Automate Notepad++ new doc creation

Chris Johnston

I would like to find a way to automate Notepad++ in this way. I want to create a tab with text that has a type of language set. The text will be provided dynamically. I am thinking via the command line, or something. I guess I could do this via some type of script. I want the Notepad++ tab to similar to the default new tab, the difference being the language of choice and the dynamically provided text. To be clear, If I decide to not save it as a file it will just be deleted. I also would like to avoid using the clipboard. Thanks for any ideas or help.

mkupper

@Chris-Johnston If you already are using the command line then write a batch file that first creates a blank file and then opens notepad on that file.

The file extension plus possibly magic numbers in the file header can be used to set the language notepad++ will be using for that file.

Your batch file can also pre-fill the file. For example, I have a batch file named np.bat that I use to launch/open Notepad++. Among other things, np.bat checks to see if the file has a .bat or .cmd file extension and if so will generate a default batch file that has a stuff I always have in my batch files. np.bat then launches notepad.exe with that file. Notepad++ sees the .bat extension and will use the “Batch” language for the file.

By “magic numbers” I mean the beginning of file or BOF marks. If I want my new .txt files to have a Unicode UTF-8 BOF then I would first create a template text file with the UTF-8 BOF. If np.bat sees that I want to create a new .txt file then it would copy from the template to the new file name and then launch Notepad++.

PeterJones

@Chris-Johnston ,

It seems a little odd to create and dynamically populate a document in Notepad++ and not save it as a file to disk. But if that’s what you want…

if the text you want to create is short (ie, short enough to create from a command line, which has a limited number of characters, you could use command line options:

notepad++.exe -lhtml -qSpeed3 -qt="Text to type"
REM . . . . . . ^^^^ -- whatever language you want; see usermanual

But Windows (not Notepad++) limits the number of characters that can be passed to an application via the command line. So if you want to dynamically create a file with more than a few hundred characters, the command-line isn’t going to meet your needs.

Alternatively, the PythonScript plugin allows you to fully automate Notepad++ from a script run with the plugin, so if you know Python, you can install that plugin, then use that script to create a new file (notepad.new()) and set the current language (notepad.setCurrentLang(LANGTYPE.HTML) or whichever language) and then add text programmatically (editor.addText("Text Goes Here"))

But why not just use your dynamic creation script to write to a file with a reasonable extension and save it in a reasonable place, and then call notepad++ to open that file. If you end up not wanting to keep the file, just delete it. That’s really the easiest.

Coises

@Chris-Johnston said in Automate Notepad++ new doc creation:

I would like to find a way to automate Notepad++ in this way. I want to create a tab with text that has a type of language set. The text will be provided dynamically. I am thinking via the command line, or something. I guess I could do this via some type of script. I want the Notepad++ tab to similar to the default new tab, the difference being the language of choice and the dynamically provided text. To be clear, If I decide to not save it as a file it will just be deleted. I also would like to avoid using the clipboard. Thanks for any ideas or help.

I think it matters how the text is being provided, roughly how large it is, and what skills and time are available to dedicate to the problem. I don’t know of anything intrinsic to Notepad++ that will help much with this.

Also, it’s unclear (to me) whether you want to launch Notepad++ with the new tab, or whether Notepad++ will already be open and you want to create a Notepad++ command that will open a new tab pre-filled with information dynamically drawn from some other source.

The command problem is definitely one for a plugin, which you would have to write to access the specific data source you need. Folks who know Python seem to like the Python scripting plug-in, so if you know how to access your data through Python, that might be the way to go.

If you’re wanting to launch Notepad++, my guess is that you want a scripting solution like AutoIt. I’ve never used that program, but it sounds like it could do what you need — after climbing a substantial learning curve.

Chris Johnston

@mkupper Thanks that is helpful. You raise another question now.

Chris Johnston

@PeterJones Thanks super helpful, just was I was looking for. I do know something about about Python think that will be the way to go. However, I am glad to know the command from cl. Wow!

Chris Johnston

@Coises Hi, and thanks for the great reply. I am going to explore this Python scripting plug-in idea, as said above. Funny enough, I did first post a message on the AutoIt forum for ideas about this. I did not get any responces. However I am still waiting. After that I had planned on getting creative with AutoIt because I know how to do it. Although, you wonderful people hear have given me the some super ideas. Thanks so much!

https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/topic/210204-automate-notepad-new-doc-creation-moved/

mkupper

@Chris-Johnston In reading https://www.autoitscript.com/forum/topic/210204-automate-notepad-new-doc-creation-moved/ it appears that in Notepad++ you want

Settings / Preferences / New Document (on left sidebar) / Default language to be AutoIt.

Notepad++ can already do that. What Notepad++ does not seem to have baked in at present is a default blank document template. It’s not clear though
if filling in the new tab with stuff related to a generic .au3 file is useful or essential to you. Any of what people have already suggested here will do for filling in the default new-document but it’s also possible a plugin exists that can do this.