JShell tool: remove or keep default Edit Pad editor?

[Robert Field]

On 10/12/16 09:04, Paul Deitel wrote:
> While I understand the issue of bundling Edit Pad with respect to modularization, as an author of introductory computer programming texts, like Java How to Program, command line REPL is much less useful for beginners if they have to try to figure out how to edit something like a complete class definition from the command line.
>
> If possible, I’d recommend somehow providing access to a more robust cross-platform editor—perhaps something like jEdit (jedit.org). If not, perhaps the modularized JShell could provide an option that enables Edit Pad if someone wants to use it.

jEdit is a nice editor.  I've started to use it as a stand-alone editor 
-- thanks.   There are a lot issues with rolling external code into the 
JDK -- and were it added the update cycle is far shower than in the 
wild..  I think for a newbie jEdit would look like a jet console.  
Besides that somethings works out of the box, the idea of the Edit Pad 
is to be dead-simple for newbies.

jEdit would be a good choice for a user to use as the retained external 
editor jshell setting.   I notice however that doing so you do not get 
Java features, like syntax highlighting because the file ends in 
".edit".  I've added:

     jshell tool: external editor temp file should be *.java
     https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8167640

>
> If you do keep Edit Pad, here are some changes I’d like to see to make it slightly nicer:
>
> a. Use a fixed-width code font for readability
>
> b. Use a bigger font size or provide controls for changing the font size--the current size is tiny and hard to read
>
> c. Add 5-10 pixels of padding between the textbox containing the code and the window border—right now the left edge of the code is right up against the window’s border, again making the code hard to read.
>
> d. Separate each snippet from the next by a blank line.

I have added:

     jshell tool: Edit Pad has readability issues
     https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8167639

Separating by a blank line I have some hesitation.  For one, it does not 
match what is sent to external editors.

Thanks,
Robert

>
> Thanks,
> Paul