MacroManager for jEdit — Advanced Tricks for Power UsersjEdit is a powerful, extensible text editor beloved by many developers for its plugin architecture and keyboard-driven workflow. Among its plugins, MacroManager stands out as an indispensable tool for automating repetitive tasks, composing complex editing workflows, and extending jEdit’s capabilities without writing a full plugin. This article dives into advanced techniques and practical patterns to help power users get the most from MacroManager, from organizing large macro libraries to composing robust, reusable automation.
Why MacroManager matters for power users
MacroManager transforms jEdit from a manual editor into an automation platform. Instead of repeating a sequence of keystrokes, you can encapsulate them in macros that are easy to invoke, schedule, combine, and maintain. For power users who work with multiple languages, codebases, or repetitive formatting tasks, macros yield consistent, error-free operations and free time for higher-level work.
Planning a maintainable macro ecosystem
Before writing advanced macros, structure is key.
- Keep macros modular. Small, single-purpose macros are easier to test and combine than giant monoliths.
- Adopt a naming convention. Prefix macros by category (e.g., text., code., nav., file.) so they group neatly in lists.
- Version control your macros. Store them in a dotfiles repo or plugin-specific folder so changes are tracked and portable.
- Document each macro with a short header comment describing purpose, expected context (buffer type/selection), and arguments.
Example header (in BeanShell or other supported macro language):
// name: text.trimTrailingWhitespace // desc: Remove trailing whitespace from current buffer // scope: any // args: none Advanced invocation techniques
Power users need fast, context-aware invocation:
- Key bindings: Assign concise shortcuts to frequently used macros via jEdit’s Global Options → Shortcuts. Use chorded shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+K then T) for many macros without colliding with default keys.
- Action names and the Command Bar: Register macros as Actions so they appear in the Command Bar and ActionLists; then call them by name using the Command Bar or bind them to buttons.
- Toolbars and menus: Add macros to custom menus or toolbars for discoverability, especially for team members less comfortable with hotkeys.
- Context menus: Insert macros into buffer popup menus when they operate on selections—useful for language-specific workflows (e.g., run a macro only for XML files).
Macro composition: building complex workflows
Combine small macros into higher-level workflows using scripting and the MacroManager’s ability to call other macros.
- Chaining: Create a coordinator macro that calls other macros in sequence, handling conditional branching when necessary.
- Parameter passing: Use shared buffer properties, selection markers, or global properties to pass data between macros.
- Error handling: Wrap calls in try/catch blocks and provide informative messages or rollback steps (e.g., restore selection or undo) on failure.
Example BeanShell composition:
try { bsh.run("text.trimTrailingWhitespace"); bsh.run("code.reformatSelection"); bsh.run("nav.goToNextTodo"); } catch (Throwable e) { javax.swing.JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Macro chain failed: " + e); view.getBuffer().undo(); } Working robustly with selections, carets, and multiple carets
Modern editing often involves multiple carets/selections. Ensure macros are multi-caret aware:
- Use jEdit’s Selection and TextUtilities APIs to iterate over selections rather than assuming a single caret.
- Save and restore selection/caret state when macros perform structural edits.
- For operations that must act once on the entire buffer, collapse multiple selections or operate on buffer content directly.
Snippet to iterate selections (BeanShell pseudo-code):
Selection[] sels = view.getSelectionManager().getSelectionAsArray(); for (Selection s : sels) { int start = s.getStart(); int end = s.getEnd(); String text = buffer.getText(start, end - start); // modify text and replace selection } Efficient searching and transformations
Use jEdit’s powerful search/replace engine from macros:
- Regular expressions: Use Java’s regex engine for complex matches and capture-group based replacements.
- Buffer.findAndReplace: For large, repeated transforms, operate directly on the buffer to avoid UI overhead.
- Incremental transforms: When changes depend on previous ones, apply edits from end to start to preserve offsets.
Example: regex-based refactor in macro:
import java.util.regex.*; Pattern p = Pattern.compile("oldFunc\(([^)]*)\)"); Matcher m = p.matcher(buffer.getText(0, buffer.getLength())); String result = m.replaceAll("newFunc($1, context)"); buffer.setText(result); Integrating external tools and languages
Power users often need to leverage external formatters, linters, or compilers.
- Run shell commands from macros and capture stdout/stderr. Present results in a dockable panel or new buffer.
- Stream large outputs to disk or temp files and open them to avoid memory pressure.
- For interactive external tools, use background threads and update the UI via SwingUtilities.invokeLater to avoid freezing jEdit.
Example: call an external formatter and replace buffer:
String cmd = "gofmt"; // or any formatter String input = buffer.getText(0, buffer.getLength()); Process p = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd); p.getOutputStream().write(input.getBytes("UTF-8")); p.getOutputStream().close(); ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream(); InputStream is = p.getInputStream(); byte[] buf = new byte[4096]; int r; while ((r = is.read(buf)) > 0) out.write(buf, 0, r); buffer.beginCompoundEdit(); buffer.setText(new String(out.toByteArray(), "UTF-8")); buffer.endCompoundEdit(); Testing, profiling, and performance tips
Large macro libraries must remain fast.
- Benchmark critical macros using simple timestamps to find slow spots.
- Avoid repeatedly calling UI methods inside tight loops; instead collect edits and apply them in a single compound edit.
- Use buffer.beginCompoundEdit() and buffer.endCompoundEdit() to group many small modifications into one undoable unit.
- For heavy computation, run in background threads and show progress rather than blocking the main thread.
Timing example:
long t0 = System.currentTimeMillis(); // perform heavy operation long t1 = System.currentTimeMillis(); console.getOutput().print("Elapsed: " + (t1 - t0) + "ms"); Creating reusable macro libraries and sharing
- Package common utilities (selection helpers, string utilities, file IO helpers) as library macros other macros can import or run.
- Provide example macros and README documentation in your macros folder.
- Consider publishing a zip of your macro folder or a plugin if reuse across users is desired.
Security and safety considerations
- Treat macros that run external commands or modify files as potentially destructive. Provide confirmations for destructive actions.
- Avoid storing secrets in macros. If a macro needs credentials, use OS-level credential stores or prompt at runtime.
- Use sandboxing practices: limit file writes to expected directories and validate inputs before executing shell commands.
Real-world advanced macro examples
- Batch refactor: find invocation of a deprecated API across open buffers, apply regex transform, and open a review buffer listing changes with links to locations.
- Multi-file templating: generate project files from templates, replacing variables from a JSON configuration, and insert entries into an open index file.
- Interactive code-golf helper: measure selection lengths, run a minifier, and compare distances, presenting a ranked table in a new buffer.
Troubleshooting common pitfalls
- Macro not appearing in menus: confirm the macro header metadata and that it’s stored in the correct macros directory.
- Encoding errors: ensure UTF-8 handling when reading/writing external processes and files.
- Race conditions: avoid touching shared global properties without locking or sequencing through the UI thread.
Final checklist for power-user macros
- Small, composable primitives
- Clear naming and documentation
- Keybindings + menu/toolbar exposure
- Robust error handling and undo grouping
- Background processing for heavy tasks
- External tool integration with safe IO
- Version-controlled, shareable library
Advanced MacroManager use elevates jEdit from a powerful editor to a personal automation platform. With careful structure, robust error handling, and attention to performance and safety, your macros can save hours and scale across projects.
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