Pulsar Edit IDE is a community-driven, advanced text editor designed as a follow-up to the original Atom text editor. It builds on Atom’s core features while incorporating new functionalities and updated architecture. The Pulsar development team includes members from the original Atom-Community group, who have chosen to create a separate fork to achieve their modernization goals.
Key Features of Pulsar Edit IDE:
- Feature Parity with Atom: Retains essential Atom features, including package installation from Git repositories, smart autocompletion, a file system browser, multiple pane user interfaces, and find and replace functionality.
- Built-in Package Manager: Simplifies package management and installation, streamlining the development process.
- Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems.
- Highly Customizable: Offers extensive options for modifying keybindings, applying themes, managing packages, and configuring the user experience.
To install Pulsar Edit IDE on Manjaro Linux, follow this guide, which demonstrates the installation process using the Arch Linux user repository and the natively installed Manjaro Pamac AUR helper.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Update Manjaro
Before proceeding with the Pulsar Edit IDE installation, confirming that your Manjaro Linux system is current is crucial. Regularly updating your system guarantees the most recent security patches and software updates.
To update all installed packages on your system, open the terminal and execute the following command:
sudo pacman -Syu
Step 2: Enable AUR
First, to install Pulsar Edit IDE on Manjaro Linux using the pamac AUR helper, ensure the Arch User Repository (AUR) is enabled. AUR is a community-driven repository for Arch-based Linux distributions, like Manjaro, containing packages not found in the official repositories.
To check if AUR is enabled on your Manjaro Linux system, enter the following command:
cat /etc/pamac.conf | grep EnableAUR
This command displays the contents of the “pamac.conf” file and searches for the “EnableAUR” line. If AUR is enabled, the “EnableAUR” line appears without a “#” symbol at the beginning.
If AUR is not enabled, activate it with this command:
sudo sed -Ei '/EnableAUR/s/^#//' /etc/pamac.conf
This command utilizes “sed” to locate the “EnableAUR” line in the “pamac.conf” file and removes the “#” symbol, enabling AUR. With AUR enabled, you can now use the pamac AUR helper to install Pulsar Edit IDE or other software packages from AUR.
Step 3: Install Pulsar Edit IDE
To install Pulsar Edit IDE on your Manjaro Linux system using the pamac AUR helper, enter the following command in the terminal:
sudo pamac install pulsar-bin
This command will download and install the Pulsar Edit IDE package from the AUR repository.
Step 4: Launch Pulsar Edit IDE
After installing Pulsar Edit IDE on Manjaro Linux, you can launch the application in two ways: through the menu application icon or the command terminal.
To launch Pulsar Edit IDE using the command terminal, enter the following command:
pulsar
Alternatively, to launch Pulsar Edit IDE using the application icon in the menu, follow these steps:
- Click on the “Manjaro” icon in the lower-left corner of your screen.
- Type “Pulsar Edit IDE” in the search bar.
- Click on the icon for Pulsar Edit IDE to launch it.
Example of Pulsar Edit IDE application icon with Manjaro Linux:
When you first open Pulsar Edit IDE, it may seem similar to Atom. Below is a list of useful information that may aid you in getting started:
- Core Functionality: Pulsar Edit IDE offers a basic core of functionality with over 80 packages providing default features, such as Tree View and Settings View.
- Installing Packages:
- Access the Settings View (LNX/WIN: Ctrl+, – MAC: Cmd+,).
- Click on the “Install” tab and enter your search query in the “Install Packages” box.
- Packages are published at https://web.pulsar-edit.dev, the official registry for Pulsar packages.
- Managing Packages:
- Installed packages appear under the “Packages” tab in the Settings View.
- Click on a package’s “Settings” button for options like modifying default variables, viewing command keybindings, disabling the package temporarily, inspecting the source code, checking the package version, reporting issues, and uninstalling the package.
- Installing Themes:
- Find and install UI or syntax themes from the Settings View’s “Install” tab.
- Press the “Themes” toggle next to the search box.
- Navigation Keybindings: Pulsar Edit IDE supports standard Linux cursor movement key combinations and other movement keybindings:
- Ctrl+Left: Move to the beginning of the word
- Ctrl+Right: Move to the end of the word
- Home: Move to the first character of the current line
- End: Move to the end of the line
- Ctrl+Home: Move to the top of the file
- Ctrl+End: Move to the bottom of the file
With customizable keybindings and the ability to add packages, Pulsar Edit IDE offers the flexibility and adaptability needed to work efficiently on web development projects.
Example of Pulsar Edit IDE Application on Manjaro Linux:

Additional Tips
How to Update Pulsar Edit
Updating Pulsar Edit IDE on Manjaro Linux is a simple process that can be accomplished using the pamac package-management helper. Here are the steps to update Pulsar to the latest version:
Open the terminal and enter the following command to check for available updates for all installed packages, including Pulsar:
sudo pamac checkupdates -a
This command will display a list of available updates for your system, including any updates for Pulsar.
Next, run the following command to install any available updates for all installed packages, including Pulsar:
sudo pamac upgrade -a
This command will prompt you to review the updates and confirm the installation process. Be sure to review the updates carefully before proceeding.
How to Remove Pulsar Edit
To remove Pulsar Edit IDE from your Manjaro Linux system, you can use the pamac package-management helper in the terminal. Follow these steps to remove Pulsar:
Open the terminal and enter the following command:
sudo pamac remove pulsar-bin
This command will thoroughly remove the Pulsar Edit IDE package from your system.
To clean up any unused files or packages that may be taking up space on your system, you can use the following command:
sudo pamac remove -o
This command will remove any orphaned packages that are no longer needed on your system.
If you previously enabled AUR on your Manjaro system and later decided that you no longer want to use it, you can disable it by running the following command:
sudo sed -Ei '/EnableAUR/s/^/#/' /etc/pamac.conf
This command will comment out the “EnableAUR” line in the “pamac.conf” file, effectively disabling AUR on your system.
Conclusion
In conclusion, installing Pulsar Edit IDE on Manjaro Linux is a straightforward process. By enabling the Arch User Repository (AUR) and utilizing the pamac package-management helper, you can efficiently manage Pulsar Edit IDE on your system. Its cross-platform support, integrated package manager, and smart autocompletion make Pulsar Edit IDE a powerful and customizable text editor for an improved coding experience on Manjaro Linux.