Chapter 1: Getting Started
Chapter 2: Using Atom
- Atom Packages
- Moving in Atom
- Atom Selections
- Editing and Deleting Text
- Find and Replace
- Snippets
- Autocomplete
- Folding
- Panes
- Pending Pane Items
- Grammar
- Version Control in Atom
- GitHub package
- Writing in Atom
- Basic Customization
- Summary
Chapter 3: Hacking Atom
- Tools of the Trade
- The Init File
- Package: Word Count
- Package: Modifying Text
- Package: Active Editor Info
- Creating a Theme
- Creating a Grammar
- Creating a Legacy TextMate Grammar
- Publishing
- Iconography
- Debugging
- Writing specs
- Handling URIs
- Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Converting from TextMate
- Hacking on Atom Core
- Contributing to Official Atom Packages
- Creating a Fork of a Core Package in atom/atom
- Maintaining a Fork of a Core Package in atom/atom
- Summary
Chapter 4: Behind Atom
- Configuration API
- Keymaps In-Depth
- Scoped Settings, Scopes and Scope Descriptors
- Serialization in Atom
- Developing Node Modules
- Interacting With Other Packages Via Services
- Maintaining Your Packages
- How Atom Uses Chromium Snapshots
- Summary
Reference: API
- AtomEnvironment
- BufferedNodeProcess
- BufferedProcess
- Clipboard
- Color
- CommandRegistry
- CompositeDisposable
- Config
- ContextMenuManager
- Cursor
- Decoration
- DeserializerManager
- Directory
- DisplayMarker
- DisplayMarkerLayer
- Disposable
- Dock
- Emitter
- File
- GitRepository
- Grammar
- GrammarRegistry
- Gutter
- HistoryManager
- KeymapManager
- LayerDecoration
- MarkerLayer
- MenuManager
- Notification
- NotificationManager
- Package
- PackageManager
- Pane
- Panel
- PathWatcher
- Point
- Project
- Range
- ScopeDescriptor
- Selection
- StyleManager
- Task
- TextBuffer
- TextEditor
- ThemeManager
- TooltipManager
- ViewRegistry
- Workspace
- WorkspaceCenter
Appendix A: Resources
Appendix B: FAQ
- Is Atom open source?
- What does Atom cost?
- What platforms does Atom run on?
- How can I contribute to Atom?
- Why does Atom collect usage data?
- Atom in the cloud?
- What's the difference between an IDE and an editor?
- How can I tell if subpixel antialiasing is working?
- Why is Atom deleting trailing whitespace? Why is there a newline at the end of the file?
- What does Safe Mode do?
- I have a question about a specific Atom community package. Where is the best place to ask it?
- I’m using an international keyboard and keys that use AltGr or Ctrl+Alt aren’t working
- I’m having a problem with Julia! What do I do?
- I’m getting an error about a “self-signed certificate”. What do I do?
- I’m having a problem with PlatformIO! What do I do?
- How do I make Atom recognize a file with extension X as language Y?
- How do I make the Welcome screen stop showing up?
- How do I preview web page changes automatically?
- How do I accept input from my program or script when using the script package?
- I am unable to update to the latest version of Atom on macOS. How do I fix this?
- I’m trying to change my syntax colors from styles.less, but it isn’t working!
- How do I build or execute code I've written in Atom?
- How do I uninstall Atom on macOS?
- macOS Mojave font rendering change
- Why does macOS say that Atom wants to access my calendar, contacts, photos, etc.?
- How do I turn on line wrap?
- The menu bar disappeared, how do I get it back?
- How do I use a newline in the result of find and replace?
- What is this line on the right in the editor view?
Appendix C: Shadow DOM
Appendix D: Upgrading to 1.0 APIs
Appendix E: Atom server-side APIs
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What's the difference between an IDE and an editor?
The term "IDE" comes from Integrated Development Environment. It is intended as a set of tools that all work together: text editor, compiler, build or make integration, debugging, etc. Virtually all IDEs are tied specifically to a language or framework or tightly collected set of languages or frameworks. Some examples: Visual Studio for .NET and other Microsoft languages, RubyMine for Ruby, IntelliJ for Java, XCode for Apple technologies.
An editor is simply that, a tool that is designed to edit text. Typically they are optimized for programming languages though many programmer's text editors are branching out and adding features for non-programming text like Markdown or Org Mode. The key here is that text editors are designed to work with whatever language or framework you choose.
The tradeoff here is that while you can generally get off the ground faster if you're working within the realm of a given IDE, over the long term you spend a bunch of time retraining yourself when you inevitably change from one language or toolchain to the next. If you use an editor, you can continue to use the same workflows that you always have. Tools that you've built into your editor can be carried over to the next language and framework. Your editor becomes more powerful and more customized to how you want to work not just over years but potentially decades. Just ask people who use vim or Emacs ... both of which have been available for over 25 years!
So, if you want something that you can just jump into and be productive right away in a specific technology, perhaps an IDE is what you're looking for. If you want a tool that you can shape and customize into exactly what you want out of it even if it costs you some time up front configuring things, then an editor is probably more your speed 