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KingsHM

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 26, 2012
2
0
Hi,
Im looking for advice on a (relatively) cheap text editor for editing and previewing html and php files with integrated support for javascript and css. Could anyone possibly point me in the right direction.

Many Thanks.
 
I use Coda as others have suggested. It's $100.

Espresso is a slightly cheaper and pretty similar option at $80:
http://macrabbit.com/espresso/

Then of course you have an even cheaper option with Textmate at $60:
http://macromates.com/

Textmate will need a good FTP client like Transmit(at the panic site) for $34 and it isn't the flashiest method by any means but it is plenty to get the job done. I personally have Coda, Textmate, and Transmit and they all do a great job at different things. I use Textmate when I need a really lightweight and quick file and Coda for easy management but realistically Coda is all I really need and I could easily do everything I wanted in it. For $100 it is a really hard program to beat.
 
I know there are lots of fans of Coda and TextMate. I tried both, but neither was a good fit for me. While both are great code/text editors, they struck me as more general purpose editors and lacked specific web features, at least out of the box.

I think a lot of the decision comes down to the type of coder you are. I'm a recent convert to the Mac, and still use Windows at work. I actually really like Dreamweaver, even though I never touch its WYSIWYG features. But, I only like it when my employer pays for it ;)

After trying Coda, TextMate, Espresso, NetBeans and Aptana, I finally settled on BBEdit. If your primary focus is on web, I think this may be the best bet. And, at only $50 for the latest version, it is priced right, too. It reminds me a lot of the old Allaire HomeSite HTML editor that I used for years, but updated with a ton of modern features.

The good news is that all of these programs have trial versions so you can test them out to find the one that best suites your specific needs.
 
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