navigation tips

• Bookmark point and jump
  1. click the line number to create a bookmark
  2. Press F2 to jump to each bookmark
• Function list and search
  • (View menu) > Function List
• Full screen (F11, F12)

find non ascii

• find in regex

  [^\x00-\x7F]+

replace tips

• replace “a pattern” (like “<td id='row15'>” )

  Replace dialog search mode: regular expression
  search: <td id='row..'>
  replace:
  note: . : means representing a unknown char

• replace “a blank line”

  Replace dialog search mode: extended
  search : \r\n\r\n
  replace: \r\n
  note: \r\n\r\n means double new lines

• get rid of tabs and spaces in blank lines

  Replace dialog search mode: regular expression
  find: ^\s*$
  replace: 
  note: start and any mount space or tab and a end

• add plugins (Plugins > Plugin Manager) or manually put in plugin folder
• add macros (no need if you use notepad++ PythonScript plugin)
• customize context menu (right click menu):
  • ref: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/notepad-plus/index.php?title=Context_Menu
  • file location

    npp_root\contextMenu.xml

• default tab size
  • Settings → Preferences → Language Menu/Tab Settings tab → The tab options at bottom right.
• split view
  

• mel syntax highlight:
  • download from http://www.creativecrash.com/downloads/applications/syntax-scripting/c/mel-language-definition-for-notepad-
  • put mel.api into ./plugin/api folder
  • put userDefineLang.xml and insertExt.ini into root folder or under user npp root folder
    • userDefineLang.xml to %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++\

• add Flash actionscript syntax highlight fix
  • Win+R, type “%appdata%\notepad++\” and go to that folder, open langs.xml config file
  • search for “haskell”, and take “as” string away from

    < Language name="haskell" ext="hs lhs as las" commentLine="--" >

• add Flash jsfl script syntax highlighted
  • add jsfl to ActionScript section in langs.xml

• Add jsx as javascript for Photoshop scripting
  • search: name=“javascript”
  • add jsx behind js after a space.

• method 1: install and copy the notepad++ folder out
• method 2: download Npp portable from http://portableapps.com/apps/development/notepadpp_portable

• Note: to enable notepad++ to put installed plugin in App root directory instead of user data directory, create a empty file in App root directory called “allowAppDataPlugins.xml”

• coding snipple tool
  1. Zen Coding - syntax codegen (it has js version, and new python version)
     • example syntax for create 15×12 table with row id and col class (press ctrl_alt_enter)

       table>tr#row-$*15>td.col-$*12

  2. QuickText - snippet gen
  3. Code Express -snippet gen and expression

• install:
  • install/get latest notepad++
  • from plugin manager, search python script, check and install (default is v2, w python 2.7.18, you can use same method to manually use alpha py3.10.9 version with same method)
  • for tkinter lib, go lastest release version: https://github.com/bruderstein/PythonScript/releases/
    • unzip PythonScript_TclTk_xxx.xxx.zip, and copy lib into npp/plugins/PythonScripts lib folder.
    • (optional) unzip PythonScript_ExtraLibs_xxxx.zip if you need lib2to3, distutils,bsddb
  • (outdate) or download manually and put in plugin folder from http://npppythonscript.sourceforge.net/
• Python for Npp document
  • http://npppythonscript.sourceforge.net/docs/latest/
  • Npp.editor cmd: http://npppythonscript.sourceforge.net/docs/latest/scintilla.html#scintilla-methods
  • Npp app object cmd: http://npppythonscript.sourceforge.net/docs/latest/notepad.html

• Important Note if your script not working
  • if in your Npp python console or your script does nothing, maybe try add this line at beginning or at start

    from Npp import *
    # test
    editor.addText('test')

• file operation

  # Create a new document
  notepad.new()
   
  # open file
  notepad.open("\web\index.htm")
   
  # Save the file
  newFilename = notepad.getCurrentFilename() + ".changed"
  notepad.saveAs(newFilename);

• setting operation

  notepad.getFormatType()
  notepad.setFormatType(formatType, bufferID) # Npp.FORMATTYPE.WIN
   
  # set syntax color language
  notepad.getLangType(bufferID) 
  notepad.setLangType(langType, bufferID) # Npp.LANGTYPE.PYTHON; Npp.LANGTYPE.TXT; Npp.LANGTYPE.PHP

• user input

  # dialog 
  # "1" for type 2 button set; return pressed button id
  notepad.messageBox("hello world","My Title",1)
  # prompt 
  notepad.prompt("Enter your name:", "Simple Interact UI", "Tom")

Most useful scintilla edit cmd

• text operation

  # Simple search / replace
  editor.replace("old", "new")
  editor.replaceLine(3, "New contents")
   
  # Python regular expressions search and replace
  editor.pyreplace(r"^([A-Z]{3,5})--\1", r"CODE: \1")
   
  # Call a Scintilla function
  editor.appendText("Changed codes\r\n");
   
  # Set clipboard
  editor.copyText("MyTextReadyToPaste") 
   
  # insert character at beginning of line
  editor.rereplace("^","|")
  editor.rereplace("^(.)",r"before_\1")
   
  #insert after
  editor.rereplace("(.)$",r"\1_after")
   
  # replace
  # editor.rereplace(regex, replace) - general
  editor.rereplace("find","replace")
   
  # replace pattern tag with variable elements
  editor.rereplace("<td[^>]*>", "|")
   
  # replace with new line
  editor.rereplace("</tr>", "|\r\n")
   
  # remove pattern
  editor.rereplace("</*tbody>", "")
   
  # replace all tags
  editor.rereplace("<[^>]*>", "")
   
  # delete all blank line
  editor.replace("\r\n\r\n","\r\n")
   
  # delete either ??
  editor.rereplace("__(item|link)__","")
   
  # swap front text and back text
  # ref: http://manual.macromates.com/en/regular_expressions
  ''' example
  <li><a href='https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/copy-urls-expert/'>Copy Urls Expert</a></li>
  <li><a href='https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/awesome-screenshot-capture-/'>Awesome Screenshot Plus</a></li>
  <li><a href='https://adblockplus.org/en/'>Add-on Search: AdBlock Plus</a></li>
  <li><a href='https://adblockplus.org/en/elemhidehelper'>Add-on Search: Element Hiding Helper for ABP</a></li>
  <li><a href='https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/image-block/'>Image block toggle</a></li>
  <li><a href='https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/js-switch/'>JS switch</a><li>
  <li><a href='https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/sqlite-manager/'>SQLite Manager (sql datebase editor)</a><li>
  '''
  editor.rereplace("<li.+'(.+)'>(.+)<\/a.+li>","\2, \1")
  ''' result
  Copy Urls Expert, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/copy-urls-expert/
  Awesome Screenshot Plus, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/awesome-screenshot-capture-/
  Add-on Search: AdBlock Plus, https://adblockplus.org/en/
  Add-on Search: Element Hiding Helper for ABP, https://adblockplus.org/en/elemhidehelper
  Image block toggle, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/image-block/
  JS switch, https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/js-switch/
  SQLite Manager (sql datebase editor), https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/sqlite-manager/
  '''

• open console: Plugin menu > Python Script > Show Console
• the console included with NPP-python script plugin is a true python console, so everything in python console works here

• python console

  # Write to the console window
  console.write("Saved as %s\n" % newFilename)
   
  # Run a command on the file, and output results to the new file
  console.run('compiler.exe "%s"' % newFilename, editor)

• common python cmds operation

  # change working directory in console
  import os
  os.listdir('./')
   
  # list wildchar files
  import glob
  glob.glob('*.py')
   
  # list file
  for filename in os.listdir("C:\\temp"):
      print filename
   
  # show files
  print [d for d in os.listdir('./') if d.endswith(".py")]
  [s in os.listdir('./') if s.endswith('.f') or s.endswith('.c') or s.endswith('.z')]
  [s in os.listdir('./') if s.rpartition('.')[2] in ('f','c','z')]

• the default loading directory for NppPythonScript plugin, any script will be automatically add to path for import

  npp\plugins\PythonScript\lib
  npp\plugins\PythonScript\scripts (default startup.py is here)
  npp\plugins\Config\PythonScript\lib
  npp\plugins\Config\PythonScript\scripts

• the default script for loading/running automatically should be named “startup.py” and placed in any of above location
• example of a startup.py to enable error feedback in python console (as the default python console doesn't tell you any error)

  startup.py

  # ref: https://github.com/bruderstein/PythonScript/blob/master/scripts/startup.py
  # The lines up to and including sys.stderr should always come first
  # Then any errors that occur later get reported to the console
  # If you'd prefer to report errors to a file, you can do that instead here.
  import sys
  from Npp import *
   
  # Set the stderr to the normal console as early as possible, in case of early errors
  sys.stderr = console
   
  # Define a class for writing to the console in red
  class ConsoleError:
  	def __init__(self):
  		global console
  		self._console = console;
   
  	def write(self, text):
  		self._console.writeError(text);
   
  # Set the stderr to write errors in red
  sys.stderr = ConsoleError()
   
  # This imports the "normal" functions, including "help"
  import site
   
  # This sets the stdout to be the currently active document, so print "hello world", 
  # will insert "hello world" at the current cursor position of the current document
  sys.stdout = editor

Show your scripts in Plugin menu > Python Script > Scripts

• if you put your scripts above default loading directories, it will automatically show in the above menu place.
• if you want to put your scripts in a custom location like “D:\Lib\npp_script”, then you need to modify this config file to register these script item

  npp\plugins\Config\PythonScriptStartup.cnf

  • example config code

    ITEM/D:\Lib\npp_script\date.py
    ITEM/D:\Lib\npp_script\my_script1.py

  • then it will show up in Python script > configuration panel, which further enable use in Context Menu
• Note:
  • if you put script for importing in other location as well, make sure add that lib/module path with sys.path.append in startup.py (its auto loading script), which sits in any of these default PythonScript plugin default loading directories
  • or if you prefer lazy loading module from your running script, you can add code at beginning like

    import os,sys
    cur_path = os.path.dirname(__file__)
    cur_path in sys.path or sys.path.append(cur_path)

add your script to context menu

1. add your script in default location to menu from Python Script > Configuration panel, or use PythonScriptStartup.cnf mentioned above to register script item in custom directory
2. then add this to contextMenu.xml (Settings > Edit pop up context menu)

   <Item PluginEntryName="Python Script" PluginCommandItemName="my_script1" />

3. or put in a sub menu called script with FolderName

   <Item FolderName="Script" PluginEntryName="Python Script" PluginCommandItemName="date" />

add your script to tool bar with icon

1. add your script in default location to toolbar from Python Script > Configuration panel, or use PythonScriptStartup.cnf mentioned above to add script item in custom directory
2. set the icon using 16×16 BMP normal image format file

• note
  • all the setting is stored in npp\plugins\Config\PythonScriptStartup.cnf, sample code like

    ITEM/D:\Lib\npp_script\date.py
    ITEM/D:\Lib\npp_script\my_script1.py
    TOOLBAR/D:\Lib\npp_script\date.py/D:\_icon\date.bmp
    TOOLBAR/D:\Lib\npp_script\my_script1.py/D:\_icon\one.bmp
    SETTING/STARTUP/LAZY

• pythonscript git: https://github.com/bruderstein/PythonScript
• use notepad as interactive python runner: https://github.com/bitagoras/PyPadPlusPlus

• To get Qt (PySide or PyQt4) to work with PythonScript, (depends on your pythonscript's python version)
  • if you use Plugins > PythonScript > Show Console, it will show the python 2.7.18 in 64bit (my case) as the python version
  • download the same or similar version of Python from python offical website,
    • search version number in https://www.python.org/downloads/
    • (my case) https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2718/
  • download “Windows x86-64 MSI installer”, you can install to a special path if you want to make it not affect your system.
    • in install step, you can choose where to install, and where add python.exe to path, by default it won't, as if you already have multiple python versions installed, choose not add to path will not affect your current setup, choose add to path, if you want it to be your default python as well. (my case, I just want it to be a py2.7 package download, so I don't check add python.exe to path during install)
  • once ok, you can use your own python to install package, and add the site-packages path to PythonScript python's sys.path
  • start your standalone python, and run (PySide,PyQt4,PySide2,PyQt5 depends on your PythonScript plugin's python version)

    import subprocess
    import sys
    def install(package):
        subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, "-m", "pip", "install", package])
    # py2 case: 2.7 = PySide
    install("PySide")
     
    # py3 case: 3.x = PySide2
    install("PySide2")

• add that standalone package path to PythonScript config startup.py file

  # notepad path\plugins\Config\PythonScript\scripts\startup.py

  and code

  # optional clear multiple python registered system path issue
  old_path = sys.path
  old_path = [x for x in old_path if not x.startswith('D:\\my_other_system_env_registered_python_path\\Python27') ]
  sys.path = old_path
   
  # register lib path
  import os
  my_path_list =[
      r'D:\my_path_match_version_local_python_path\Python27\Lib\site-packages',
      r'D:\my_path_to_other_mpp_app_i_write\NppCoder',
      r'D:\my_path_to_other_npp_script\npp_script'
      ]
  for x in my_path_list:
      if os.path.isdir(x):
          sys.path.append(x)

• add date yyyy.mm.dd

  date.py

  import time
  import Npp
  # import sys
  timeStr = time.strftime( '%Y.%m.%d' )
  # sys.stdout.write(timeStr)
  Npp.editor.addText( timeStr )

• add level mark

  from Npp import *
  selected = editor.getSelText()
  editor.replaceSel('---- {0} ----'.format(selected))

• run PyQt4 or other Qt inside notepad++

  import sys
  my_path = r'/your_path_to_standard_site_package/'
  my_path in sys.path or sys.path.append(my_path)
   
  from Npp import *
  from PyQt4 import QtGui
  from functools import partial
  a = QtGui.QApplication([])
  w = QtGui.QWidget()
  main_layout = QtGui.QHBoxLayout()
  w.setLayout(main_layout)
  my_label = QtGui.QLabel('Hello')
  my_btn = QtGui.QPushButton('Text')
  main_layout.addWidget(my_label)
  main_layout.addWidget(my_btn)
  my_btn.clicked.connect(partial(editor.addText,'cool'))
  w.show()
  a.exec_()