Tools of the trade

After being spoiled rotten over the years using tools like FlashDevelop & FDT for flash & actionscript development, I initially had some problems finding the tools and a workflow that suited my needs for html, css & javascript.

I have checked out Aptana, NetBeans, Eclipse (with various plugins) and loads of others. For some reason I always ended up using my trusty UltraEdit, that is – until I gave IntelliJ a try.

Now IntelliJ may be a bit bulky, and sure – it’s really intended towards java development, but for some reason I found it perfect! It might not be as sexy as Coda, but it has some really nice features that makes up for it.

• First of all, it has a really good code-completion feature.
• Secondly, you get code-hinting on your own javascript classes, methods & parameters.
• There’s also very good external tools & Apache Ant integration.
• You can customize and theme the editor in every way imaginable.
• You can easily set up custom file templates.

Like all other tools and editors, there are things I’m not 100% happy with – but if you’re looking for a new swiss-army-knife for web development, give it a go!