XPTracker for jEdit — A Lightweight File Change MonitorXPTracker is a compact, efficient plugin designed to monitor file changes within jEdit — the extensible, programmer-friendly text editor. Built with minimalism and performance in mind, XPTracker provides developers with real-time awareness of file modifications, straightforward history browsing, and lightweight collaboration features without the overhead of a full version-control UI. This article explains what XPTracker does, why it’s useful, how to install and configure it, and practical workflows for different development scenarios.
What XPTracker Does
XPTracker watches files and buffers inside jEdit and records change events in a small local history store. Its core capabilities include:
- Real-time change detection: immediately shows when a file on disk or in a jEdit buffer has been modified.
- Local change history: keeps lightweight diffs and snapshots for recent edits so you can review and restore past content.
- Conflict awareness: alerts you when the on-disk file diverges from the buffer you’re editing.
- Simple restore and compare: open previous versions, view inline diffs, or replace buffer contents with a selected snapshot.
- Low overhead: designed to be fast and use minimal disk and memory resources.
Why Use XPTracker in jEdit
While version control systems (VCS) like Git handle long-term history and branching, XPTracker fills a different niche:
- Acts as an immediate safety net for accidental edits or deletions.
- Helps when working with files not tracked by VCS (temporary files, drafts, config files).
- Supplements code review by letting you inspect short-term edit history without committing.
- Useful in pair programming or quick file sharing: you can notice and revert unexpected external file changes.
- Minimal configuration and fast performance make it suitable for users who prefer lightweight tools.
Installation
- Open jEdit.
- Go to Plugins → Plugin Manager.
- Search for “XPTracker” in the list of available plugins.
- Select it and click Install.
- Restart jEdit if prompted.
If the plugin is not in the official list, download the XPTracker jar from the plugin repository and place it into jEdit’s plugins directory (typically ~/.jedit/plugins/) then restart jEdit.
Basic Configuration
After installation, access XPTracker from Plugins → XPTracker → Settings (or similar). Important configuration options:
- Change detection interval — how often XPTracker scans for external modifications (default: 2 seconds).
- History size — number of historical snapshots to keep per file (default: 50).
- Snapshot granularity — whether to store full snapshots or incremental diffs.
- Storage location — directory where XPTracker keeps its history database.
- Exclude patterns — glob or regex patterns to skip certain files or folders (e.g., node_modules, .git).
A recommended starting configuration: 2–5 second interval, 100 snapshots, diff-based storage, and exclude large dependency folders.
Using XPTracker: Common Workflows
Open the XPTracker panel (Plugins → XPTracker → Show Panel) to see tracked files and recent events.
- Quick revert: select a file, choose a snapshot from the timeline, and click Restore.
- Side-by-side compare: select two snapshots to open a diff view in jEdit’s split panes.
- Resolve external edits: when XPTracker alerts that a file changed on disk, use the compare tool to decide whether to keep your buffer or reload from disk.
- Temporary versioning: for quick experiments on a file not under VCS, create named snapshots before risky edits.
Collaboration and Multi-User Scenarios
XPTracker is not a replacement for real-time collaboration tools, but it helps in shared filesystem environments (e.g., network drives, shared project folders):
- Detects when teammates overwrite files.
- Provides a local rollback when accidental overwrites occur.
- Combine with a shared chat or note to coordinate who edited what and when.
Be cautious with simultaneous edits: XPTracker can surface conflicts but doesn’t merge changes automatically.
Performance and Storage Considerations
XPTracker is optimized for low impact, but be aware of trade-offs:
- Diff-based storage reduces disk usage compared to full snapshots, especially for large files with small edits.
- High snapshot counts or short detection intervals increase I/O and storage use.
- Exclude large directories and binary files to avoid unnecessary processing.
Recommended: enable diff storage, set practical snapshot limits, and exclude build or dependency folders.
Troubleshooting
- Not detecting external changes: ensure the detection interval isn’t set too high and that file path permissions allow reading timestamps. On some filesystems, change notifications are unreliable—use a shorter interval.
- History missing: check storage location and ensure XPTracker has write permissions. Verify snapshot limits (older entries may be pruned).
- UI not showing: confirm plugin is enabled in Plugin Manager and jEdit was restarted after installation.
Security and Privacy
XPTracker stores local snapshots and diffs on your machine; sensitive information in tracked files will be kept in the plugin’s storage directory. Exclude folders with secrets and use full-disk encryption if necessary.
Roadmap and Integration Ideas
Potential enhancements that complement XPTracker’s philosophy:
- Optional cloud sync for encrypted snapshots (user-controlled).
- Integration with Git to convert XPTracker snapshots into quick commits.
- Merge helper for automatic three-way merges between buffer, disk, and snapshot.
XPTracker for jEdit brings a simple, focused layer of change monitoring to everyday editing: immediate detection, quick history, and fast restores without the overhead of full VCS workflows. For users who edit many temporary or untracked files, or who work in shared filesystem environments, it’s a practical safety net.
Leave a Reply