PHP Developer Toolbox

PHP DEVELOPER TOOLBOX EXPO

Melbourne PHP User Group

Russell Searle

Presented: 15 March 2010 Updated 27 March 2012

Agenda• Context• Summary• Tools:

• Artisteer• phpDesigner• Stylizer• NetObjects Fusion• KompoZer

Context• Objective: full service web developer toolkit• Priorities:

• Visual tools for:• Productivity• Working directly with client

• Up to date, complete, integrated language support• Price

• Technology coverage:• XHTML, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript• Choice of: PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby• Others: SQL, XML, JSON, C#, ASP.Net, JSP, ColdFusion• Libraries: JavaScript libraries and PHP frameworks• Additional: Graphic design skills, image library, typography

• No single tool covers the whole range consistently• Have to pick best of breed for broad categories:

• XHTML, HTML4/5• CSS2/3• Scripting or back-end language• Design workbench

SummaryName Type Platforms Price points

Artisteer 3.0 Design workbench Windows,

Mac OSX

US$50,

US$130

phpDesigner 8.0 Scripting IDE Windows €29, €69

Stylizer CSS IDE Windows,

Mac OSX

CS$80

NetObjects Fusion 12.0 Design workbench Windows US$209

KompoZer 0.8 Design workbench Windows,

Linux

Donations

Total (at current rates) A$474 (max)

Artisteer 3.0• Creates attractive, unique website templates, CMS and blog

themes in minutes• Does not require technical design skills• Even suggests complete designs or page elements• Very fine-grained control• Import/reuse your own images and elements• Open and modify 160+ online professional templates• From one design, produces and deploys finished templates for:

• Joomla!, Drupal, WordPress, Blogger, DotNetNuke• CodeCharge Studio, ASP.NET applications• Hand-written XHTML/CSS sites• Port to some other CMS

phpDesigner 8.0• Supports PHP, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, Java, C#,

Python, Ruby, XML, SQL (8 dialects)• Supports PHP and JavaScript frameworks• Light, fast and intuitive, easy/fun to use• Intelligent highlighting, syntax checking, dynamic OOP code

completion, code tips for multiple languages in one document• Code explorer shows classes, interfaces, functions, variables,

dependencies, constants and more• Designed for “standard” OSS web developer stack:

XAMPP/WAMP, phpMyAdmin, FileZilla, TortoiseSVN, Git, WinMerge, phpDocumenter, Tidy, 5 browsers

• Integrated debugging and profiling (Xdebug)• Full language documentation, search and repository support• Todo, bugs, databases, versioning, Smarty, formatters …

Stylizer 5• Online CSS editing: just open a page, all CSS style sheets in it

are opened for editing• In-browser design editing updates CSS sheets• Supports 10 browsers/versions for editing and preview• Bullseye element editing with a brilliant, unique ‘remote

control’ panel• Fine-grained on-screen colour setting and adjustment• Eye dropper colour fill• Alignment rulers• Lens for fine detail adjustments• Real-time search and replace• Bulletproof CSS validation• Transparent CSS browser hacks and quirks• Library of expert CSS tricks

NetObjects Fusion XII• Supports PHP, ASP, ASP.Net, ColdFusion, JSP, JSTL, Struts• Integrated Flash builders, image gallery, media, AJAX• Many canned JavaScript components and wiring support• OOTB support for MySQL, SQL Server, XML, CSV data sources, or any database via

ODBC, OLE DB, JDBC• Layout and design paradigm, not coding• Pixel-perfect layout of any code or object• Outputs table designs, HTML/CSS or XHTML/CSS• Mobile site wizard• Integrated Google Analytics and SEO• Integrated e-Commerce builders• Ships with 400+ site styles including CSS sheets• Site mapping, full site imports• Asset management• Output templates• Remap site during deployment• Site development workflow, task and issue management• Version management, automatic backups• Fine-grained customer access control

KompoZer 0.8• Free but not well supported, slow updates• Netscape Communicator -> NVU -> KompoZer• WYSIWYG page editing• Very good at layouts, divs or tables• Doesn’t support scripting• Supports FTP• Open live sites• Bundled CSS editor• Element inspection and editing