Neometric Software ’s PHP Studio 1.1 is plan to make PHP programmers ’ live a fiddling gentle by helping them save programs quicker and test them more easily . It includes several tools that are plan to help programmers go with PHP code , access helpful mention stuff , and check that that computer programme in reality run before they are post on a live web server .
While it has some interesting and useful features , such as PHP syntax coloring and advanced search - and - supercede , it lacks many helpful items like soft word wrapping , brace balancing , and file comparing , which are available in spare text editors like Bare Bones Software ’s TextWrangler 2.0 (; May 2005 ) . In addition , several public presentation problem — the inability to open some PHP file and glacially deadening performance on large files , means this textbook editor program is n’t for the full - time PHP coder .
Text editing for programmers
The Auto - Complete feature film allow for access to PHP functions that couple what you ’ve begun to typecast . This lineament can save you a few key stroke , but it does n’t include vulgar terminology construct likeincludeandforeach . In improver , automatically enabling Auto - Complete induce a function card to pop up always , even in places where a function call would n’t make sentiency . I found this confusing and unnecessary . The company says it ’s put to work on a fix .
An unified function drawer list all exploiter - defined functions ( collections of scheduling code ) in a text file , include all the parameter that work accepts . snap a function from the list displays all variables defined within that procedure . regrettably , the promote ability to use this listing to add variables to a papers by merely double - clicking does n’t crop in Tiger ( though Neometric plan to fix this in a forthcoming update ) .
To further speed up the process of writing PHP computer code , a Functions carte provides a quick way to insert a call to a user - defined function , complete with text procurator for each of the mathematical function ’s parameters .
Incomplete editing features
Despite its okay tone , PHP Studio feels uncomplete as a consecrated PHP editor in chief . It lacks many of the features you ’d expect in a Web programming environment ( and which you may get for barren in TextWrangler ) , such as soft - wrapping for long lines of computer code , the ability to select Mac , Windows , or Unix origin ending , to balance braces , to liken two versions of a written document , and to open and save to a vane waiter via FTP . The companionship has notice these issues and is researching how to apply improvement .
It would also be nice if the program had a tabbed written document windowpane , like Safari , so you could switch between document by just clicking a tab . PHP Studio spread out each Indian file in a separate windowpane , but that becomes unwieldy if you ’re working on several file simultaneously .
Tests are off base
PHP Studio offers two ways to prove a PHP program : the Compile button and the Execute button . The compile button is theorize to break the syntax of your program for coding error , but it just does n’t give utile or precise feedback . It ’s also ill-defined why the Compile release is proffer at all , since the plan ’s Execute button , which actually runs the PHP code , also informs you of phrase structure errors and correctly indicates the line of descent on which an error occurs .
If your program is spare of syntax errors , PHP Studio should open up a Modern windowpane showing the yield from the program — though this did n’t work out with database connections and some document that used included files — and it is n’t a backup for actually head for the hills the PHP file through a Web host and previewing it in a real Web web browser app .
Macworld’s buying advice
While it ’s nice to see a consecrated PHP editor program for the Mac , PHP Studio feel rough around the edges , lacks useful text - editing feature of speech , and is marred by bug and functioning problem when working with heavy and complex PHP files . Neometric Software has acknowledged these issues and is explore how to tot up functionality to the programme in future releases . For now , I ’d stick with TextWrangler .
[ David Sawyer McFarland is a vane developer and author ofDreamweaver MX 2004 : The Missing Manual(O’Reilly , 2004 ) . ]
