PHP development environment

Zend, php editor..... what do you prefer?

[red_gorilla]

Hi, I'm newbie here on this forum and in php too. I have a little experience in PHP programming (created some simple scripts, database driven sites, customized simple xoops modules) but this was just unprofessional piece of work. My favorite php editor was Notepad…. But now I'm seriously going to become professional php programmer. I selected PHP instead of APS because it's open source and also it's just real language for good freelancer :-).
So I'm wondering: what development environment do you use? I heard a lot of good things on this forum about php editor script….. But it's not environment as I understand – just a way to edit script placed on the server…. Also I thought about Zend software. There is a lot of software for web developers made up by Zend. So does Zend studio worth it? Can I simply run php on my Windows or I should use WAMP server…..Will it work after this on LAMP server? Will I get just clear php code that can be run on every server or I will be forced to use server with Zend engine…… Has Zend studio built-in MySQL database?
Huh….. A lot of questions for one post…… But I really want to know what do you think about different environments and especially Zend studio.

[mincklerstraat]

I haven't used Zend Studio yet. I've seen a lot of varied reactions to it.

The code you write with it doesn't have to be used with any Zend-specific products (except PHP of course, which uses the Zend scripting engine). Zend Studio will probably be most useful, I'd guess, with an install of Apache and Mysql on your windows machine - I doubt it will have this included. You should do this anyways, though - there are significant differences between Apache and the Windows server, just go to apachefriends.org and d/l yourself a free working environment for your home box. Piece of cake, and it's the best toy you'll have gotten yourself in a long time.

The differences between Apache on Linux and Windows aren't so big for the basic stuff. Lots of people here work on Windows for their PHP. You can clear up the Windows-specific stuff when you deploy on Linux, if necessary, to get your scripts working on both platforms. You know, things like line breaks.

If you don't have time to think about where you'll be plonking down your cash for a full-fledged ide, you can go for a free editor in the meantime that will do most of the important stuff you need but isn't as full-featured as the Zend product.

At the moment, on the rare occasions when I'm in windows, I use jedit - this does just what I need and isn't difficult to use - syntax highlighting, bracket/paren/brace matching. On Linux I use mostly Kate. I've tried Quanta Plus and liked it a whole lot - used it almost exclusively for a while - but ended up preferring an editor that was a bit simpler.

Here [webmasterworld.com] is a thread that mentions some editors you can use with PHP.

[red_gorilla]

You should do this anyways, though - there are significant differences between Apache and the Windows server, just go to apachefriends.org and d/l yourself a free working environment for your home box. Piece of cake, and it's the best toy you'll have gotten yourself in a long time.

Thanks for the link. I'll try XAMP. I have php environment at my home PC. But i wanted to install all by parts, because my old environment was pared-down(some thing like XAMPP Lite) and i wasn't able to change all settings i wanted.

[mincklerstraat]

Yeah, xampp can take up a lot of space but is worth it. Before I'd invest in an IDE, I'd see that I can run php fast well on my machine and have everything I need to edit fast with multiple windows open - large enough HD, say with at least a gig free, half a gig of memory, PIII 600mhz or stronger processor, 17" or more tft. That'll give you more long-run payoff for your cash than a fancy IDE since it's always possible you get an IDE and still switch to some open source editor later.

BTW, you can trial Zend Studio if you want, and after 21 or so days it reverts to a 'personal' edition.

[claus]

>> My favorite php editor was Notepad

For a good all-round editor, try Minimum Profit [triptico.com]

Syntax highlighting for a lot of languages and tabs allowing you to have more than one document open at the same time. It's GPL + free (as in beer) and runs on windows as well as linux.

You can also try NoteTab [notetab.com] which is very powerful and have tabs as well, but you'll have to use the paid version to get syntax highlighting. With this one you can eg. develop your own libraries of often used functions.

[tata668]

Definitively try PhpED [nusphere.com]. One of the most expensive php editor but works like a charm.

It just received the gold medal from the php architect [phparch.com] magazine.

[jusdrum]

BBEdit [barebones.com], of course (if you're on a Mac).
On a PC, I prefer TextPad [textpad.com].