The Finest Hand-Selected Downloads
Individually reviewed & tested
Store News

Adobe Brackets 2.2.1

An interesting code editor for web developers

Rating:
(0)
Operating Systems:
macOS
License:
Open Source
Developer:
Brackets
Software Cost:
Free
Category
Developer & Programming
Date Updated:
22 March 2023
Downloads To Date:
283
Languages:
English
Download Size:
43.00 MB

Launched by Adobe in 2012, Brackets is now an open-source code editor for web developers.

At first glance, the program looks rather basic. A left-hand bar lists your current working files (HTML, images, CSS), an unnecessary sidebar contains only two lonely-looking icons, there's a menu bar, the document you're editing, and that's about it. Start work, though, and extra features quickly appear.

There's plenty of code hinting-type power. Just type and Brackets displays matching HTML, CSS or JavaScript, helping you enter code quickly and without mistakes. This even works with your own functions: type the name and it'll (usually) remind you of the names and types of whatever arguments you need.

As your code gets more lengthy, so Brackets helps to ease navigation. Click in an HTML tag name, a class or ID attribute, choose the Quick Edit option, and any relevant rules appear in an inline editor. You get to see and tweak CSS code as required, without having to manually switch between files.

Click the Live Preview button on the sidebar and life gets even easier. Chrome pops up (as long as you've installed it, of course) to render the current page, and this preview display is then updated in real time, as you edit your HTML and CSS. It's all very smooth, no messy screen refreshes required, and great for providing immediate feedback on your ideas.

There are plenty of other worthwhile features. Hover your mouse over an image, colour or gradient, and a preview appears; WebPlatform.org-sourced documentation is available on CSS properties and values, as required; there are "Find", "Find in files" and "Replace" tools, all with regular expression support.

What's really surprising, though, is that Brackets is itself largely written in JavaScript, CSS and HTML. This makes the program interesting in itself, just as a practical example of how to build a JavaScript text editor. But it also means it's relatively easy to customise, and there are already a host of add-ons to extend Brackets even further.

Verdict:

An excellent source code editor, easy to use but with many time-saving features.

Your Comments & Opinion

Related Downloads Other Downloads From This Category

Create HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XHTML and other web documents with this all-in-one development tool

Trial Software

Comprehensive web code editor with strong HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP and Ruby support

Trial Software

Get a text editor, HTML editor, PHP editor, Java editor and Hex viewer in one powerful package

Trial Software

Get a text editor, HTML editor, PHP editor, Java editor and Hex viewer in one powerful package

Trial Software

An interesting code editor for web developers

Open Source

An interesting code editor for web developers

Open Source

A compact but powerful source code editor and notepad replacement

Freeware

A powerful coding editor

Freeware

A site creation tool to rival Dreamweaver

Trial Software
44,697,104
Downloads
Secure & Tested Software
6,478
Reviews
Instant Download 24/7
314,684
Members
10+ Years of Service