# Announcing IronEditor - An Editor for IronRuby, IronPython and other DLR languages **URL:** \ **Category:** IronRuby\ **Created:** [July 20, 2008, 12:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553 "2008-07-20T12:10:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 12:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/1 "2008-07-20T12:10:28Z")
Hi everyone, Last night I uploaded an initial release of an application I’ve been working on - IronEditor. This is a simple application designed to make it easier to start coding against the DLR based languages, out of the box it supports IronPython and IronRuby. The reason why I decided to build this is because Visual Studio Integration for the languages is a long way off and playing around creating code to for the languages is painful via the provided console applications. As such, the aim of the application is to provide a very lightweight way to edit and execute code, great while learning the languages and giving demos. Blog Post: [http://blog.benhall.me.uk/2008/07/announcing-ironeditor-editor-for.html](http://blog.benhall.me.uk/2008/07/announcing-ironeditor-editor-for.html) Download: [http://www.codeplex.com/IronEditor](http://www.codeplex.com/IronEditor) Build: 1.0.0.46 This is a release early with not too many advanced features but it can execute code! 🙂 Over the next few weeks and months, I will be adding more features and implementing additional parts of the Hosting API. I will also try to blog about the actual implementation of IronEditor. Any feedback or feature suggestions you have on the application would be great! Thanks Ben [Blog.BenHall.me.uk](http://Blog.BenHall.me.uk) Microsoft MVP (C#) ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/2 "2008-07-20T14:35:36Z")
Don’t mean to be a party-pooper - this project looks cool and could provide a really good alternative to VS for a range of developers. But how about writing a plug-in for SharpDevelop instead? This would give you a head start on a lot of the base-line functionality and let you concentrate on the Iron… stuff. Pete ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/3 "2008-07-20T17:08:34Z")
Hi Peter, It’s definitely a valid suggestion! The reason why I didn’t go down the route of plugging into SharpDevelop \ MonoDevelop is because I wanted to provide something quick, lightweight and easy to start using without having to install too many additional items. I want the application to be focused on the DLR and dynamic languages, not sure hacked on the side. If I want to write a quick Ruby script, I don’t want to wait 10 minutes for the IDE to load and create a new solution etc - I just want a way to write the code, maybe debug, maybe unit test and execute. Hopefully, IronEditor will provide that support. I’m not 100% confident you could easily fit a dynamic language into an IDE developed with statically typed languages in mind without either changing a lot of the core IDE functionality, or not taking full advantage of the language itself. It will be interesting to see how the team copes with VS integration. Maybe I am going down the wrong route, if there is a strong feeling for having this integrated instead of a standalone application then I will take a much closer look. Thanks for the comment. Ben On Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 1:13 PM, Peter Bacon D. ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2008, 10:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/4 "2008-07-20T22:21:16Z")
Ben H. wrote: > I’m not 100% confident you could easily fit a dynamic language into an > IDE developed with statically typed languages in mind without either > changing a lot of the core IDE functionality, or not taking full > advantage of the language itself. It can be done 😉 Standard Ruby (with all the bells and whistles - editing/debugging/intellisense etc.): [http://www.sapphiresteel.com/Ruby-In-Steel-Developer-Overview](http://www.sapphiresteel.com/Ruby-In-Steel-Developer-Overview) IronRuby (editing/design - more stuff coming later): [http://www.sapphiresteel.com/Ruby-In-Steel-For-IronRuby](http://www.sapphiresteel.com/Ruby-In-Steel-For-IronRuby) Good luck with the editor. There will always be some people who prefer an IDE and others who prefer an editor. I wish you well. all the best Huw ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 7:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/5 "2008-07-21T07:22:52Z")
If it is Silverlight API based it “should” run on Mono as well. 2008/7/21 Oleg T. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 9:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/6 "2008-07-21T09:58:02Z")
But that isn’t at this time is it? AFAIK mono currently only supports Silverlight 1.0 or am I wrong in my assumption? On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 7:17 AM, Stefan D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/7 "2008-07-21T11:46:38Z")
Hi guys, Thanks for the comments. DevHawk (Harry Pierson) mentioned on twitter that he would have liked to see the application developed onto of WPF. It would have added coolness (3D error syntax checking?), but there is the added problem of Mono support which is why I went for WinForms. The Engine is separated from the UI, so WPF could be added at a later date, well almost - I think a bit too much logic is in the UI at the moment ☹ As for Silverlight, yes this would be cool (more cool than WPF!) however Moonlight’s current “support for Silverlight 2.0 is in pre-Alpha stage”. I would love to have a Silverlight UI on top of this (more than WPF) but I wanted to get WinForms app out the way (which I think is more useful if not as cool). Maybe when the WinForms app has the core functionality in place, I can look at doing something similar for Silverlight. Any other comments, suggestions or feature requests please let me know. Thanks Ben ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/8 "2008-07-21T06:57:43Z")
This is cool! There is definitely a need for a lightweight cross platform IronRuby/IronPython (or even any DLR language) editor. I wish it was based on WPF, but then it won’t run on Mono ☹ Let’s coordinate our efforts? – Oleg ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/9 "2008-07-21T16:58:57Z")
Yep, that’s true. Moonlight today only has basic support for sl2 stuff. However, if based on silverlight apis then eventually moonlight will run it. And, a moonlight app can be run just like any desktop app on Linux. On Jul 21, 2008, at 3:57 AM, “Ivan Porto C.” \ wrote: But that isn’t at this time is it? AFAIK mono currently only supports Silverlight 1.0 or am I wrong in my assumption? On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 7:17 AM, Stefan D. \<[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)\> wrote: If it is Silverlight API based it “should” run on Mono as well. 2008/7/21 Oleg T. \<[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid[mailto:removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)\>: This is cool! There is definitely a need for a lightweight cross platform IronRuby/IronPython (or even any DLR language) editor. I wish it was based on WPF, but then it won’t run on Mono ☹ Let’s coordinate our efforts? – Oleg ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 2:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/10 "2008-07-21T14:11:00Z")
Ben H. wrote: > As for Silverlight, yes this would be cool (more cool than WPF!) > however Moonlight’s current “support for Silverlight 2.0 is in > pre-Alpha stage”. I would love to have a Silverlight UI on top of this > (more than WPF) but I wanted to get WinForms app out the way (which I > think is more useful if not as cool). Maybe when the WinForms app has > the core functionality in place, I can look at doing something similar > for Silverlight. Hi Ben, I’d put in a big vote for an IronRuby editor done up in Silverlight. I’ve got a bunch of 500 or so users who are struggling to get a grasp on IronRuby who would thank you as well, we get lots of Ruby usage questions on our forums [http://www.mysipswitch.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6](http://www.mysipswitch.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6) (that link is also for a free, open source project so no plugging is involved here). Any kind of syntax highlighting and/or test execution would definitely help people who aren’t that used to scripting let alone Ruby to get a handle on things. Regards, Aaron ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/11 "2008-07-21T17:07:11Z")
It’s a shame Silverlight doesn’t offer the same flexibility. Well, I say that. I have had Silverlight working in this way before so maybe I could get it to work. On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 3:58 PM, Jimmy S. ---
**Author:** ![benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@benhiller](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benhiller)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/announcing-ironeditor-an-editor-for-ironruby-ironpython-and-other-dlr-languages/143553/12 "2008-07-22T01:59:38Z")
Hi Aaron C. Sounds like you have some interesting requirements. Could you please ping me offline? Email Blog {at} BenHall .me .uk I would be interested to hear what your have to say and your scenarios in more depth. Cheers Ben