I use Textpad for Perl,C,C++ and casual Java(the free Eclipse IDE for bigger projects). There is also Notepad++. I think both are about $30 shareware.

These are pretty good program editors (block select, regex search and replace, macros, multiple views into the same file, tabs to spaces...). I have a function key defined to run Perl on the active edit window. This key saves all open files, then runs Perl and STDOUT and STDERR are captured in another edit window. So I see the result basically in a second.

Perl compiles and runs so fast that this "hit F4" to run in combination with "print" and Data::Dump or Data::Dumper can do a lot! I seldom need to resort to more complex debuggers, even for C.

There are syntax highlighting files (plugin), and regexes that can parse the gnu error lines so that clicking on a compile error jumps me to the offending source code line. But for Perl, I haven't bothered.

When I am working remotely on a Unix machine, I use FireFTP (plugin for Firefox) and just right click on the remote Perl file and open it locally in Textpad. I edit and then just hit "save" to send edits back to Unix and then use a command window to execute the program on Unix (typically just up-arrow, <ENTER>). So a "turn" is really fast. When working on SQLite DB projects, I use the SQL manager plug-in for Firefox - really convenient and easy.

Anyway this is another cheap way to go.
$30 isn't free, but I've used this thing so many hours over the years, that I've gotten my money's worth!

In reply to Re^4: Looking for a free Perl debugger. Padre/Epic doesnt seem to work. by Marshall
in thread Looking for a free Perl debugger. Padre/Epic doesnt seem to work. by perl514

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