Re: PHP IDE

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