Why Emacs?
I spent a long time searching for an equivalent to Notepad++ on Mac OS. I tried TextWrangler, Smultron, and the trial/free version of TextMate as recommended by others. However, none of them matched the same level of user-friendliness and flexibility offered by Notepad++ on Windows.
This frustration led me to step into the realm of real programmers and start learning to use Emacs. While it is undoubtedly more challenging to learn than Notepad++, it is excellent for editing STATA do-files, TeX files, R scripts (which Emacs can run internally), and more. In my opinion, it is also the best free TeX editor for both Windows and Mac OS. Additionally, you can use it to compare files, which is handy if you want to differentiate similar do-files. These are just the tip of the iceberg of what Emacs is capable of. In short, Emacs is worth your investment (of time) in the long run.
Note: This document only offers a few useful links. If you encounter any issues or find anything difficult to follow, feel free to contact me via email.
Set up Emacs: many versions and options.
Getting started with Emacs: You can find a thorough introduction by Jeremy Zawodny here. The most useful chapters for beginners are 2, 4, and 5. Make sure to follow the tutorials closely.
Integrating with Stata: It’s possible and simple to integrate Emacs and Stata with Bill Rising’s ado-mode. Please follow his tutorial here.
Integrating with LaTeX: Emacs comes with Tex mode by default, and it can be improved with the AUCTeX extension. You can find it here.