Tools for Web Development in WordPress

Finding good software is always something I like to share. We do most of our web development in the WordPress CMS and wanted to show you the tools we like to use. We use everything from text editors to HTML prototyping apps to make this site and the sites of our customers. So check out what we use, and share your tools too!



Cross Platform (Windows, OS X or Linux)

Fire.App



Fire.app is a menubar only app for dead easy HTML prototyping. It supports Sass/Compass, Haml, ERB, Markdown, CoffeeScript, and more. Fire.app is written in Java (JRuby), and works in mac, linux and pc. One of the coolest features is that you don’t need to “install” Fire.app – you can put it anywhere, even Dropbox and sync it between computers.

Download fire.app



XAMPP



Many people know from their own experience that it’s not easy to install an Apache web server and it gets harder if you want to add MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use – just download, extract and start.

Download XAMPP



LiveReload



LiveReload monitors changes in the file system. As soon as you save a file, it is preprocessed as needed, and the browser is refreshed. Even cooler, when you change a CSS file or an image, the browser is updated instantly without reloading the page.

Download LiveReload



CSS Hat



CSS Hat is a way to crank out a few fast CSS3 styles on a single element using the process that you’ve used for over a decade, completely in Photoshop. Though it isn’t an all out WYSIWYG targeted at permitting you to construct an entire web site without writing code, it’s still a hugely powerful tool.

Download CSS Hat



Sublime Text 2



Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose. It’s actually what we use here at Sultan Solutions. Web developers love the slick user interface, extraordinary features and amazing performance.

Download Sublime Text 2



OS X Only

CodeKit



CodeKit helps you build websites faster and better. Some of its flagship features are Easy Frameworks, JSHint and JSLint, Live Browser reloads, Team Collaboration, and more. Codekit is a Mac only tool for you Jobs loving web developers.

Download CodeKit



MAMP



MAMP installs a local server environment in a matter of seconds on your Mac OS X computer, be it MacBook or iMac. Like similar packages from the Windows- and Linux-world, MAMP comes free of charge. MAMP will not compromise any existing Apache installation already running with your OS X. You can install Apache, PHP and MySQL without starting a script or having to change any configuration files! MAMP is a Mac only tool.

Download MAMP



Do you Have Anything we Missed? Well don’t horde them, pass it along. Leave a comment below letting us know what some of your favorite tools for web developers are. Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed and be sure to check back often.





By John Horne – February 20th, 2013.





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