I’ve used 4 IDEs for php based web application development. In my old laptop, I used notepad++ to write php, html, javascript, css code. notepad++ is a very light weight IDE and takes less resources.
**notepad++ IDE is best if your laptop/pc’s configuaration is old.
In my PC I used Zend Studio v 5.2 for long time (5/6 months) to write php code. Zend Studio is a very good IDE. But in that IDE there is some limitations. One of which is that, Zend Studio doesn’t render div matching correctly. But If you use Zend Framework, then using Zend Studio is a better choice as this framework’s class or funtions are automatically shown. But remember Zend Studio is not free, you’ve to buy it.
Then I moved to use Eclipse IDE for writing php code. And currently I’m using NetBeans IDE and below I’ve given a comparison between Eclipse and NetBeans for writing php based web application.
| NetBeans IDE 7.0M1 | Eclipse PDT 2.0 |
| Free IDE. | Free IDE. |
| Support php, javascript, css, html, java, SVN and lots… | Support php, javascript, css, html, java, SVN and lots… |
| Common function of php will show automatically or by pressing ctrl + space. | Common function of php will show automatically or by pressing ctrl + space. |
| For HTML, it checks div correctly, if there is any unmatched tag like <div> …<div> then it will colored and show that problemtic line. So you could easily fix that <div> …. </div> | Eclipse couldn’t render div matching properly. |
| If your file’s extension is .php but you write <style>…</style> netbeans automatically colored the css code in here according to css style. | If your file’s extension is .php and in that file you write css code within <style>….</style> eclipse couldn’t render that according to CSS color rather it shows only black color. |
| Common javascript functions are shown correctly or using ctrl + space. | Common javascript functions are shown correctly or using ctrl + space. |
| Indentation format is very good in netbeans. If you select a block of code, that may contains css, javascript, html or php code, netbeans format that code very clearly and placed indentation nicely. | Eclipse is not good as netbeans. Specially when you’ll mix html + php code Eclipse makes those more ugly. |
| I give 9 out of 10 to netbeans. (overall score) | I give 5 out of 10 to eclipse. (overall score) |
February 1, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Thank you very much! What about class hierarchy movement in PDT2?
March 19, 2009 at 6:18 am
cool comparison!
May 20, 2009 at 2:20 am
Nice comparison.
Although for PHP 4, Eclipse is better especially if you include the Aptana plugin
January 29, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Although, if you use php4 you’re a douche :p
October 3, 2011 at 9:55 pm
hehe
July 9, 2009 at 2:30 am
I agree with you that NetBeans for PHP is better than others but I don’t think Notepad++, Vi, Dream Weaver, GEdit, KEdit, Kwrite etc… are IDEs, they’re just editors.
To me, an IDE must support these features:
- editing
- debugging
- project managing (with outline navigation)
May 19, 2012 at 9:17 am
surely notepad++ or UltraEdit are very good editors but don’t fall in IDE category
August 1, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Thank you very much! This comparison was VERY helpful!
September 12, 2009 at 10:45 am
Nice Comparison
October 13, 2009 at 10:18 am
Thanks for the comparison. I’ve gone the route of notepad++ to eclipse but I have random file locking issues of project files and other small niggly bits. Off the back of this will defo try netbeans.
January 19, 2010 at 9:17 am
Thanks alot. It is very helpful
March 8, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Very nice!
Netbeans is a free and powerfull IDE! I love it! \o/
April 13, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Just a question… Is Netbean better than Eclipse with autocompletion ?
I think its really essential and usefull, but last time i tried, Eclipse were powerfulest in that case, it’s why i keep using it.
PS: i’m french, sorry for my syntax errors ^^’
April 17, 2010 at 10:44 am
你说的很对,我也有同样的感觉,eclipse对类的函数的提示好像不是很好.
May 1, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Been using eclipse a lot for the last few years, started using Netbeans when I moved from Windows to Ubuntu and thought I’d give it a go. Netbeans works well and formats code properly – PDT doesn’t when I use it – it just removes all indentation which is very painful.
May 4, 2010 at 5:14 am
The big missing factor for me is that netbeans does not support smarty. Knockout fight over. Until it can do that netbeans remains a non-option.
Wish I had know that before bothering to install it.
December 13, 2010 at 11:59 am
Netbeans does support smarty, just download the plugin from the product’s startpage.
June 8, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I work using Codelobster PHP Edition
It is free PHP IDE and it has almost all these ablilities.
August 3, 2010 at 6:42 pm
[...] Liebste PHP Entwicklungsumgebung: NetBeans 56% (764 votes) Eclipse PDT 14% (191 votes) Zend Studio 6.2% (84 votes) Notepad++ 7.3% (100 votes) VI (unix) 2.3% (31 votes) GEdit (linux) 1.5% (20 votes) Adobe Dreamwaver 5.1% (69 votes) UltraEdit 0.6% (8 votes) Other 7.2% (98 votes) Total Votes: 1,365 [...]
August 10, 2010 at 4:05 am
netbean can use smarty just download the plugin
August 17, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Excellent post! I’ve read a ton of back and forth discussion between netbeans and eclipse but very few people list specific differences
August 23, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Aptana takes over your entire IDE installing plugins and hooks everywhere. It’s a bloated with 99% useless features that nobody ever needs. In the end I got rid of it because it was causing a lot of errors and even corrupted configs.
September 14, 2010 at 3:13 am
thank you for comparsion. it have benfit!!!
September 15, 2010 at 3:04 am
Notepad++ is NOT an IDE.
September 15, 2010 at 3:08 am
Oh, and Netbeans is the king. If there’s support you don’t think it has check the plugins, it’s there.
October 22, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Great post. I was just deciding and I think will defenitly go for netbeans _:-
November 15, 2010 at 1:40 am
Mahmud is a Muslim and the name sounds like the guy who designed Al-Qaedah’s website… People reading content in this site should be extra careful incase of any subliminal messaging that could convert u into a Muslim. George Bush should’ve bombed out their datacenters and webservers first in the War On Terror, especially this one! STOP ISLAMOFASCISM!
March 7, 2011 at 6:30 pm
It’s a shame that you put all 1 Billion Muslims in the same pot. This reaction of yours is coming from a person that clearly is not looking for Truth, and clearly will never find Truth.
Islam is here to free you from enslavement to Man (Bush) and commit you to God’s enslavement. I wish you knew what was good for you.
PS. Islam is here to stay.
March 15, 2011 at 3:54 pm
The only true way to God is through Jesus Christ, blessed be His name. Islam is a works based faith, as is Judaism and every other faith besides Christianity. To be under God’s enslavement is to be committed to and in obedience to faith.
By grace alone you are saved from sin, otherwise will live in eternal separation from God. Man cannot keep the law by 100%, which is required for the level of God’s 100% holiness.
Read Paul’s letter to the Romans.
By the way good article. I pray that you will be saved by believing in the the true Trinitarian God, specifically that the Son saves, the Spirit gives faith and the Father shows mercy, all by grace alone.
January 17, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Hi,
@jimbo, where in this site, u ‘ve found the “ISLAMOFASCISM”, can u please point out? u r sounding like a fascist, u know? Please be informed that, the discussion of the post was netbeans Vs. Eclipse, NOT RELIGION.
Anyway, for php i like netbeans. Have a nice day to all.
February 7, 2011 at 10:46 am
ThanxXx mAn . . that was what I have been searching for last 3 minutes . .
May 11, 2011 at 1:03 pm
i also use netbeans and it is good.
June 6, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Nice article.
I switched to NetBeans after version 7.0 has been released. It’s faster, more lightweight and code completion is better. Its easier to configure and looks like everithing just works, in Eclipse you need to deal with complex configuration, and I wanted to focus on coding. But they are both good.
I compared them, you can read more on http://dev.umpirsky.com/eclipse-vs-netbeans-for-php-development/.
June 9, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Yes Netbeans is better, but saddly that they drop support for ruby on rails since v7,..
July 5, 2011 at 8:57 pm
[...] [...]
July 27, 2011 at 4:43 am
How do you think of Komodo IDE?
January 13, 2012 at 11:20 am
thanks you ..(comparison gives better to choose better one for html, css , and js)
May 7, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Youre not the general blog writer, man. You definitely have something essential to bring about the web. Such an awesome blog. Ill return again for further.