Re: [PHP-DEV] PHP IDE From: macosx <email protected>
Date: 12/02/00

I would add that PHP development is a completely unique experience for
each user as you can do whatever you wish with it.

For some, it's a scripting language for doing simple to moderately
intricate operations.

For others, like myself, it is the basis for truly enterprise level web
applications which draw upon numerous datasources and deliver dynamic
interfaces on a number of levels.

For more yet, PHP is the dominant actor, with HTML simply the display
engine.

For even more, HTML is the dominant actor, with PHP as a simple scripting
language.

However a person uses PHP, they should have the ability to use whatever
they will to accomplish their task. Using an HTML editor to do PHP work is
kludgy for me, especially in Dreamweaver. For instance:

if($x == 4)
{
?>

<!-- Display HTML Here -->

<?php
}
else
{
?>

<!-- Display other HTML Here -->

<?php
}

Blocks like these block simply doesn't display properly or make sense in
graphical preview mode.

I use BBEdit 6.0 on a day to day basis for hand-coding, and it's the
closest I have found to a real mature text-editor/IDE with PHP support.

I don't think the PHP-DEV group should be responsible for organizing a PHP
IDE development group, as I believe there are too many platforms that
could be shafted by a project which works on so many platforms.

Instead, perhaps there should be a new PHP site devoted to keeping other
application's definition files, such as vi or emacs. For instance, as a
function is added to a release quality distribution, that function name
would be added to a .vim file, for instance.

I don't know enough about how other applications work, but I think this
would be a start.

> If it's not based on existing editor, or new general-purpose editor, or
> if developers will put more effort into promoting some particular engine
> that is not essential for the base functionality, it will probably take
> years to get out of "total crap" development stage. Ex: mozilla, java.
>
>
> Please, be realistic -- the last thing we need is one more
> Frontpage+Devstudio monster, only for PHP.

This reasoning is scary. Never try to do something better because it's
been done, but focus instead on making other tools suck less for our
needs if we don't already have a tool of choice?

  Mark 

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