How do I make Geany my default editor on Ubuntu?

Question

I actually want to change the default text editor on my Ubuntu 12.04 from nano to Geany. When I used this code:

update-alternatives --config editor

.. I don't see Geany in the list.

So to add Geany, this is supposed to work right?

update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/geany geany /usr/bin/geany 10

Also, on a side note, can you tell me if you would personally suggest me to change the default editor from nano to Geany, and why?

Answer 1

The command line way is:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/editor editor /usr/bin/geany 10

and then use sudo update-alternatives --config editor to select Geany if necessary.

As a graphical alternative to the command-line method, consider using Gnome Alternatives (sudo apt-get install galternatives). Run GAlternatives, select editor in the left column, and then add/choose Geany on the right.

Answer 2

As an alternative, this also worked for me:

xdg-mime default geany.desktop $(grep MimeType /usr/share/applications/geany.desktop | sed 's/MimeType=//' | sed 's/;/ /g')

I'm not suggesting I understand it, but it worked perfectly. I found it here alone with a bunch of useful info on colour schemes.

http://linuxtidbits.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/gedit-to-geany/

Cheers

Steve