Author Topic: Large Text File Viewer (Read 48840 times)

dlprice · « **on:** July 30, 2008, 10:51 PM »

Anybody know of a good large text file (multi gigabyte) viewer?

I have used UltraEdit. It is good, but doesn't work well as both a text editor and a large file viewer. To move around the large file efficiently, you need to turn off line numbers and temp file... you also need to open as "read-only" to make sure you don't accidentally change the file. And it still doesn't jump from the first line to that last as quick as I would like.

I also used LTFViewer (www.swiftgear.com) which is pretty good... but seems like that last time the author touched the program was 3 years ago. Would be nice if it also had 'tail -f' type functionality.

muntealb · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2008, 02:55 AM »

Try EditPad Lite (free) and Pro (shareware). Both can open large files (<2 GB) very fast.

http://www.editpadpro.com/

http://www.editpadpr...com/editpadlite.html

Deozaan · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2008, 04:34 AM »

I love EditPad! It's been my primary text editor and web development application for about 10 years now.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2008, 08:17 AM »

For viewing only I recommend free version of Universal Viewer.

Personally: I am using built-in Total Commander's lister.

NigelH · « **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2008, 08:37 AM »

Less for Windows : multi-platform binaries + source availablel.
Tons of features, really fast and shift-f will give you "tail -f" functionality
http://www.greenwood....com/less/index.html

zridling · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2008, 09:31 AM »

I used UltraEdit for the same purchase, as needing an editor that handled large text files was essentially faster than the company's database software I work for. However, recent versions have throttled large file management down, forcing me to work with EmEditor, whose most recent version was designed for just this purpose. Well worth the money spent, too, since the developer is active (and a good coder).

rjbull · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2008, 09:46 AM »

Personally: I am using built-in Total Commander's lister.
-fenixproductions (July 31, 2008, 08:17 AM)

Which has, generously, also been split out as a free-standing freeware here

fenixproductions · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2008, 10:36 AM »

2rjbull
Yes, it was. But you should remember that standalone version is not so often updated as internal one. External - from 10th of September, 2007, internal - 23th of April, 2008.

For me simple view is presented by Shift+F3 keys combination which loads lister without plugins (F3 - with). And for standalone version you have to play with parameters. Of course: this can be one time journey also (if you want to add it to RMB menu).

Well... everything depends on user.

Dirhael · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2008, 01:31 PM »

My recommendation would have to be EmEditor.

The new version of EmEditor allows you to easily open huge files - up to 248 GB or 2.1 billion line - with only a little memory. The new version optimized the speed to open a huge file, so it can open a huge file much more quickly than previous ones.

It's by far the fastest text editor I've tested on Windows, and the fact that it deals perfectly with unicode files is a big + for me. Well worth the money

Should free be a requirement, there's always Vim. Yes, it most certainly is an acquired taste but for just viewing files it should do just fine.

40hz · « **Reply #9 on:** July 31, 2008, 02:00 PM »

If you just want to view large files, try the marvelously named Large Text File Viewer. (Just like Space Shuttle - it's called what it does. Gotta love that!) It's small, free, and doesn't require installation. Unpack it in a folder and you're set to run.

Download link at: http://www.swiftgear.com/

I used LTFV on a project where one huge file was crippling just about everything I tried to load it on. LTFV worked like a charm. One download site had a reviewer that claimed it opened a 40Gb file without a hiccup. Not sure if I believe that one (mainly because I can't imagine what a text file that big could possibly be used for) but it took my 2.26 Gb text database - complete with a seriously pooched file header - without blinking twice.

Note: the search feature can sometimes be a little slow if that is important to you.

I'm pretty sure my current fav text editor (Notepad++) could handle a file that big, but I can't say for sure since I don't have currently have any text files that size to test it with.

arthurz · « **Reply #10 on:** July 31, 2008, 10:59 PM »

I used to have VEdit http://www.vedit.com/.
It is a fantastic, extremely quick file editor, although I did not deal with enormously large files their website claims it can handle 100 + GB of data.
Recommend giving it a try.

dlprice · « **Reply #11 on:** July 31, 2008, 11:26 PM »

Should free be a requirement, there's always Vim. Yes, it most certainly is an acquired taste but for just viewing files it should do just fine.
-Dirhael (July 31, 2008, 01:31 PM)

I have always liked VIM, but unless I have things configured wrong, it doesn't really do a very good job of opening large files. If I open just a 500mb file, it takes about 500mb of memory, and about 2 minutes to open.

Lutz_ · « **Reply #12 on:** August 01, 2008, 01:34 AM »

EMeditor can handle the largest files, like 5 GB of DNA sequence.

Nxqd3051990 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2008, 08:58 PM »

I like Total Commander Lister built in

Extremely fast

Rover · « **Reply #14 on:** August 04, 2008, 12:19 PM »

The TTLCMD List utility is available standalone: http://www.ghisler.com/lister/

PhilB66 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 30, 2008, 04:49 AM »

I also used LTFViewer (www.swiftgear.com) which is pretty good... but seems like that last time the author touched the program was 3 years ago. Would be nice if it also had 'tail -f' type functionality.
-dlprice (July 30, 2008, 10:51 PM)

Large Text File Viewer 5.0 is now available! (updated 8/3/2008) The major changes are:
LTF Viewer 5.0 now opens any file that is currently being written by another program. It automatically checks and reads the file if new content has been appended.
LTF Viewer 5.0 now supports view split. Now the user can split the view either horizontally or vertically, and let each side display different portion of the same file.
LTF Viewer 5.0 now supports word-wrap. For fast response, word-wrap is controlled by a word-wrap length in character rather than the window width in pixel. The reasons are:
Word-wrap is a slow process for large files, and the use of a font with varied width makes the process even slower.
The user usually changes window size frequently.
For your convenience, the following functions using mouse wheel are available:
Use mouse wheel alone to scroll the content vertically - this function is available in previous versions.
Use mouse wheel and the shift key to scroll the content horizontally.
Use mouse wheel and the control key to increase/decrease font size for current file type.
Based on the request of some LTF Viewer users, a shortcut key (Escape) is added for closing the current window (including any dialog box and the main window).
Various bugs have been fixed. LTF Viewer 5.0 is much more stable than its previous versions.

PhilB66 · « **Reply #16 on:** December 30, 2008, 07:53 PM »

Anybody know of a good large text file (multi gigabyte) viewer?

I have used UltraEdit. It is good, but doesn't work well as both a text editor and a large file viewer. To move around the large file efficiently, you need to turn off line numbers and temp file... you also need to open as "read-only" to make sure you don't accidentally change the file. And it still doesn't jump from the first line to that last as quick as I would like.

I also used LTFViewer (www.swiftgear.com) which is pretty good... but seems like that last time the author touched the program was 3 years ago. Would be nice if it also had 'tail -f' type functionality.

-dlprice (July 30, 2008, 10:51 PM)

Yeah, i think so. you can do it with that. <Link Removed> my friend told me that website had got gold of all kinds of games. do you know that or bought gold form that??
-hjfyyytd (December 30, 2008, 07:33 PM)

edit by jgpaiva: removed link from quote

Darwin · « **Reply #17 on:** December 30, 2008, 08:53 PM »

Awesome, Phil, you’ve outdone yourself this time

sajman99 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 07, 2009, 05:43 PM »

Just a simple thanks to dlprice, 40hz, and others for the LTFViewer link. I had never heard of it before, but now it's in my arsenal of text tools.

f0dder · « **Reply #19 on:** January 07, 2009, 10:27 PM »

Nice one, Phil

I know the next is pretty oooold, but I decided I might as well comment on it since I saw it now:

I'm pretty sure my current fav text editor (Notepad++) could handle a file that big, but I can't say for sure since I don't have currently have any text files that size to test it with.
-40hz (July 31, 2008, 02:00 PM)

Nope, Notepad++ (which is my favorite editor as well) performs miserably when dealing with files of relatively few megabytes in size. This is mainly because it uses the Scintilla edit control, which really wasn't designed for huge amounts of text - and working around that would be really clunky.

Ehtyar · « **Reply #20 on:** January 07, 2009, 11:15 PM »

Nice one, Phil

I know the next is pretty oooold, but I decided I might as well comment on it since I saw it now:

I'm pretty sure my current fav text editor (Notepad++) could handle a file that big, but I can't say for sure since I don't have currently have any text files that size to test it with.
-40hz (July 31, 2008, 02:00 PM)
Nope, Notepad++ (which is my favorite editor as well) performs miserably when dealing with files of relatively few megabytes in size. This is mainly because it uses the Scintilla edit control, which really wasn't designed for huge amounts of text - and working around that would be really clunky.
-f0dder (January 07, 2009, 10:27 PM)

Indeed. I will sing npp's praise 'till the cows come home...except when it comes to large file support. Definitely try something more up to the task IMO. VIM would likely be my choice if it's available.

Ehtyar.

Lashiec · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2009, 01:52 PM »

This is mainly because it uses the Scintilla edit control, which really wasn't designed for huge amounts of text - and working around that would be really clunky.
-f0dder (January 07, 2009, 10:27 PM)

That explains a few things with Notepad2. I'm sure one of the other weak points of Scintilla is how it handles very long lines.

I was going to recommend something else, but I'm not sure if it can handle gigabyte-sized files o_O

Paul Keith · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2009, 08:48 PM »

Anybody care to share a test file for testing the capability of these apps?

Btw which are the ones who have a full screen read-only mode? (Preferably with option to hide the mouse cursor and edit line indicater)

rjbull · « **Reply #23 on:** January 09, 2009, 04:40 AM »

PSPad's Help file says it works with files of unlimited length.

CPlusPlus · « **Reply #24 on:** January 12, 2009, 12:42 AM »

I use V

http://www.fileviewer.com/