Caret has a pretty comprehensive feature set that makes it ideal for small programming tasks. It supports tabbed editing, syntax highlighting for dozens of languages and plenty of advanced features like keyboard shortcuts, multiple cursors and editable configuration files.
Based on the amazing Ace editing component, Caret brings professional-strength text editing to Chrome OS. With Caret, you no longer need to install a second OS to get what other platforms take for granted: a serious editor for local files, aimed at working programmers.
Sublime Text will cost you $70, but Caret (and its comparable feature set) is completely free. It's also 100% open source, so you can contribute your own patches to the project if you're struck with the motivation to do so.
Syntax highlighting and themes
Caret offers syntax highlighting for a wide variety of languages, and all of the standard themes that come with Ace, including emulations of coloring from other editors like Eclipse, XCode, and the Chrome Dev Tools.
Multiple cursors
Once you've gotten used to making many changes with just a keystroke or two, it's hard to go back to just one cursor. Caret offers multiple cursors and selections, and support for Sublime keybindings like Ctrl-D (select next match).
Command Palette
Why bother learning keyboard shortcuts? With the command palette (Ctrl-Shift-P), you can just start typing what you want: Caret will fuzzy-search the menu configuration, find the command you want, and execute it for you. You never need to touch the mouse again.
Go To
Another feature stolen borrowed from Sublime is the smart "go to anywhere" dialog. Jump instantly to any open file, plus any line or search phrase within that file, in just a few keystrokes. Press Ctrl-P to open the window, then just start typing the filename you want.
Hackable configuration
Almost everything in Caret --- menus, keyboard shortcuts, and editor setup --- is configured from JSON-formatted files, editable through the same text interface as everything else. These files are backed up to Chrome's sync storage, meaning that you only need to set your preferences once in order to have them on every machine you use.
Retained mode (on newer Chrome versions)
In versions of Chrome that support it, Caret will remember your open tabs and re-open them for you. You won't have to take five minutes to find all your work again after taking a break or rebooting for a system update.
Tabbed editing and offline support
Sure, it's standard. But that's the point: Caret is a text editor for you, the programmer, not a toy notepad with a limited feature set or a service trying to take your money.
Tested via recursion
"Professional-strength" is a serious claim: is it justified? Not every editor is for everyone. But Caret has been used to write its own code (HTML, LESS, JavaScript, and build files) since version 0.0.16, ensuring that it's always tested under serious real-world conditions.
Other Features:
- total offline support--no network connection required
- tabbed editing
- syntax highlighting for many languages, and lots of color themes
- hackable settings files in JSON format
- remembers/restores open tabs (requires Chrome 31 for full support)
- open files directly from the Chrome OS file manager
- Sublime-compatible keymappings, including multiple cursors and selections
- Command palette/smart "go to" functionality
What's New:
- Added support for the "function" tag when using Go To Reference, and use this tag explicitly in JavaScript mode so that the results aren't overwhelming.
- Note that this remains experimental in other file types and depends on the Ace editing mode, which may not provide very much metadata for Caret to use.
Installation:
- Download and save file.
- Drag to Chrome extensions.