
Like
SickTeddyBear
11 August 2012
Yes, TextMate is now open source with a GPL3 license:
http://blog.macromates.com/2012/textmate-2-at-github/
The source code is on GitHub:
https://github.com/textmate/textmate
And there is now a portfile for MacPorts, so you don't have to install manually or worry about dependencies:
https://trac.macports.org/browser/trunk/dports/editors/textmate2/Portfile
Install with command:
sudo port install textmate2
Requirements are out of sync with the software maker. 1.5.11 is Intel for 10.5+
Don't download if you need PowerPC support! I don't but my friend cared.
WOW here it is V2 BUGGGYYYYY lol.
Then again it is Alpha and V1 is perfectly stable...however there is glimpses of greatness in V2.
Ideas and concepts reworked and refactored just not finished yet show this will be hugely popular when complete.
I never used projects don't care they are binned in V2. I prefer to work off the file system as projects just f-up using version management tools. That may be why they got nailed.
I just wish they would throw people at it as I know it is a tiny team working on it...Textmate is probably the least employee supported app considering it's user base and complexity I know of.
At this point all we have is a preview of what is to come. Let us just hope it happens sooner rather than later.
Nice preview enjoyed it but will stay with V1 until this matters a bit more...by beta I would think I will move to it.
Like
Version 2.0
1 answer(s)
Trashie
19 January 2012
I know V2 misses the split screen views people want..I hear it is on way though...I hope. Try one of the window snappers like flexiglass etc. It does work not to badly in the mean time. A lot of V1 users are dong that.
Still tinkering in V2 the new column editor modes I have never seen anything like that before...won't be long until the other editors try to rip it off. Read the blogs on their site it is very impressive now. Would be nice if they could combo something to avoid the mouse clicks as that is the bottleneck in speed - but still very nice.
The Project Panel has now been "replaced" by a Finder browser panel. No more projects! WTF. This is getting a lot of discussion on the list but the developer so far is not bending. To me, this is a major loss, probably a deal killer.
Like (3)
Version 2.0
3 answer(s)
dvessel
16 December 2011
I’m glad it’s gone. .tm_properties is far more powerful. It’s a far more involved process but I’m sure there will be a UI to simplify it when it comes out of alpha. Here’s a gist of some collected notes on the subject. https://gist.github.com/1478685
Like (2)
Iliketrash
16 December 2011
It seems that people mean different thing by "project." What I mean is a sidebar or preferably a drawer wherein I can organize files in manner independent from the file system (like in Textmate 1.x, Xcode, and many other editors and IDEs). This is necessary to work efficiently for many people. I write many projects which pull resources from many places in the file system where they are organized by differenter criteria, i.e., by language and functionality. Using the Finder to manage a folder with aliases or symlinks is not a good option because I can't order the items the way I want to, but rather be forced to accept the ordering that the new file browser sidebar says I have to (e.g. by name or modification date, I suppose).
I will admit that I don't undersand what is going on with .tm_properties (I scanned the link, and am partially following the discussion on the mailing list) but so far I don't see any indication that .tm_properties solves my problem. I also understand that "project" can mean a means of directing TM to do certain operations on certain files depending on context, etc. That is all fine, but again, doesn't fix the relatively simple problem of providing a sensible organizing tool.
I also note that the developer says, "We don’t intend to restore tmproj files — there is a file browser... [explanation about how great the New World is].... "if you still feel hindered after some weeks, let us know about it." So maybe there is some hope.
Like (3)
dvessel
17 December 2011
All I can say is try to look at it from a different perspective. Managing folders outside of what already exists (the Finder) seems like work we shouldn’t have to do. Is it impossible to have a workflow where your project files fall under a single directory?
If that’s not possible, why not submit a suggestion to expand on smart filters from the sidebar? The smart folder currently works as SCM but if it can be expanded, the possibilities go far beyond what’s out there.
The old project files are rigid and are easily broken when things are moved around. I’ve used them in 1.x but I think it’s time to move past that and allow something better.
I have not tried 2.0x yet. Can anyone tell me if does Undo properly? Every version (thru 1.5.1) of TextMate I've used does Undo one character at a time. What nonsense for a supposedly professional editor! Type a line of code, and then choose Undo 80 times?
Like (1)
Version 2.0
2 answer(s)
FTBZ
15 December 2011
Yes, I think that the Undo works as you want.
Like (2)
Iliketrash
16 December 2011
No, now it's sort of in between. It undoes one word at at time, where a space or punctuation counts as a word.
So far so good.. am very glad to see TM upgraded (except icon, maybe it is to be in line with the CODA leaf ?!? lol).
Interface looks more modern, themes look good.. I think it would be great if it had multiple split panels like CODA.. something I REALLY like a lot..
Cannot yet say much more in terms of more in-depth use so far. So won't try and rate it just yet..
Like
Version 2.0
1 answer(s)
sjk
14 December 2011
About the icon, in:
Dribbble - Textmate 2 by David Lanham
http://dribbble.com/shots/351365-Textmate-2#comment-869349
… Jonas Wisser commented:
"Fantastic icon. Fits in perfectly next to Coda and Acorn in my dock!"
:)
Great, I'm looking forward to the final version of TextMate 2.0. I wrote my last Website using TextMate und CSSEdit only, so there was absolutely no need for a WYSIWYG editor. Thanks to the developer for the continuous hard work!
Like
Version 2.0
1 answer(s)
Strider72
28 February 2012
Yeah. What a shame they don't make CSSEdit any more. It's now only part of a Coda-like all-in-one app >:-(
Although "Alpha" is indicated clearly in the title, the download link that currently says "Beta" should also say "Alpha". It's worth being extra clear about this, because the alpha is incomplete and everyday users will want to stick with 1.x
Like (2)
Version 2.0
1 answer(s)
sjk
14 December 2011
Also,
TextMate Blog » TextMate 2.0 Alpha
http://blog.macromates.com/2011/textmate-2-0-alpha/
… says:
"For the time being, the alpha builds are only for people who already have a TextMate license and an Intel Mac."
I'm not sure that the choice of the icon is good. I already had much problem with the previous pink icon in my dock... Stupid comment, yes, I know.
Like (3)
Version 2.0
4 answer(s)
Achim2
14 December 2011
What can be bad about a flower, pink or purple or whatever color? This icon even made me click to check what's TextMate about though I'm a longtime BBEdit user.
Like (2)
FTBZ
14 December 2011
@Achim2
I am not sure that a pink flower has a relationship with a text editor. My problem is the logic and the flashy color. But nothing serious, just an observation. I prefer a flower instead of the ridiculous strawberry of Smultron. ;-)
Like
Maclover1-1
14 December 2011
I think icon should return to its original.. or same icon slightly revamped if he really wants to make it a point the software version has been upgraded. But indeed not a flower (whatever the color) which means nothing in regard to the software and looks like a generic icon.
Like (2)
Gestalt
14 December 2011
I agree with Maclover1.1. The Textmate icon has been one I often cite as an example of good icon design - it's distinctive, professional looking, and strongly suggestive of the app's functions.
The flower is meaningless and a bit disturbing actually. Developers seem to be losing sight of the function of icons, and my Dock is beginning to look like a gallery of bad clip art lately.
About time this editor gets an update
* No full screen
* No tabs
* better api to provide more integration feature
Like (1)
Version 1.5.10
3 answer(s)
Carsten-Langrock
05 December 2011
Tabs have been there for a long while. Not sure what you meant by "better api". There are tons of bundles for TM. It's a very modular program.
Like (1)
Orefalo
05 December 2011
Granted, tabs was a mistake. SlitView is missing, terminal view..etc
Try Chocolat or SublimeText2 and you will get a better idea of what's missing.
Like
Carsten-Langrock
06 December 2011
You can run shell scripts from within TM. I looked at Chocolat, and the side-by-side view is indeed nice to avoid scrolling all the time. But compared to TM, it has next to no features. Have you actually ever tried to use TM? It is extremely powerful and extensible.
Blogged by TextMate team today: "There has been a lot of speculation and trepidation about the future of TextMate recently, mostly about whether there will be another major release. Work on 2.0 began and while we wish it could have been completed faster we are very pleased with how it is turning out. Development has reached a point finally where we can make an announcement: There will be a public alpha release this year, before Christmas, for registered users."
Does a great job to highlight Ruby on Rails properly and more comprehensive. By doing so it will save a lost of time by avoiding typos. BBEdit doesn't get close. It might be possible to get BBEdit to do the same but Textmate is the best editor for Ruby.
I want 2.0!
I can't live without this app anymore. It is like heroine you will need a meeting to stop using it. No really. I really like coda and it's all nice perfect modernness but keep getting the shakes for this.
I am not going down the EMACS vs VIM vs TEXTMATE road too late at night. Suffice to say yes textmate can be mentioned alongside these legends now.
Unless your old school unix check out this book there is a lot of old school hidden in textmate.
TextMate: Power Editing for the Mac (no links not selling it).
I'm a long time user of BBEdit, and like BBEdit a lot.
I tried TextMate awhile back, and found it to be pretty cool. There are some handy features, and it could be a time saver for some things. I ended up spending a week with it, doing all the code editing I would normally do in BBEdit.
What I couldn't get past was the single character undo. Maybe there's a good reason for that, but it's about the stupidest thing an editor could do. Why would anyone want that? Don't people undo any more?
I just downloaded the latest version 1.5.9 (one year since the last release) to see if that was fixed, and it still has single character undo.
I'll stick with BBEdit. TextMate does nothing better, and lots of stuff worse, than BBEdit (for me!).
There are lots of people using TextMate, and find it terrifically useful. Good for them.
Like (8)
Version 1.5.9
2 answer(s)
-M-S-
02 August 2010
The $80 price difference between the 2 apps means they're really in different categories. BBEdit can do quite a bit more, the question is if you need it. As for undo, that's a good point (disclaimer: I've never used TextMate).
I'm eagerly waiting for Texmate to become a little more "OSX-modern".. It could really become close to perfect.. I wish it had:
• A more OSX interface with dual panel for web preview.
• A side panel for Projects (I use the ProjectPlus.tmplugin but it is a little buggy..).
• A better integrated search and replace window (actually that could also be a panel). Actually I wish all "palette" things would be panels integrated in the main interface.. To me drawers and palettes are counterproductive..
Come on Textmate.. catch up in the appearance department and show Coda and other pretty pretenders you are THE one and all you needed was a little nip&tuck ;-) Make it happen soon.. before people get swayed by brighter and shinier things.. It's been know to happen to flesh and blood mates..
This is absolutely THE best text editor for programmers. Very stable, very easy to use. And with the bundle support, you simply have unlimited possibilities.
Oh, and the full-text search in the entire project works GREAT!
Highly recommended!
I've been using vim for 8 years now, and I thought it was the ultimate text editor. I searched over all *nix software repositories some graphical editor that could compare to vim, but I wasn't able to find one. Then one day, searching for editors for my Mac I saw TextMate. It was outstanding. It has fast autocompletion, tabs, drawer, and complete customization of the working environment (syntax highlighting, themes, variables, templates...) and lots of tools to do your work faster, and better.
I enjoy Espresso.. (in more ways than one..) but keep finding myself coming back to TextMate for most of what I actually do... guess that is what "mating" is about.. For now it is my combo of choice.. but I really think TM is a must have.. Simple as that.
I normally don't write reviews, but this app is worthy of an exception. This is by far the best text editor available. The bundles, tab triggers, and ability to customize snippets makes this app worthwhile. I literally code 10x faster with TextMate (incredibly reminiscent of how I felt after finding Quiksilver a couple years ago).
I sure hope "Avian" makes an appearance soon, which is supposed to be free to registered users. Alan, I'm sure that most TM2 prospective users would be filling to pay a reasonable upgrade fee if that gets it into our hands faster.
Software doesn't age well like a good wine, but rather becomes vinegar when the underlying APIs of its foundation evolve, thus broadening the time curve gap.
And I really hope that my next comment on TM will be singing the TM2 praises.
I've tried a lot of text editors in my 25 years developer life but this one is simply the best one. It's almost perfect and even better than TextPad on Windows. Add the Project+ plugin and your developer environment is rock solid. I use every day 400+ php/html/css files with MAMP in every project and I need speed. TextMate is always fast and responsive, very simple to use for beginners and still very very complete for geeks. I bought Coda and Espresso too but they are far from TextMate in many cases. With TextMate I can work as twice as fast on my php/html/css code. It's true that the others are better on presenting html and css but when you know these languages a little, everything is done by copying ans pasting part of code to new places. Add Safari and Transmit for your ftp and you got the best and fastest development environment someone can have. Long life to TextMate and thank you to all community for this piece of Art. AL-Paris.
Excellent program, and honestly I'm surprised (but happy) to see a minor update after all this time.
I thought for sure after all the talk about the new version waiting for Leopard to be released and then nothing indicated the developers had either stopped or no longer cared to update TextMate.
I like TextMate as a general text editor and registered my copy when it was still in pre-release way back in the day. Coda, with its workflow, superb UI, project tools, auto-completion, editors and other tools has become my tool for web sites, I still use TextMate for all my other text needs, such as shell programming and general text manipulation.
However, I'm disappointed that its been a year now since the last release. I understand that the next version will be a complete rewrite, but there are a number of small "issues" that would have benefited from an interim release. The lack of releases also give the appearance that TextMate has been abandoned, though I'm sure it hasn't.
While Allan is very responsive to emails, there is nothing on the TextMate site about the future of TextMate or its progress. The blog is updated every now and then, but mostly announcing a new bundle.
Overall TextMate is an excellent editor and I hope that it will continue to be part of my daily tools in the future.
Allow me preface this comment by mentioning that TextMate is an absolutely great text editor.
The problem is, it feels like it's gone stagnant.
Since TextMate's last minor release, the Panic team has brought Coda to the table (after which 1.5 years have passed), and BBEdit has dropped two major versions since TextMate 1.0 was released.
It's gone too long since a major (or minor) release.
Although Allan is in fact just one man working on this software (vs. a team of n-many that BareBones probably has), there's something nonetheless to be said about remaining competitive.
Unfortunately, it's starting to feel like nothing is going on here, while the other two attractive competitors keep innovating.
I do not see reason to buy "just another colorized" text editor, if I have for free Xcode 3.0 (with Organizer option - excelent for Rails projects etc.)...
Like (3)
Version 1.5.7
3 answer(s)
Roy-Van-Der-Woning
08 May 2008
How does the fact that you have no use for this particular application warrant a two star review? If you happen to have a satisfactory solution for a particular need, does that imply that all alternative solutions are dysfunctional or ill-fitted for their intended purpose?
If you qualify TextMate as "just another colorized text editor" and subsequently pass out two stars for functionality, then you have not been able/willing to grasp what TextMate is capable of.
Perhaps you could elaborate on what you think is so blatantly missing in terms of functionality?
No affiliation with TextMate - just a satisfied user.
Like (6)
Version 1.5.7
Apple-cakes
16 July 2008
This was a completely pointless review of textmate. I do use textmate and find it amazing. You calling it "just another colorized" text editor show that you have spent no more then an hour with it.
I would suggest you stick to writing reviews of software that you are familiar with. There are some legitimate gripes, but yours is not one of them.
Just testing it out, I've quickly discovered what I consider a fatal flaw: the Undo functionality is nearly useless.
If you type in a string of text, undo will reverse the typing letter-by-letter. To undo a sentence I have to hit command-z 20 or 30 times. Completely ridiculous.
I've had my eye on this program for a while now, and I really _want_ to like it, but every time I look at it again there's always something screwy like this to ruin it.
Overall it seems a good program, with (so far) one tragic fatal flaw. Hope for the future, but not really usable for now.
Most helpful
Read 128 TextMate User Reviews
Rate this app:
Edit: I forgot to mention that you can download the source for TextMate from https://github.com/textmate/textmate