Full IDE Functionality for PHP Developers
In a Small Download
NetBeans 6.5 offers PHP developers their own version of the IDE tailor-made for
developing PHP sites. With a modest download size of 20 Mb, PHP developers can
have the same code-editing enhancements and conveniences in NetBeans that other
programmers enjoy, including code completion, syntax and semantic highlighting,
pop-up documentation, code folding and all the staple features that developers
expect in a modern IDE.
NetBeans takes things a step further, however. Its code completion recognizes
classes and functions defined in local project files, and prioritizes them in
pop-up code references. NetBeans also parses code comments, offering easy access
to project-specific documentation added by the developer.
The PHP editor facilitates entering code via code templates,
where short abbreviations are quickly expanded to commonly-used PHP keywords
and commands.
Of course, NetBeans IDE 6.5 offers syntax coloring, but again goes further in
providing semantic coloring that distinguishes among a host of declaration types,
as well as signaling whether or not they are in use elsewhere in the project.
All occurrences of a variable in a file can be simultaneously highlighted by
placing the cursor in a variable name. Global changes in the name of a variable
or function can easily be accomplished through a comprehensive set of code
refactoring commands.
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Easy Code Navigation and Debugging,
Even in Large Projects
The NetBeans IDE has a navigator window gives a bird's-eye view of the code in
the current open document. Finding a particular function is as simple as clicking
on a function name in the navigator window. NetBeans also offers menu items for
Go To Type, Go To File, Go To Symbol, and Go To Declaration, as well as Find
Usages, all aimed at easing code navigation, and particularly helpful in large
projects.
The NetBeans editor warns about potential code problems by flagging them and
giving an explanation in a pop-up. A tasks window lists all warnings in the project,
making it easy to find and resolve problems.
NetBeans IDE 6.5 also includes a PHP
debugger, allowing developers to watch their code step-by-step as it executes.
The developer can set a breakpoints so problem areas can easily be revisited.
Further, NetBeans also offers command-line debugging, where the PHP
program output appears in a command line display in the IDE itself, so that the
developer can inspect the generated HTML without having to switch to a browser.
Integration with Core Web Technologies:
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and MySQL
The NetBeans PHP editor is fully integrated with NetBeans HTML, JavaScript
and CSS editing features, with a syntax parser that supports each of those
languages, even within a single document.
Standard editor features dynamically switch from context to
context, allowing easy code manipulation throughout the project. The IDE also
integrates a JavaScript debugger. NetBeans 6.5 fully supports iterative development,
so testing PHP projects follows the classic patterns familiar to web developers.
NetBeans IDE 6.5 also simplifies working with MySQL. NetBeans' pervasive Insert Code
command provides a Database Table option that creates the code needed to execute
a SELECT statement in MySQL. Programmers can also make changes to MySQL tables
very easily by opening a window that allows individual table cells to be directly edited.
Support for Versioning Systems
NetBeans IDE 6.5 offers integrated support for widely used versioning systems,
including CVS, Mercurial, and Subversion to better support developers working
in collaborative environments.
Flexible Project Configurations
PHP projects can easily be deployed from within NetBeans IDE 6.5 for testing
to local or remote servers via FTP, or by the use of an upload script for more complex
deployments. With its ability to run the project as a local web site, as a command
line script or as a remote web application via FTP, NetBeans is ready to meet the
needs of a broad range of PHP developers.
PHP Learning Trail
NetBeans PHP Blog
PHP Wiki
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