Tech Tool: Notepad++

Editing configuration files can be part of an everyday task for system administrators. Many of us are familiar with notepad as a basic text editor. However, what if you need a tool with  a bit more power, but still remains true to a text editor? Enter, Notepad++ which is a Open Source / GPL Licensed product which is free to use and works great.

The three features I use the most are:

  1. Automatic line numbering
  2. Zoom in/out without needing to change the font size
  3. Search and replace feature

After using this product for years, there is nothing that I would change about the product, it simply works great. There have been no downsides to the product. When performing more complex coding in VBScript, Powershell, ASP/ASPX or PHP, I often will choose an application specific editor, but for quick fixes/edits, Notepad++ works wonders. And it is also very fast.

http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm

Enjoy