5/15/04
<< 72 Squared WeblogLooking for a better development environment
I started out writing PHP in the code view of Dreamweaver. It offers syntax coloring and makes it easy to write php mixed with html. PHP is rendered in the design view as a neat little icon, similar to the javascript or comment tags. I've also tried GoLive. Pretty much the same as Dreamweaver.
Then I tried the Zend Development Environment. Finally a decent code
editor! I didn't realize how much I was missing. Instant syntax
validation! Drop-down menus for variables, functions, classes,
constants. And so much more. The project inspector allows me to browse
my classes, and see all of the functions at a glance and what they do.
It instantly raised my productivity. But the interface leaves a little
to be desired. It's an application written in java and ported to mac os
x ( I write everything on my powerbook). It's kinda buggy.
Occasionally, the cursor just disappears. A few times the application
has suddenly crashed. And I miss the Site Window in Dreameaver that is
separate from the pages themselves. In ZDE, all of the windows are
tiled together in one window. Makes it easy to find everything, but
difficult to compare code from two different windows. However, I soon
got used to toggling different panes open and closed to give me room to
work in the single window. One other drawback is that ZDE does not
offer a design view for html. Although I can write html code fluently
without the design view, it makes it is sometimes convienient to design
html in the design view like I'm used to in dreamweaver. I'm all about
efficiency. It sucks that I have to switch between two applications to
enjoy the efficiencies of both. I guess I will keep my eyes open for
something better, but for now, that's what I'm stuck with.
See: http://zend.com