LEXX (text editor)
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Text editors, Software development |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Mike Cowlishaw |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Text editor software |
LEXX is a text editor recognized as one of the earliest to implement live parsing along with colour syntax highlighting for both marked-up documents and programming code. Developed in 1985 by Mike Cowlishaw at IBM, it originated as a lexicographical tool during the production of the 'New Oxford English Dictionary' (NOED), the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, commissioned by Oxford University Press. Designed to operate on mainframe systems running VM/CMS, LEXX was still in use as of 2018. Its architecture expands upon previous editors created by Cowlishaw, such as STET, by incorporating real-time parsing and colour rendering tailored for advanced colour terminals like the IBM 3279. The editor is extensible through dynamically loaded compiled commands, often written in PL/I, or interpreted commands, typically authored in REXX, which is reflected in the 'XX' suffix of 'LEXX'.
The editor utilizes dynamically loaded parsing modules that identify token types to assign appropriate fonts and colours. It offers features such as indentation to visually represent document structure and formatting capabilities that allow users to conceal specific text categories, including tags. A collection of screenshots is available to demonstrate its user interface.
LPEX (short for 'Live Parsing Editor') represents a modern reimplementation of LEXX, originally created for OS/2 and AIX platforms. It has since been adapted to run on Windows, Linux, and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) environments.
External links
- Creating user profiles for the LPEX editor in WebSphere Developer for zSeries v6.0 – IBM, July 12, 2006
- Extending the LPEX Editor in WebSphere Developer for zSeries v6.0 – IBM, June 8, 2006
- The design and implementation of an interactive document editor – Software: Practice and Experience, Wiley Interscience, October 27, 2006
- Introducing the LPEX Editor – IBM, 1998