I do most of my web design within Coda and Espresso on the Mac however I'm looking for a Windows-based tool for when I'm working on my Windows 7 workstation. I've demoed quite a bit of applications and I have to say that Webuilder is pretty close to what I need as a front-end designer doing Wordpress themes. That said, I do have a few quick questions:
1. Is there any way to tear off the Preview window into its own window? I use a quad monitor workstation and I prefer to have my preview window on one monitor while I code in the next. Topstyle supports this, however it seems that split view is the only option within Webuilder. Is it possible to have a dedicated preview window?
2. I primarily design Wordpress themes. Is there any way for me to get a live preview of my CSS changes on a remotely hosted page? Essentially, I'm looking for Firebug-style CSS overrides for remote pages. For example, I call up my running Wordpress site on a remote development server, edit a local CSS file within Webuilder and see changes on the remote page via built in preview. CSSEdit on the Mac does this wonderfully, TopStyle is capable of doing it (though a bit clunky) and Stylizer can do it as well, however I'm not sure Webuilder can accomodate this type of workflow.
3. Can I view files within the file explorer using only one pane? I'm not a big fan of the split view with folders on the top, files on the bottom. I'd prefer a simple integrated nested view with both folders and files in the same pane.
4. Is there some secret to getting the code completion to work reliably? Not sure if it's the line endings in my files, but the code completion for CSS was showing up only intermittently in my demo. I could force it with a control + space, but otherwise I'd have to start and stop the line several times to get it to kick in.
That's about it. Otherwise, it's very nice app. Probably the best I've found on Windows so far (though Topstyle is a close second).
Pre sales questions: previews, code completion & more
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Joey the Squid
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:50 pm
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davenz
Re: Pre sales questions: previews, code completion & more
Howdy and welcome .
I'm not sure WeBuilder can do any of these things, except for number 3, which on mine shows in one pane. If you click the View icon (in folders view the middle icon) and choose Tree View, it should merge the two panes into one, unless I am misunderstanding what you mean (which may well be the case).
Code completion is quirky but works better than what you are describing. Often I find it does not deploy unless there is space for it - at least, that;s how it seems. For example, if I type into an existing line, I have to ensure there is a space between the tag and the following character, otherwise the code completion dialogue will not deploy. If I have a tag like <p> and I want to add a class, I can't just put the cursor between the p and the end > and expect the code completion dialogue to appear; I have to add a space first, then it will appear, as in <p >. This is just one instance. In the main though, it does work well, once you've worked out the quirks, as does the entire editor. As you say, it is the best Windows editor out there, but it is a bummer it doesn't seem to do exactly what you need it to. You can always post feature requests, but of course these take lots of time to implement with a small coding team like Blumentals, and that's if they decide to run with the idea in the first place.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Dave
davethompson.co.nz
I'm not sure WeBuilder can do any of these things, except for number 3, which on mine shows in one pane. If you click the View icon (in folders view the middle icon) and choose Tree View, it should merge the two panes into one, unless I am misunderstanding what you mean (which may well be the case).
Code completion is quirky but works better than what you are describing. Often I find it does not deploy unless there is space for it - at least, that;s how it seems. For example, if I type into an existing line, I have to ensure there is a space between the tag and the following character, otherwise the code completion dialogue will not deploy. If I have a tag like <p> and I want to add a class, I can't just put the cursor between the p and the end > and expect the code completion dialogue to appear; I have to add a space first, then it will appear, as in <p >. This is just one instance. In the main though, it does work well, once you've worked out the quirks, as does the entire editor. As you say, it is the best Windows editor out there, but it is a bummer it doesn't seem to do exactly what you need it to. You can always post feature requests, but of course these take lots of time to implement with a small coding team like Blumentals, and that's if they decide to run with the idea in the first place.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Dave
davethompson.co.nz
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Karlis
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Re: Pre sales questions: previews, code completion & more
1. No, you can not place preview window on another monitor. Not in this version.
2. You can set up preview to work remotely. You will have to configure mappings and make sure the file is saved/uploaded every time you refresh the preview. This can be done with a single click, if you set up a project.
3. You can have tree and list views besides the combined view.
4. Auto complete opens based on a pre-set delay. You can change this in preferences. If you believe this is not a problem, we can look into your issue based on a particular code example.
2. You can set up preview to work remotely. You will have to configure mappings and make sure the file is saved/uploaded every time you refresh the preview. This can be done with a single click, if you set up a project.
3. You can have tree and list views besides the combined view.
4. Auto complete opens based on a pre-set delay. You can change this in preferences. If you believe this is not a problem, we can look into your issue based on a particular code example.