⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ – Useful but basic; prefer dedicated FTP clients for heavy use. 3. XML Tools (Essential for structured data) | Feature | Details | |---------|---------| | Purpose | Validate, format, XPath, transform XML | | Best for | Developers working with XML/JSON-like data | | Key strengths | Pretty print, check well-formedness, XPath evaluation | | Weakness | No JSON support (use JSMin or manual) | | Performance | Fast, even with large XML | | Use case | Validate config files (Web.config, pom.xml) |
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ – Replaces many IDE features with minimal setup. 5. Explorer Plugin (File tree sidebar) | Feature | Details | |---------|---------| | Purpose | File system browser inside Notepad++ | | Best for | Project navigation without an IDE | | Key strengths | Drag-drop, right-click menu, follow active doc | | Weakness | No Git integration; slower than VS Code’s explorer | | Performance | Good for folders < 10,000 files | | Use case | Navigate a source code folder quickly | compare notepad++ plugin
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Must-have for XML work. 4. NppExec (Run scripts inside editor) | Feature | Details | |---------|---------| | Purpose | Execute external commands (compilers, scripts) | | Best for | Build automation, lightweight dev environments | | Key strengths | Capture output, filter errors, assign hotkeys | | Weakness | No GUI debugger; scripting syntax is primitive | | Performance | Lightweight | | Use case | Compile a C file with gcc and show errors | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ – Useful but basic; prefer dedicated FTP