Geany 2.1 Advanced Editor Review

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How to Install Geany on Fedora Linux and Set Up Geany Copilot Plugin

Geany is a lightweight, open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that is perfect for programmers who need a fast, simple, and efficient tool for coding. With a broad range of features, such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging support, Geany is an excellent choice for developers looking for a versatile and customizable IDE.

In this post, we’ll cover how to install Geany on Fedora Linux, and we’ll show you how to set up the Geany Copilot plugin for an enhanced coding experience. We’ll also provide instructions for other platforms, but the primary focus will be on Fedora.

Additionally, there will be a bonus section on how to install Geany Copilot using Distrobox, especially if your Fedora setup lacks certain packages, like geanylua, in the repositories.

1. What is Geany?

Geany is an open-source IDE designed to be small and fast. It supports a wide range of programming languages like Python, C++, Java, and HTML, among others. Geany aims to be a practical, fast, and extensible IDE with all the essential features needed by developers.

The best part? Geany is open-source and available for various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.

License:

Geany is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. You can find more information about the license on Geany’s official website.

2. Installing Geany on Fedora Linux

Before we dive into the installation, make sure you have an active internet connection and root (administrator) privileges on your machine.

Install Geany Using DNF (Fedora Package Manager)

1. Open the Terminal on your Fedora system.

2. Update your package list to ensure you’re installing the latest available version:

sudo dnf update

3. Install Geany:

sudo dnf install geany

4. After installation, you can launch Geany from your application menu or simply by typing geany in the terminal.

Alternative Installation: Using Flatpak

If you’d like to install Geany using Flatpak (which ensures a more isolated environment), you can do so by running:

sudo flatpak install flathub org.geany.Geany

3. Installing Geany on Other Platforms

If you’re not using Fedora Linux, no worries! Here’s how to install Geany on other platforms.

• Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

  sudo apt install geany

• Windows:

  Visit the Geany download page and download the installer for Windows. Follow the installation instructions.

• macOS:

  You can install Geany using Homebrew:

  brew install geany

4. Setting Up Geany Copilot Plugin (Bonus)

Fedora 43, as of this writing, doesn’t include the geanylua plugin in its repositories. Fortunately, you can easily set up Geany Copilot using a Distrobox container. Here’s how you can do it.

Install Distrobox (If not already installed):

sudo dnf install distrobox

Install Geany and GeanyLua in an Isolated Environment

1. Create an Isolated Distrobox Container:

distrobox create --name geany-isolated --image alpine:latest

2. Install Geany and GeanyLua inside the Distrobox container:

sudo apk update
sudo apk add geany geany-plugins-geanylua
exit

3. Enter the Distrobox Container and Export Geany:

distrobox enter geany-isolated -- distrobox-export --app geany

Install Geany Copilot Plugin

1. Install Required Dependencies:

sudo apk add git curl luarocks lua
/usr/bin/luarocks-5.4 install lunajson --local

2. Clone the Geany Copilot Repository:

cd ~
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/DevElCuy/geany-copilot.git
mkdir -p ~/.config/geany/plugins/geanylua/geany-copilot/
cp ~/geany-copilot/copilot.lua ~/geany-copilot/copywriter.lua ~/.config/geany/plugins/geanylua/geany-copilot/

3. Configure the Plugin:

eval $(/usr/bin/luarocks-5.4 path --bin) >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

4. Run Geany and Enable Copilot:

geany&

Then, navigate to Lua Scripts -> Geany Copilot -> copilot and enter the following details:

• Base URL: http://localhost:11434
• API Key: N/A

Final Setup: Run Ollama (Optional)

ollama serve

Requirements For Programming Text Editor

Glossary:

Code Editor

Designed for writing and editing source code.

IDE

Integrated Development Environment combines various tools need for software development.

Plugin

Software component that adds specific functionality.

Theme

Preset package containing graphical appearance to customize look and feel.

Open source

Freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

SCM

Source code management use to manage and track modifications to a source code repository.

LMB

Left Mouse Button (LMB) or left click

MMB

Middle Mouse Button (MMB) or scroll wheel

Test Tools

Test System

Name	Description
CPU	Ryzen 5 5600GT @ 3.60GHz.
Memory	32GB DDR4.
Operating System	Fedora Linux Workstation 43.
Desktop Environment	Gnome 49.
Name	Description

Test Suite

Name	Description
Large File	1GB human-readable text.
Regex File	Text with word “Helix” repeated.
Syntax File	PHP file containing HTML, CSS & JavaScript.
Media File	Smiley face or Tux Linux JPEG file.
Java Version	OpenJDK 21.0.9.
PHP Version	PHP 8.4.14.
Python Version	Python 3.14.0.
Geany Versions	2.1 in Fedora and 2.0 in Alpine Linux For Geany Copilot
Name	Description

Test Scoring

1. Each feature has two parts.
2. Score of zero indicates a missing feature.
3. A part of a feature is work a score of 0.5.

Three bias elimination steps were utilized. The editor was used for at least three years on different platforms. Attempts were made to get stable plug-ins for missing features. The same editor was compared between the one in the repository, the developers website, and the compiled version if applicable.

Selecting Editor Version

For this review, Netbeans was downloaded from the developers website and it did not require additional plugins.

Requirements For Programming Text Editor

Glossary:

Code Editor

Designed for writing and editing source code.

IDE

Integrated Development Environment combines various tools need for software development.

Plugin

Software component that adds specific functionality.

Theme

Preset package containing graphical appearance to customize look and feel.

Open source

Freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

SCM

Source code management use to manage and track modifications to a source code repository.

LMB

Left Mouse Button (LMB) or left click

MMB

Middle Mouse Button (MMB) or scroll wheel

Test Tools

Test System

Name	Description
CPU	Ryzen 5 5600GT @ 3.60GHz.
Memory	32GB DDR4.
Operating System	Fedora Linux Workstation 43.
Desktop Environment	Gnome 49.
Name	Description

Test Suite

Name	Description
Large File	1GB human-readable text.
Regex File	Text with word “Helix” repeated.
Syntax File	PHP file containing HTML, CSS & JavaScript.
Media File	Smiley face or Tux Linux JPEG file.
Java Version	OpenJDK 21.0.9.
PHP Version	PHP 8.4.14.
Python Version	Python 3.14.0.
Netbeans Version	28
Name	Description

Test Scoring

1. Each feature has two parts.
2. Score of zero indicates a missing feature.
3. A part of a feature is work a score of 0.5.

Three bias elimination steps were utilized. The editor was used for at least three years on different platforms. Attempts were made to get stable plug-ins for missing features. The same editor was compared between the one in the repository, the developers website, and the compiled version if applicable.

Selecting Editor Version

For this review, Netbeans was downloaded from the developers website and it did not require additional plugins.

Features

1. The theme can be native for the editor in terms of the background. Geany dark and light themes can be created or downloaded. The score for the theme was a perfect 1.0.
2. Dragging and dropping a text file into the editor opens a new tab. It is still not possible to specify the tab location during the drag and drop operation. The score for drag and drop into editor was 0.5.
3. Opening a very large text file did not crash Geany. Geany was able to edit the large file. The score for opening a large file was a perfect 1.0.
4. Multiple documents can opened in multiple tabs. Tear-off tabs still do not work but Geany has a feature to open in new window as a new instance which is handy for multiple monitors. The score for multiple documents was 0.5.
5. Multiple editors can be opened as new tabs with drag options. The window view can be split either vertically or horizontally using a plugin but Geany does not have a multiple editor view unless a new instance of Geany is opened. The score for multiple editor view was 0.5.
6. Creating non-project files is possible by dragging the folder into the workspace. Non-project files can be opened by the drag and drop operation. The score for creating non-project files was a perfect 1.0.
7. Soft word wrap can be enabled Edit > Preferences > Editor > Features > Line wrapping. Automatic soft wrap for documents is available for Geany. The score for word wrap was a perfect 1.0.
8. Spell check works as words are typed using the Spell Check plugin. Spelling errors are shown in opened documents. The score for spell check was a perfect 1.0.
9. Word count is available for Geany and is enabled using Tools > Word Count. Selection word count is available as part of word count. The score for word count was a perfect 1.0.
10. Go to line can jump to a specified line using CTRL-L. It is possible to jump to either the first or last line. The score for go to line was a perfect 1.0.
11. Indentation can default to user-defined tab stops. Children are automatically indented. The score for indentation was a perfect 1.0
12. Fonts can be dynamically scaled using CTRL-+/-/0. The system font can be bypassed and a new editor font and size can be set. The score for fonts was a perfect 1.0.
13. Find and replace using regular expressions can be utilized for all open documents in the current session. Find and replace will work for the current document or a selection in the current document. The score for find and replacing using regular expressions was 1.0.
14. Multiple language syntax highlighting in one file is enabled if the language plug-ins are installed. Each language has code-sensitive syntax colors which can be modified. The score for multiple language syntax highlighting was a perfect 1.0.
15. Code folding works for markup languages such as HTML. Code folding also works for programming languages such as Java and PHP. The score for code folding was 1.0.
16. Selecting rectangular block per column works via CTRL-LMB or CTRL-SHIFT on Linux. Rectangular block selections work with word wrap enabled. The score for selecting rectangular block was a perfect 1.0.
17. Multiple selection is not available for Geany. Search multiple selection is not available. The score for multiple selection was 0.0.
18. Distraction-free mode to hide panes works. Line numbers can be toggled to improve distraction-free mode. The score for distraction-free was a perfect 1.0.
19. The file manager required the File system browser plug-in to create and delete folders. Media files cannot be dragged and dropped into the file manager pane. The score for file manager was 0.5.
20. Terminal is integrated into Geany. The terminal can follow folder if enabled. Terminal can execute system commands. The score for terminal was 1.0.

Results

Geany is a very powerful IDE. By default, the Geany editor is no longer missing required features which can be installed by using extensions. For my required features, the Geany editor scored 85.0% or 8.50 out of 10.

📱 Screenshots

🞍 Screencast Tour

Take a guided walk-through of some of Geany 2.1’s best new features—from database tools to testing frameworks:

6. Other Resources from Edward Ojambo

Check out my Programming Books to dive deeper into programming topics.

Explore my Programming Courses for comprehensive tutorials.

Interested in one-on-one online programming tutorials? Visit my contact page for more details.

Need help with Geany installation or migration? Get in touch with me through this service page.

Conclusion

That’s it! You’ve now got Geany installed and configured with the Geany Copilot plugin. Happy coding!