Kate (text editor) facts for kids
 |
|
Kate 21.12.0 in KDE Plasma 5
|
|
| Developer(s) | KDE |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2001 |
| Stable release |
24.05.1
 / 13 June 2024 |
| Preview release |
Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
|
| Written in | C++, Qt |
| Operating system | |
| Type | Source code editor |
| License | LGPL, GPL |
The KDE Advanced Text Editor, often called Kate, is a special program for writing and editing text. It's like a super-powered notepad, especially useful for people who write computer code. The KDE community, which makes free software, created Kate. It has been around since 2001. Kate helps programmers by showing different parts of their code in different colors (called syntax highlighting). It can also hide parts of the code to make it easier to read (called code folding). You can change how Kate looks, use many cursors at once, and add extra tools called plugins. Kate's fun mascot is a character named Kate the Cyber Woodpecker.
Contents
Kate's Journey: A Look at Its History
Kate has been a part of the KDE Software Compilation since 2001. This was with version 2.2. Thanks to a special technology called KParts, Kate can be used inside other KDE programs. For example, big KDE programs like KDevelop (which helps build software), Quanta Plus (for web development), and Kile (for writing scientific documents) all use Kate for editing text.
Linux Voice magazine once named Kate the best advanced text editor.
Around 2014, developers started working to make Kate work with newer KDE technologies called KDE Frameworks 5. Other programs like Dolphin (a file manager) and Konsole (a terminal) were also updated.
In 2022, another KDE text editor called KWrite was changed. It now uses the same basic code as Kate, but with some features turned off.
Cool Features of Kate
Kate is a powerful source code editor. It can highlight code for more than 300 different file types. This means it shows different parts of the code in different colors. This makes it easier to read and understand. You can even add new ways to highlight code using special XML files.
Understanding Text Formats
Kate works with many ways to store text, like UTF-8, UTF-16, ISO-8859-1, and ASCII. These are different encoding schemes. Kate can also figure out what kind of encoding a file uses all by itself.
Smart Code Help
Kate offers "code completion." This means it can guess what you are typing and suggest code. It can also help you find where different parts of your code are used. This works for many programming languages, including C, C++, D, Fortran, Go, Latex, Python, Rust, and OCaml.
KatePart: The Core Editor
The main part of Kate that lets you edit text is called KatePart. Other programs can use this part too. It's like a building block for text editing. Don't confuse it with KParts, which is a general system for adding features to KDE programs.
Different Ways to Type
Kate can be used in a special way called vi input mode. This is a different style of typing and editing text that some advanced users prefer.
Working with Many Files
Kate lets you open many documents at once. You can also split your window to see different parts of your code side-by-side. It helps you manage big projects and save different setups for different tasks. These setups are called sessions. With sessions, you can save which files are open, which extra tools (plugins) are active, and how your windows are arranged.
Built-in Terminal
Kate includes the KDE terminal emulator called Konsole. This means you can run commands directly from Kate. Since 2023, this terminal feature also works on Windows computers.
Quick File Access
The "quick open" feature lets you search for files you have open by their name. This helps you find and switch between files very fast. Kate also shows you which lines of code you have changed but not yet saved. It also highlights new lines you've added.
Opening Files from Anywhere
Because Kate is a KDE program, it can open and save files from many different places on the internet. This includes websites (using HTTP), file servers (using FTP and SSH), and shared network folders (using SMB and WebDAV).
Session Manager
Kate has a "session manager." This lets you name, save, and open groups of file tabs. So, if you're working on a project, you can save all your open files as a session. Later, you can open that session and all those files will appear again. These saved sessions are stored as small files on your computer.
Other Helpful Tools
Kate also keeps a history of things you've copied (your clipboard). It can remember up to ten items. You can quickly jump to any line number in your code. It also works with source control systems like Git, which help teams manage changes to their code.
See also
In Spanish: Kate para niños
