Over time web designers and developers collect a number of different tools and resources to make their every day workflow easier and more efficient. There are a large number of different online tools and software available to cater for anybody’s needs from the very advanced down to the plain and simple.
The obvious choice for many people (mainly designers) is to use the complete adobe software library, which includes Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Flash to name a few.
Anybody that choses to use the adobe packages will have almost every modern tool available to complete the task in hand and then some. Now this may seem ideal for some people, but for me, simplicity is key.
Dont get me wrong, I use photoshop almost everyday and it’s become an invaluble tool in my everyday lineup, but I find that other programs such as Dreamweaver, are just too complex for what I want to do.
So, here is a quick rundown of the software/tools I use for web projects start to finish:
1. Notepad++
Now this is my number 1 most used piece of software on my desktop. It’s probably the most simple code editor you will find, but in my opinion, the best. The reason I use it so much is the simple fact that it is just a simple, easy to use text editor, with clean syntax highlighting. I write all of my HTML markup, CSS and Javascript in Notepad++.
It doesn’t really have any helper tools as standard but I kinda like it that way. I like the fact that I have to write everything from scratch everytime and it’s just plain code. If I had to rely on snippets and auto fills all the time I would probably get lazy and lose grasp of the whole process.
Notepad++ is an open source project and free to download under the GPL License from the following link: notepad-plus-plus.org
2. Photoshop CS6
Now although I said most adobe packages are too complex for my liking, I have to use a good image creation tool everyday and I’ve probably chosen the most complex tool for the job. Photoshop was oringinally created for advanced editing of photographs but was quickly picked up by web and graphic designers for its ability to create detailed elements and interfaces.
Now, Adobe actually have a program exactly for this alone, Adobe Fireworks, which was made for creating web elements and full site mock ups as easily as possible. Fireworks is a good little program but the interface and options are a little differnet from photoshop even though the outcomes and final products are generally the same. I’ve just stuck with photoshop as it’s the first program I learnt to use so it’s kinda stayed with me.
3. WAMPServer
WampServer is a Windows web development environment. It allows you to create web applications with Apache2, PHP and a MySQL database. Alongside, PhpMyAdmin allows you to easily manage your database. This means I can run php and database driven websites locally on my windows desktop. This is essential if you’re always working in cms platforms such as WordPress or Magento, as they need database access to work.
It’s so much easier working on a site locally than having to set them up on test domains and loading up your FTP program to make changes. It even has an option to open up certain ports on your router and give outside viewing access to your local host so that clients can view your work from your machine. It comes with most of the common PHP and Apache plugins already installed and new plugins are being developed everyday.
WAMPServer is free to download and can be obtained directly from their website at this link www.wampserver.com
4. Spotify
Ok, this obviously isn’t directly a web design tool as such, but without it I probably wouldn’t get anywhere near as much work done. In my opinion, music and design go hand in hand and a creative environment needs music. Spotify is always the first program I fire up in the morning and the last to be turn off.
