Originally posted by allen_coombs
There is only one editor worth having HTML Kit
I used HTML-Kit for a little while, but I found it really slugglish. It was as though there were so many features that it slowed the whole program down (akin to Microsoft Office products). This is why I switced to EditPlus. Then recently I found out that EditPlus has FTP capabilities, so I was hooked 
--kinadian
I agree with "kinadian" - i use Edit++. I haven't used anything else, although a friend did try to introduce me to Xemacs, and i have heard of people swearing by notepad.
The great thing about EditPlus is, if your server isn't on your local machine, you can FTP in and edit them directly off the server. Saving the file automatically uploads the new version of the file.
EditPlus also has syntax highlighting which many people believe is a cheat at code. I believe all it does it make it easier for you to spot your mistakes (I do not use auto completion, though EditPlus supports it).
Most people swear by notepad because it gives you complete control. EditPlus does not take any control away from you, it makes your whole development experience less about the little things (debugging your code for hours until you find that " that you somehow didn't type, uploading the files yourself) and more about the actual code (which for me ends up being easier to read with the highlighting).
The way I see if, if you want to use NotePad, power to you. Hell, if you want to use Frontpage, that's your choice. Personally, I'd never even think about loading up the program, (I don't even install it when I install MS Office). But just because I use EditPlus, or someone uses UltraEdit (another popular one that is simiilar in features to EditPlus) then that doesn't mean we are any less of a programmer.
Use what you want, and then just smile and nod when people start ranting about Notepad. 
--kinadian
I agree - there seem to be a lot of people intent on making their life harder for themselves by not embracing such features as syntax highlighting.
Any fool can use it to help them spot mistakes - if that makes you more efficient at coding, then all the better.
Obviously people using notepad are getting paid by the hour, and want to earn more money or something!
Originally posted by crickettdt
I agree - there seem to be a lot of people intent on making their life harder for themselves by not embracing such features as syntax highlighting.
for me the eyestrain of most syntax highlighting makes for greater eye strain. Being 38, I notice things like flickering monitors and "angry fruit salad interface colors" more now than I once did.
I prefer white on black text for editing, and since I'm pretty good at not making syntax errors I don't need syntax highlighting very much really. When I do make a syntax error, it's invariably either a missed ; or an extra , in a function call, neither of which syntax highlighting seems to help.
The most important features for me in an editor are that it not wrap my lines, cut and paste, and search and replace. pico does all those with ease, so I still use it. It's also a hands only editor, I never need to touch my mouse. I hate moving back and forth when coding.
Originally posted by Sxooter
The most important features for me in an editor are that it not wrap my lines, cut and paste, and search and replace. pico does all those with ease, so I still use it. It's also a hands only editor, I never need to touch my mouse. I hate moving back and forth when coding.
Didn't know pico did search and replace....I went to nano instead. I'm very with you on the 'keyboard only' thing, though.
started coding for real with VI, think I use the mouse? 
one very important feature for me is regexp search and replace... Looks like I am the only one...
Originally posted by Bunkermaster
started coding for real with VI, think I use the mouse?
one very important feature for me is regexp search and replace... Looks like I am the only one...
Quite possibly. I hear that using vi is kinda like marriage --- it'll do almost anything for you if you give it enough devotion.....
I just switched to LiveMotion 6
good functionality increase since 5
doesn't support PHP but shitloads more
i just use notepad
lol
I use zend Its pretty good and the best
FAR (http://rarlab.com) + Colorer (http://plugring.farmanager.com/cgi-bin/downld.cgi?Lang=Eng)!
hi
since +2 years i code php with PhpEd , ithink that is the most and the best
but now is not free with nusphere but u can get the lest free ver
http://enseignement.informatique.univ-poitiers.fr/ressources/langages/
I use windows and I use notepad, its great.
Originally posted by stuartc1
...has some great features like code hylighting, integrated debugging and auto complete...
I use PHP EDIT as well, but I couldn't stand the auto complete feature, and I definitely wouldn't call it great =)
Took me forever to figure out how to turn it off. I looked everywhere in the program and couldn't find it, and I finally looked in the .ini file and found the option to turn it off. Grr... it annoyed the crap outta me.
But yeah, I definitely like the program. I just wish the exit screens were in English...
Homesite
Well Dream MX is Dreamweaver 4 UltraDev + Homesite. I think Homesite has been discontinuated.
MX vs GoLive 6
GoLive 6 has a built-in PHP Debugger, the Zend one ! But I tried the trial for a few weeks and It crashed too many times a day. MX worked fine and It only crashed 2 times and I was able to save the pages before it really shutdown (by not pressing Cancel/OK). A few weeks ago Macromedia released a patch so It's all for the best now. But I miss the GoLive debugger 
. Maybe Adobe released a patch too.
regexp search and replace
No I use it too! These damn French developers :p
But I rarely need it. I used UltraEdit RegExp search & replace when I had to port PHP3 scripts to PHP4.1+
LiveMotion 6
LiveMotion what ? It's the Flash product from Adobe
GoLive 6 is a better product to develop in PHP :p
zend
I tried Zend and god I don't like that product. It's the worst pro editor I have ever used. I say EDITOR and not IDE because the project feature really sucks. It's buggy and slow. Moreover It's very expensive and has no pro features, nothing compared to Visual Studio. You better buy GoLive 6 is you need a debugger. Products like PHP Edit, PHPEd, Maguma are great too!
For me the best software to develop PHP website has the following features:
syntax hilighting
debugger
project
FTP sync
WYSIWYG HTML editor
Code browser (Class Wizard)
Anchor (F9)
powerful Search & Replace (regexp)
plugin/scripting
I use MX and I miss the debugger but the LiveView is pretty cool. It allows you do automatically visually see what you code. Realtime HTML output.
Projects can't be save a "MX Project file".
There are no Class Wizard and I would really need it! I don't like using the Search feature in order to jump from one function to the other. Anchors allow that so It's easier to work between 2 functions, when function A call function B.
So my ideal IDE would be VS.NET for PHP. But I don't think ActiveState will release it before 2004
Does anyone know an IDE that has all these features ?
PHPCoder
I started with PHPCoder and It was great! It even had a debugger. Then It became Maguma but I never really tried Maguma.
HTML-Kit
I like that one. I don't think It's that sluggish. But the ShiftTab doesn't work well and I often have to click on Indent from the Edit menu, I wonder why... Moreover it has too many useless features! Hundreds of features on the same preferences tabs. I am kinda of lost when I try to look for a feature...
Actually the best editor I found is MX. But now I will "try again" all the editors you're talking about. I know most of them but It seems I missed some of their features!
JM
GoLive 6 never cashed on me... (although GoLive 5 was uter poo)
LiveMotion is a bit... erm... how to put it kindly?... can't, it's crap.
I bought the whole Adobe web publishing pack last month . Great stuff, tbh i never seen such a vast variety of features so stable... I am awed
Originally posted by Bunkermaster
GoLive 6 never cashed on me... (although GoLive 5 was uter poo)
LiveMotion is a bit... erm... how to put it kindly?... can't, it's crap.
I bought the whole Adobe web publishing pack last month
yep.. adobe make some good stuff? I just love photoshop. Though it has a hefty price tag of over $1k here.
As for me? I use winsyntax
http://winsyntax.com
I've just finished reading all the posts and I dont reccomend you try this one out Bunkermaster as I read you dont like editors where you can scroll on one line forever and it doesn't ever break to the next line until you hit enter.
Well I've read one of the posts about maguma and I'm downloading the full feature free version (16 megs.. this better be good ).
I was apprehensive at first but when I read it had a built in debugger and had all these great features.. I just had to try it out..
FYI. I just added a new category of forums called "Tools" and added forums under it for Dreamweaver, Studio and PHPEd.
Win XP Pro and I use Homesite, love it
