Make your PHP coding easy with CodeLobster (Review)

While learning a Programming Language, the significance of an IDE is quite essential. Integrated Development Environment, commonly known as IDE will be familiar to you if you are either a programmer or a geek who loves to learn programming languages as a part of his geeky life. Rather than the basic Notepad application in your windows or Linux, an Integrated Development Environment will be surely a boon for developers because it’ll probably make development easier than before. Today various IDEs are available in our internet for download under labels both FREE and PAID labels. But today we’re tested a brand new FREE IDE to you named CodeLobster PHP Edition.

CodeLobster?

CodeLobster is a Windows based Integrated Development Environment program which will provide you a clean and great environment for your PHP Development. As you know, PHP is one of the strongest backbones of today’s web services and therefore an IDE for PHP also should have compatible features so that the developer can actually satisfy his user or client community. In that sense CodeLobster is much more than you expect. When I say that CodeLobster is a PHP oriented IDE, you’ll be probably thinking about some IDE’s or editors which supports various programming languages including the great PHP. But the case of CodeLobster is quite different in that sense. As you can guess, there are a lot of features which distinguish CodeLobster from normal PHP editors familiar with you.

What Makes CodeLobster Different?

As said before CodeLobster has some awesome features to stand out from others. So, let’s have a look on those features for a minute. The features are the same stuff which forced me to love this cool IDE.

1.       Support of Extra CMS Plug-Ins

If you are a PHP programmer who came through self-teaching, you know how tough it is to set up a server environment in your PC and hence to test your cool codes. Although there are several software available in Web which simplify the effort, the process is still a bit complicated especially when you want to test CMSs like WordPress, Joomla etc. in that server.  You can truly make use of CodeLobster in this situation because CodeLobster comes to the playground with the power of pre-installed plugins including WordPress, Joomla, CakePHP, Drupal, and CodeIgniter etc. which is pretty good for a starter in WordPress or any other CMS.

When we go precise to the great player, WordPress, it becomes quite cool because the software has some cool features for WordPress like WP Autocomplete (pretty awesome for a starter WP Developer), Dynamic Help, WP Theme Editor (for beginners, of course) etc.Installations of these plugins are also compact and it’ll take only a few seconds from you.All these features along with other CMS plugins are available on the FREE version with a trial period of 30 days. But the chances are high that you’ll surely upgrade to the professional version because the plugins and their features are ‘geek’ily awesome.

2.       Wide ‘New Project’ Wizard

As a developer, after installing CodeLobster, you can start by hitting ‘New Project’ which will give you a plenty of options to select from. You can select from various features. You can set a specific directory and URL for your project for easier access. You can set a specific directory for your project if you want so it won’t get messed up with others. Although these features are on their actual form when you use any extra CMS plug-in rather than a normal PHP project.

3.       Outstanding Auto-Completion

I must mention this feature. CodeLobster has the best auto completion feature I’ve ever experienced. As the program is specially developed for PHP Development, you will be getting an awesome auto-complete support in CodeLobster when compared to its alternatives. It seemed like the software cleverly suggesting us the appropriate codes for developing; altogether the developer support of the software is worth praising.

4.       Supporting Features

We mentioned that the software is a PHP oriented IDE. As you know, you can get the maximum of PHP only with the help of MySQL which constitutes a powerful pair of programming language ever seen. Understanding this phenomenon, the developers of CodeLobster has included a MySQL editor with CodeLobster which will help the developer in managing his database files. Support of FTP and SFTP servers is also a noticeable feature in CodeLobster which gives the software a purely professional touch.

5.       Variables, Components, etc.

You will surely notice this feature right after coding your first PHP program in CodeLobster. In the left side of CodeLobster window, you can see a small box which lists all kinds of Variables, Strings, Components and other elements you have used in the current code. This feature is simply awesome because it will definitely help the coder to have nice view on his elements.A powerful debugger system is also stuffed with CodeLobster so you won’t get much strain for debugging your code.

6.       CSS

You know the world is now also moving with designs &styles which mean you’ll have to give a bit concentration on the CSS version as well.  CodeLobster has a good CSS support with it which helps the developer on the styles as well. Unlike other IDE’s when you hover on a CSS code, the program will mention the browsers which could clearly show this effect. When you’re unknown about your favorite colors’ code, CodeLobster will show you a color dialogue box from which you can simply pick the color you want.

Some improvements:

Nothing is perfect! This global phenomenon is applicable for this software as well. After finding some superb features about the software, now let’s have a look on its drawbacks. Here, please don’t consider drawbacks as major problems because they’re nothing compared to that of others. But we’ve to mention it here because they can improve the software.

• Support & UI: The software gives you a freedom to select the color scheme you want for the OS but nevertheless the software has a visually old user interface. You might think that you’re using an old computer for coding. And sadly, the software supports only Windows and if you have got to move to a Mac or Linux, CodeLobster won’t be there for you.
• FREE or PAID: CodeLobster actually has a FREE version with it. But after 30 days you will miss the features of CMS plug-ins which is a sad fact.

Conclusion

We discussed about the pros and cons about CodeLobster as an IDE. Analyzing all these stuff together, CodeLobster seems to be fit for the position ‘One of Best IDE’s available in Web’. Most of the IDEs available in internet lacks features that come with CodeLobster which in-turn gives CodeLobster a much better position when compared to other IDE’s. And must say, CodeLobster is much more than a PHP Editor and you should check it out. Drop your opinion about CodeLobster as comments.