CSSEdit 2.6 rounds out my web development toolkit

If you’re a web developer you don’t use Adobe Dreamweaver to make websites — you use a bunch of different applications to edit code, transfer files and test your code.

Under Mac OS X I am using:

When it came to editing CSS I would use a combination of BBEdit and Firefox (with plugins) to see how my code was rendering. Switching back and forth between the programs works but it can be tedious. It’s also easy to make mistakes when writing the CSS.

Coda
John Gruber has praised CSSEdit for CSS development in the past, so I gave it a try but I just couldn’t get excited about it. I chose Panic’s Coda instead. I drank the Kool-Aid, tried the program a few times but went back to my full-featured toolkit of applications.

The “one-window web development” of Coda is nice but it sacrifices too much in the way of features and by trying to simplify the web development workflow (at least for me). Joe Kissell at TidBITS has a great review of Coda that explains where the program falls short for some.

If anyone is interested, I’m selling my copy of Coda for $30. It currently sells for $69-$79 on Panic’s website.

Today I found myself having to do a lot of CSS editing for a site redesign and thought I would give MacRabbit’s CSSEdit 2.6 another try. I’m sold! CSSEdit is a fabulous piece of software. I don’t know how I managed without it.

CSSEdit
The live preview feature allows you to see the results of your coding changes, instantly — no need to upload files and refresh your browser. The X-ray Inspector allows you to look under the hood of any website. This feature makes it easier to figure out the CSS magic from some of the best developers in the industry.

You can also validate your CSS and catch mistakes before your code gets out of control and makes debugging difficult. The interface is very slick and full of useful features that have completely sold me on CSSEdit.

If you’re a web developer and you haven’t tried CSSEdit then download a trial version. Find out why this might be the best $30 you’ll spend his year.

Posted in OS X Software and Web Design and Web Development at 10:43 PM