Overview
Peppermint is an advanced code editor by InSili.co. It looks at first glance like a cross between HyperEdit and CodeRunner. The default window is split between a code area, a console and a list of files, and there's also a preview area that opens when working with HTML.The app can run (and output information to the console from) the following languages: AppleScript, Bash, C#, C++, C, Haml, Java, JavaScript (requires Node.js to be installed), LESS, Lua, Objective-C, Perl, Python, PHP, and Ruby. It also compiles CoffeeScript as well as providing previews of Markdown code.
The list of languages for which the app provides code highlighting is even longer than the list of those that can be executed, and ten of the languages have templates that can be used to start writing code.
Using the app
As you can imagine, it hasn't been possible to test all of the functionality given the volume of languages supported by the app. The restriction of requiring Node.js to run JavaScript has also been a a barrier, because I hit some issues installing Node.js on Yosemite. (For info: you don't need Node.js to preview JavaScript inside an HTML file it works as expected there.)I did find some issues with the limited undo system and found myself making changes I couldn't revert, but this is a version 1.0 release and there are bound to be things that need tweaking. With v1.1 already in review on the Mac App Store, hopefully we'll see issues quickly resolved.
Note: There is currently a warning provided by the developer that 'The C/C++/Objective-C compilers in the App Store version (in contrast with the version offered in our website) are not working due to App Store Sandbox restrictions.' There is however soon to be an offer made by the developer to purchasers of the Mac App Store (MAS) version that they can download the non-App Store version for free when purchasing from the MAS.
@naotakaM We're doing our best though! MAS customers will be able to get the non-sandboxed one FREE just by sending us their MAS receipt :-)
— Peppermint (@osxpeppermint) November 2, 2014
Comparing to CodeRunner
Out of the box, Peppermint appears to have more languages than the popular CodeRunner but as has been stated these languages rely on installs being present. And it must also be remembered that CodeRunner is extensible and that new languages can be added by the user (including Swift).Peppermint is extensible too: I am told by the developer that Swift 1.1 will be supported in Peppermint v1.1 and that the new release will be all about extensibility. (Note: You can find out more on their website about the plugins API here and can expect more to follow when the documentation is extended.)
Comparing to HyperEdit
I use HyperEdit a lot. It is a lightweight app that live previews JavaScript and PHP without all the fuss of Dreamweaver or similar solutions. It opens quickly and provides a great testing ground. Does Peppermint replace this? No is the simple answer. Peppermint previews HTML (with JavaScript) but runs PHP with console output only, so is much closer in functionality to CodeRunner in this respect.
The things that Peppermint adds over and above HyperEdit are Markdown previewing and CoffeeScript compiling. It also has features like StackOverflow search and sharing Gists via GitHub. These demonstrate that Peppermint aims to cover a far more diverse set of needs than HyperEdit and CodeRunner, but at the same time Peppermint has more to do if it wishes to eclipse these other apps entirely.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a middle ground between HyperEdit and CodeRunner then Peppermint might be the app you are looking for. As regards unique features, this is the first app that I've used which compiles CoffeeScript and displays the JavaScript equivalent (although I'm not a user of CoffeeScript it must be admitted). I'd also note that the app's long list of languages for which it provides code highlighting and code completion extends its usefulness, but at the moment is currently outshone by Textastic's vast array of languages and encodings.
To conclude, the app is very much about combining features found in CodeRunner, HyperEdit and Textastic all into one place. And at the moment this is a v.1.0 release, so as you would expect the more established apps which specialise in one area have features that aren't yet to be found in Peppermint. However if it sounds like the kind of thing you've been waiting for then get on board now and send feature requests to the team and help them shape it into the app you want it to be.
Additional information
The developer has informed me of a number of things: (1) there is to be a trial version released in the coming week, (2) extensibility is going to be big for the next release (as mentioned above), (3) support for Swift 1.1 is being added (yay!), (4) v.1.1 is under review in the Mac App Store (MAS), (5) a free non-sandboxed version will be available to those purchasing the app through the MAS, and (6) they are are all ears for feature requests and feedback.
Update: To download a trial version of Peppermint visit here.
Update: The v.1.1 release has now arrived in the Mac App Store with the update notes below.
Update: To download a trial version of Peppermint visit here.
Update: The v.1.1 release has now arrived in the Mac App Store with the update notes below.
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