Coda – Streamlined Dreamweaver
Posted by admin | Filed under Apps, Web
I’ve been coding in Dreamweaver for several years now, and while it worked fairly well, it always felt like I was using a sledgehammer when a screwdriver would do. I never use the database connections, and as a coder I rarely use design view. The built-in ftp is by no means advanced, and it was slow to boot.
Panic’s new app for the Mac called Coda is rapidly becoming my favorite environment for developing. I hate reading long paragraphs, so I’ll split this up…
Pros:
- Split a window up to 4 times horizontally or vertically, and different documents, previews, css files, terminals, and reference books in each pane.
- My newest favorite feature: a function index. Some php scripts can get very long, so it is great to have an index pane.
- Changes made to a site are tracked so you know which files were changed before uploading
- Edit remote files directly – great for fixing that typo before the client sees it
- The file browser is a real file browser where you can create folders, rename files, open with a specified app, etc.
- Its easy to forget all the possible css properties, so Coda organizes all the properties into groups and drop-downs. As a coder I prefer CSS Edit for CSS, and Coda even lets you right-click a file and edit in your favorite editor
- For the people who know *nix, there’s a built-in terminal for ssh connections
- The preview window uses WebKit and adds javascript and DOM inspectors
- Code hints as you type as well as syntax highlighting and code snippets – even shared editing over Bonjour.
- The trial only counts days you open the program – very nice!
Cons:
- Find and replace only works in the current document. There are times when I rename a folder and have to update all files with the new path, which currently cannot be done with Coda.
- The excellent reference manual requires an internet connection. Believe it or not, I don’t live online. I run a local web server to develop sometimes – the internet can be distracting.
- I’ve had issues with ftp uploading all files to the root folder of some web hosts, though a reply to my support request says this is fixed in 1.02 with a publish command.
Hints:
- If you’re used to coding in Dreamweaver like me, you may remember selecting a block of text and pressing tab to indent it all at once. In Coda, the shortcut is CMD-] to indent or CMD-[ to reverse it.
- Explore the menus and preferences for hidden options and features.
Take a look at the website for visuals and download.
Tags: Development, mac, Shareware
