To type in a few lines of text or a simple script, just use Notepad. But once your lines of code get a little more ambitious, you’re better off with a lightweight development environment like Geany, with built-in support for over fifty programming languages.
Geany
price
Free
Language
Dutch
OS
Windows, macOS, Linux
Website
www.geany.org
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Broad support for programming languages
- Syntax highlighting and parsing
- Negatives
- Limited number of third party plugins
If you don’t know what an IDE (integrated development environment) is, then scripting or programming will pass you by and you can easily ignore Geany. Because although Geany can also be used as a glorified notepad, the focus of this multiplatform tool is clearly on program developers.
Code window
Scripting in Geany is done in a window with numbered lines of text. It is also possible to open several scripts at the same time: each script will end up on a separate tab.
Several formatting tools are available, including hyphenation and wrapping and automatic indentation. There is also a wide selection of programming languages. You can also insert all kinds of comments and tags.
Geany not only provides “syntax highlighting”, but also supports “syntax parsing”, which means that, for example, the methods and classes of a javascript can also be displayed. Absolutely useful is the automatic completion (such as the correct closing of tags) and the rapid folding and unfolding of code components. Moreover, your script can be compiled and executed directly from Geany, of course if the required platform is available.
Extras
Geany is open source and also supports (external) plugins. You manage this from a built-in plug-in manager. A few plugins are already included, including a file browser, a plugin to split your editor window, and one with additional features for saving your document (such as automatic and instant saving). The number of third-party plug-ins has turned out to be very limited.
At the bottom three extra windows are available, to add free notes, to read the status of various actions and to alert you to possible compiling errors.
Conclusion
There are more powerful development environments than Geany, but few are as light-hearted as this, yet you can count on support for numerous programming languages ​​and indispensable features such as syntax highlighting and auto-complete. Light-hearted, but also somewhat limited in functionality. Nevertheless, if you do not feel a lack of extra possibilities, Geany will not disappoint you.
