[ZaLiTH]

Since for me this is mostly a hobby and not a career, I don't have the resources to buy applications dedicated to the areas of website development.. So for me, Notepad++ is and probably always will be my holy grail.

By the way, I'm not affiliated with any of the apps / plugins mentioned here. This isn't an ad for them... Simply a good mention from someone who likes them.

For me, it seems like a boring task getting the base HTML out of the way so I can start playing with the CSS and jQuery... Not that it takes hours and hours, but it definitely could be streamlined in a few ways.

Recently I found a plugin for Notepad++ (and Coda, and DreamWeaver, and TextMate, etc etc) that allows a pretty sweet looking method for HTML coding. The first 30 seconds of the video was enough to sell me on this, I suggest you have a look as well.. If it's not for you, then it's only a few minute of your life lost.

World, meet Zen Coding:

For those of you who want TextMate style "Tab Triggers" in Notepad++ to navigate between the areas of the code you just entered... I haven't really tested this yet, I only found it just now, but it looks like the QuickText plugin does that quite well.

And finally, instead of downloading files via FTP, editing, saving and then uploading again to see the changes on a live website.. FTP Synchronise does a beautiful job of handling the FTP automatically while you focus on the code itself.


So, there you have it.. A code editor with customisable syntax highlighting, automatic FTP synchronisation, improved code navigation and abbreviation-based code completion. All rolled into one completely free app. Use it, don't use it, it's your choice.. I get the idea a few people will find this pretty useful though.

This post has been edited by ZaLiTH: 30 August 2011 - 11:05 AM

[Malick]

OHHHH yeah. Those are amazing!! I was waiting for you to put this up since you asked where to put it.

I use Notepad++ too and I've been looking for that FTP one for a while. And Zen Coding is AWESOOOME!

It makes everything seem a lot easier!!

Well done, +1 for ya!

[joshfolio]

wow very nice, first 30seconds got me to

[ZaLiTH]

Malick, on 30 August 2011 - 11:19 AM, said:

OHHHH yeah. Those are amazing!! I was waiting for you to put this up since you asked where to put it.

Haha... Awesome, thanks.

And I agree, Zen Coding is brilliant.. Especially for building those drop-down menus we've all come to hate love so much.

[greyhat]

Sold! Thx for the tip!

[ZaLiTH]

Just a small note on FTP Sync:
The Notepad++ update to 5.9.3 has broken FTP Sync properly, it fails to keep the connection alive properly when no files are being actively transferred. If you're using a newer version of N++, it's best to use the built-in NppFTP plugin instead.

This post has been edited by ZaLiTH: 01 September 2011 - 08:33 AM

[Malick]

Damn... i liked that plugin!! It told me it was being disabled when I did the update :/
Let's hope they update it soon...

[ZaLiTH]

Malick, on 01 September 2011 - 08:39 AM, said:

Damn... i liked that plugin!! It told me it was being disabled when I did the update :/
Let's hope they update it soon...

Don't think it will be updated.. NppFTP plugin has been around for a while, but I never liked the way it worked in the past. I see it's now got all the features FTP Sync had, with a slightly easier-to-use 'Profile Settings' layout.

I used it pretty solidly for about 2 hours connected to a GoDaddy hosted site last night (their hosting is slow on a good day) and didn't have any issues with it.

[businessnet]

I've only ever used standard windows notepad and gimp!
Hence me joining to learn more

[RobbieD90]

Nice one mate. Thanks for this I will defo be using it.