TextMate
The Missing Editor for macOS.
Overview
TextMate is a versatile plain text editor for macOS with a unique and innovative feature set which caused it to win an Apple Design Award for Best Mac OS X Developer Tool in 2006. It is known for its powerful 'Bundles' system, which allows users to add language-specific syntax, commands, snippets, and workflows. After a period of being a commercial product, it was open-sourced in 2012.
✨ Key Features
- Bundles for language-specific features and workflows
- Powerful snippets with placeholders and transformations
- Declarative language grammars
- File search within a project (Find in Project)
- Version control integration
- Column selections and column typing
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Powerful and flexible 'Bundles' system for extensibility
- Pioneered many features now common in other editors (e.g., snippets, fuzzy file finding)
- Open-source and free
- Classic, minimalist Mac interface
Unique Value: Offers unparalleled workflow customization through its powerful 'Bundles' system, allowing developers to craft their perfect editing environment.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Rapid development using custom snippets and commands
- Editing projects with a clear file structure
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Non-macOS users
- Users who need a modern UI or IDE-like features out of the box
- Beginners who may find the bundle system complex
🏆 Alternatives
While many of its ideas were adopted by Sublime Text and VS Code, TextMate offers a uniquely powerful and integrated way of creating custom commands and workflows for Mac users.
💻 Platforms
✅ Offline Mode Available
🔌 Integrations
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Completely free and open-source.
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