As web developers we all use a range of different programs and tools to help us go about our day to day work. As time goes on new programs are released which take away that really annoying problem which you wish wasn’t there. However as soon as that problem is eradicated we tend to forget what it was like before.

So if you didn’t have the use of the programs, tools and knowledge which you have gained over the years how would this have effected your development of becoming a web developer that you are today? Below I will be looking at 5 different programs or tools which I use on a daily basis to make my life that little bit easier.

Coda

Coda is a superb text editor for Mac OS X, its so easy to use, allowing you to manage multiple sites and format your code in a way in which suits you. Coda also allows you to preview your site, write beautiful CSS and even includes a built in terminal. Without Coda coding websites would take us alot longer and require alot more tools, don’t hesitate to try it! Download Coda >>

Tiny Grab

Tiny Grab automatically uploads screenshots you take and copies them to your clipboard so that you can easily send them to a friend for quick viewing. This is an excellent tool if you work with other web developers on the internet as it allows you to quickly show examples of something you have seen to help explain/describe/show the matter being discussed. Download TinyGrab >>

Subversion

Subversion is a revision control system which allows you to work on a new revision of a website whilst still showing your current users a previous revision. Once you have finished making the necessary changes you can commit your latest revision and the changes made will go live. This excellent tool therefore allows you to make changes to a website without effecting your users until its complete. If at any point you make a mistake you simply role back to a previous version!

Dropbox

Dropbox is another tool which is very useful for web developers who outsource work, for example to graphic designers. Dropbox allows you to share files between users avoiding the hassle of sending large files through email. If a file is added or modified a notification is displayed. Although limited to 2GB simply invite some friends to use Dropbox and this gets increased. Download Dropbox >>

Mozilla Firebug

Mozilla Firebug allows you to inspect elements of a website within the browser, this is excellent tool for diagnosing display problems as you can inspect the element of section which is incorrect and view the css etc of that element in order to solve the problem. This can save large amounts of time when developing a new website, its a must have for any web developer. Download Mozilla Firebug >>

If anyone has any other programs or tools they want to share, or think they have a program/tool which does a better job than the ones listed here be sure to leave a comment with your recommendations it would be great to hear some different opinions.

Having recently converted to Mac as you may have read in a previous blog “Moving from PC to Mac” we decided that it was also time to look for a new Text Editor to use for programming.

The first code I ever wrote I used a basic Text Editor which has no tools to assist you, a great way to learn how to code if your a beginner, since then I used Macromedia Dreamweaver but have never been fully satisfied with the way it works. Macromedia, being such a big company, can often mean less effort is added to the product to make them as good as they can be.

So in search for a new Text Editor which can be used on Mac’s I came across Coda, made by Panic. I have been using the software for a week now and I am impressed.

Features:

- Excellent layout with side menu to show list of files
- Ability to manage sites – including screenshot of the homepage of each site
- Built in terminal so you can use SSH instantly
- Supports subversion so you can update easily
- Allows split screen so you can view more than one file at a time – horizontal or vertical

The software is $99 but you do have a trial period to test it out and see if you like it. The staff at Panic appear to be interested in ideas to improve the software further so if you have any suggestions its worth dropping them an email.

Screen shot of Coda Text editor by panic.com