What Is TextMate on macromates.com?

Updated

macromates.com is the official home of TextMate, a powerful and customizable text editor for macOS. It is developed as open source and supports a large list of programming languages. The current download offered on the site is TextMate 2.0, which requires macOS 10.12 or later. If you are looking for a native Mac editor with deep customization through bundles, snippets, and commands, TextMate is the product this site distributes.

What TextMate offers

The site highlights a set of editing features aimed at people who work with code and structured text:

  • Multiple Carets — add multiple insertion points to make several changes at once, swap pieces of code, and similar edits.
  • File Search — choose what to search and what to search for; results are presented so you can jump between matches, extract matched text, or preview replacements.
  • Version Control — see changed files in the file browser, changed lines in the editor, bring up a diff of the current file, and commit a subset, with support for all major version control systems.
  • Scoped Settings — associate detailed scope selectors with key shortcuts and settings, which helps with files that mix languages, projects using different build systems, or third-party code with different formatting preferences.
  • Commands — write custom actions in any language that works with stdin, stdout, and environment variables; complex interactions can use WebKit or a dialog framework for Mac-native or HTML-based interfaces.
  • Snippets — turn commonly used text or code into snippets with placeholders and transformations that adapt to context.
  • Bundles — the customization mechanism, with support for many languages, markup systems, and workflows.
  • Macros — record a scratch macro for immediate replay or save one for repeated use.

The page also lists clipboard history, custom themes, live HTML/Markdown preview, foldable code blocks, and indented soft wrap under "And More."

Who it suits

TextMate fits Mac users who want a native editor they can shape around their own workflows: the bundle system, scoped settings, and command support are the main reasons to choose it over a fixed-feature editor. The macOS 10.12 minimum means older Macs are supported, but you should confirm your macOS version before downloading.

Getting started

  1. Go to macromates.com and use the download link for TextMate 2.0.
  2. Confirm your Mac runs macOS 10.12 or later.
  3. After installing, explore Bundles for language support and set up snippets or macros for repeated work.

The site presents TextMate as open source; the page does not state pricing or login requirements, so check the download page itself for any current terms.