Need software recommendations for my new Macbook

[mugs]

I gave up my last Mac (Performa 6400) in 1999 when I switched majors in college to computer science. Like Steve Jobs, I'm making my triumphant return.

I need a few software recommendations.
1. I need a full-featured text editor. Key features I need are syntax highlighting (PHP and HTML at least), regular expression find/replace, preferably a file browser sidebar (so I can browse through folders and open files without opening a separate Open dialog box), and preferably the ability to open and save via FTP/SFTP (through aforementioned file browser sidebar). When I last used a Mac BBEdit was the best text editor, but it doesn't appear to have everything I'm looking for (it can open via FTP, but it doesn't have the file browser sidebar). I've been using EditPlus on my PC for years, and that's essentially what I'm looking for (http://www.editplus.com/ - this screenshot http://www.editplus.com/ss/editplus.gif shows the sidebar, but it is tabbed and the file browser is hidden by the cliptext sidebar).

2. If there is a text editor that has the file browser sidebar that I'm looking for, but no FTP/SFTP capability, I could use a FTP client that would allow me to mount FTP sites as directories and interact with them as if they're part of my local filesystem. Any suggestions?

Side question - in Safari, when I have multiple browser windows open, what's the easiest way to switch between them? Aside from using the Window menu.

 

[Kmax82]

Umm.. I know I don't know about all the software out there.

I use Coda. ( http://www.panic.com ) ... but there is also TextMate ( http://macromates.com ). I'm not sure if either of those would work for you. Coda has built in FTP abilities, but not the syntax list that you're looking for. TextMate is a good editor with a file sidebar.. but no FTP support.

You can switch between tabs in Safari with CMD+Shift+Right or Left Arrow, and you can switch between windows within any OS X application with CMD+~ (Tilde).

Welcome back, I hope you find everything you need.

 

[mugs]

Thanks for the info, I'll check those out. I'm actually looking for syntax highlighting, not the cliptext list. I never use that. Most full-featured text editors have syntax highlighting. I looked at the screenshots of Coda, and it does. It looks like BBEdit would work, because it keeps the FTP session open in a separate browser window (I just don't want to have to open the Open dialog every time I want to open another file, because I work in a ton of files at a time). I wouldn't mind finding something cheaper though, so I'll check out those other options.

Thanks for the CMD+~, that's exactly what I was looking for. Still getting used to the OS X interface.

 

[xanis]

Check out BBEdit. I'm pretty sure it does everything you ask... I've actually been using it myself lately for web coding.

Link: http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/

 

[sourceninja]

textmate is the greatest editor ever invented.

 

[Kmax82]

Originally posted by: mugs
Thanks for the info, I'll check those out. I'm actually looking for syntax highlighting, not the cliptext list. I never use that. Most full-featured text editors have syntax highlighting. I looked at the screenshots of Coda, and it does. It looks like BBEdit would work, because it keeps the FTP session open in a separate browser window (I just don't want to have to open the Open dialog every time I want to open another file, because I work in a ton of files at a time). I wouldn't mind finding something cheaper though, so I'll check out those other options.

Thanks for the CMD+~, that's exactly what I was looking for. Still getting used to the OS X interface.

Yea.. it takes a bit of getting used to. Mainly because of the CTRL/CMD difference of the keyboards.

Coda has a file browser, so does TextMate, and they both have syntax highlighting. So I would just download trials of all three (BBEdit, Coda, and TextMate) and see which fits your workflow the best.

 

[speg]

Another vote for TextMate. For FTP I use Transmit. I'm not sure if you can mount remote sites as directories, but you can interact with files on the remote site as if they were local. ie. In transmit, launching a file will open it's respective app (say TextMate) and then you can save the file in TextMate and it will put it back up on the remote location all automagically. I like it )

http://www.panic.com/transmit/

 

[suklee]

Originally posted by: speg
Another vote for TextMate. For FTP I use Transmit. I'm not sure if you can mount remote sites as directories, but you can interact with files on the remote site as if they were local. ie. In transmit, launching a file will open it's respective app (say TextMate) and then you can save the file in TextMate and it will put it back up on the remote location all automagically. I like it )

http://www.panic.com/transmit/

+1 I use Textmate + Transmit too. Really like the automatic uploading 'feature' when I press save! (command + s)

 

[mugs]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm sticking with BBEdit. The FTP functionality that it has meets my needs, I like the way it handles multiple open documents, and I believe it has the most powerful find/replace feature (with regular expressions) of any of the text editors that I looked at.