clever editor please

[freelance84]

Does anyone know of an editor which can do the following:

 

1. guess the variable you are typing by showing closely matched variables that alerady exist on the script your are writing. eg $std_width.... as soon as you started writing $s it would show underneath all the variables already in the open script starting with s then $st then $std... etc etc

 

2. has some sort of "viewing" window mode. This could allow the user to work on the large script in the main area but also have a seperate window (detachable from the main window) to view other parts of the script. This window could then be dragged onto another screen for example. This window is only a viewing window so just sees what is in the script, it cannot edit.

 

3. guesses what php function you are typing, like mysql_real_escape_string

 

4. if(isset($_POST['go'])

 

      The above isset has a bracket missing, it would be nice to have the option to have the program remind me to put the last bracket on.

 

 

If i have just described the features of an existing editor.... what is its name?

 

If not is there anything like this in the pipeline that anyone knows about?

[zq29]

Never heard of an editor that does 2, but Netbeans does the rest.

[freelance84]

Netbeans aye. Cool cheers. I've been using Crimson Editor for a while and i think its time i upgraded.

 

Would be cool to have some sort of script viewing program though that automatically kept up to date with the latest save without asking. I've currently started using two editors on two screens to achieve this, but it's really annoying when i have to save to get the other to update, not to mention if you accidently fall into the trap of adding something on the "slave" and saving.

[JasonLewis]

Most IDEs these days will alert you of errors (missing semi-colons, brackets etc) and highlight the affected line and most will add in the brackets for you automatically. Most of them should also have function auto completion and variable auto-completion. Not sure about the viewing window though.

 

NetBeans does the 3 that I mentioned, it's fairly popular. But any decent IDE will do those 3 things, the only one I am not sure of is the viewing window.

 

 

I'll add a bit more... I also use NetBeans for SVN. It's very handy, and it has plenty of plugins to add support for more languages. It manages your projects nicely as well.

[freelance84]

Cool, thanks.

 

I think if someone has the capabilities they should take on the challenge of developing a stand alone script viewing window program that can also mimic the the color schemes of the editor in use.... I come from a CAD background and am quite used to the extra viewports available in programs like solidworks and autoCAD, really helpfull in big dwgs, I really think they would be very helpfull in the world of long scripts too 

[freelance84]

In fact a really cool option could be:

 

The viewing window (as the script grew) could have links to flags elsewhere on the script. So if the user was working on line 75 which dealt with a bit of user input like a form post the "viewing window" would automatically show say line 950. These flags could be manually moved around by the user and program would automatically move them up and down when the user added in new lines or deleted old ones.

 

 

[Philip]

Sorry, but I don't really see the point to having a viewport for coding.

[zq29]

Sorry, but I don't really see the point to having a viewport for coding.

Me neither - Maybe you're not organising your code in an efficient way?

[JasonLewis]

With NetBeans you can use the navigator which keeps you updated on your methods and properties etc etc. I find that handy, there are also many debugging tools.

[freelance84]

Hmm, well. Maybe i'll have to get to grips with all of Netbeans bits and bobs first then.

 

Well, maybe my scripts aren't organised in the most efficient way, but then i have had no training. An example of how i have been working:

 

1php file, it outputs the html for the account settings page. It recieves all post from the account setting html forms and updates account settings accordingly.

eg

If the user decides to change there surname, the form data is sent and recieved by the acounts.php, before any html is outputted, the php updates the members table and changes the users $_SESSION['surname']. After it has done this action it then continues down and outputs the relavent html.

 

In this instance, the updating surname php stuff is around lines 120, but the html form in which the user enters the info is around lines 420. I just think it would be handy in this instance to have a viewing window viewing lines 420. Then if I wanted to jump there quickly I could simply double click it in the viewing window and the cursor on the actual script would jump to the said point.

 

OpenOffice Calc has something a bit similar. If you are working on rows 1-15 for example but would like also to see at the same time 98-120, you can drag the bottom of the working window up to reveal  another window in which you can navigate to a these said lines thus allowing you to see multiple parts of the same sheet at the saem time. I know from experience this is very very helpfull indeed, means you don't have to remember everything all the time, especially when you're working on long formulas.

 

I've noticed in Netbeans there is a really cool nav bar down the right which jumps down the script to other variables of the same name.