My feature whish-list

Feature Ideas
#1

There are some cool features that I miss and that could help Komodo be more up-to-date and capable to face its competitors.
I know I’m just a noob and I’m sorry if I can’t contribute to make such features feasable, but I’d like to tell my opinion all the same.
The features I miss are the following:

  1. web dev tools for html pages like in browsers, such as other editors as VSCode, Brackets and others.

  2. "run"command button that allows to run current code just-in-time and see the output, like for example in Geany (but there is a similar plugin in VScode too, wich also allows to run code in compiled languages such as C and C++ as if it was a script).

  3. “compile” command button as in Geany and other editors, which allows to compile current code or project just in time and automatically creates a binary or bytecode file (e.g. a “.pyc” file for Pytfhon or a bynary executable for C, C++, Go, Rust and similars).

  4. A tool to automatically activate and run Python vrtual environments, like for example in Emacs. There is also a similar plugin in VScode, which makes activating and using virtual environments very easy and funny. It would also be very nice to have a GUI tool to create and manage Python virtual environments, such as in Pyzo or Eric IDE, for example.

  5. Possibility for the user to open full folders like in VSCode, not just single files.

  6. Possibility for the user to open current file with another app from within Komodo itself, just by using the rigt-click context menu, as for example in Kate editor, Kdevelop and in most Linux editors and IDEs.

  7. More support also for Go, Rust, C and C++, not just scripting languages.

I think that Komodo urgently needs more modern features, otherwise it risks to leave all its way open to its competitors, such as in particular VSCode. It would be a pity, because I’m not a great fan of VSCode and Microsoft (though I use VSCode myself just beacause of the lack of valid alternatives). Moreover, I HATE Electron and I am not a great fan of JS whereas I like Python, so I like an IDE such as Komodo which is not Electron-based and makes large use of Python not just JS.
Moreover, what I like of Komodo is its link with Mozilla Firefox, which could help to have a valid alternative against Google and Chrome monopoly.
I just would like it was more modern and feature-rich. In particular, I would like it had a richer plugin echo-system (please, SOLVE THE PLUGIN MANAGER ISSUE, by the way!).

#2

Hey @strizzo-sudo,

I really appreciate you input here. Some of the ideas already exist, some don’t, some don’t because the referenced language isn’t supported but before I respond you should be made aware that there hasn’t been a new release since 2020 and there aren’t any plans to make one. In fact, one of the things that you really like about it (that it’s built on Mozilla’s XUL and not Electron) is one of the big reasons we’re not able to or willing to put a ton of effort into adding features. See more here: Doubts about Komodo and XUL - Discussions - Komodo IDE & Edit | Forums. It’s still working amazingly enough even with all the new releases of operating systems.

So, to address your points!

  1. Not really sure what you mean here. Komodo has a bunch of web development tooling so I’m not sure what we might be missing compared to VSCode, etc. Need more info.

  2. Try Ctrl + b assuming your coding in a support language (Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Tcl, JS)

  3. None of the languages you listed are supported languages (Go kind of is but not nearly as well as the ones listed above) so that’s why we don’t have that for those languages. The supported languages are Dynamic, non-compiled languages so there’s no point (Python does it automatically when you run it through the Python interpreter). We used to have some tooling to convert Perl and Python application into executable binaries but that product doesn’t exist any more and I don’t think that’s what you’re asking about. You could accomplish pretty easily with Tool Box tools btw, which can be written in either JS or Python. You can assign keybindings to toolbox tools as well so you could accomplish exactly what you’re looking for with some custom code.

  4. Yeah this could be neat. I usually just activate the virtual env in my terminal then start Komodo (or whatever other editor I might be using) from that terminal, then you’re set. I wouldn’t bother with an addon/plugin in this case.

  5. I don’t understand this one. VS Code has a similar file management interface (Called “Places” in Komodo, View menu > Tabs & Sidebars > Places ) as Komodo. Left side, files and folders displayed and clickable. If you mean changing the “root directory” of Places you can do that with the gear button > Open Directory or right click on a folder and Make this folder root. I actually really don’t like how VS Code handles this but I’m sure it makes the backend code a lot easier to reason about when the user can move the context of their project around…

  6. You are correct, this doesn’t exist. This one would be interesting but it would need to be flexible, ie. let people tell Komodo what programs to open with.

  7. heh the shortest note with enormous implied work. This is where VS Code wins with it’s modular design. You’d be able to add a lot of tooling and features through Komodo Add ons for these languages but something like debugging would be a lot of modification of the base code.

Not sure what you mean here but I’m guess you have Firefox set as your default browser. Komodo doesn’t make any decisions around what browser to use.

It is fixed. If you’re still having issues then you should report a new bug. Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to find a workaround.