PhpGum

There are various different programming languages available to developers to create scripts, programs, and web pages. It’s only a matter of picking the right environment to work in, given you already know how to work with code. If PHP is the code of choice, then PhpGum comes with an intuitive environment, debug window, and various tools for comfortable code editing.

You get the chance to check out the application’s set of features in no time at all, because the setup process keeps you busy for a little while. On launch, the main window shows up with a large empty canvas put at your disposal, a debug window to show relevant info along the way, and an intuitive toolbar fitted with most controls.

The application can only process files under the PHP format, and this is available for import, while exporting can also be done as PDF. Only one project can be launched at a time because there’s no tab support, and only one application instance can be active at a time.

As far as editing itself is concerned, the workspace helps out through syntax highlighting to make code elements easy to identify, but it would have been really useful to see line numbering on the side, even though the status bar shows caret position. Timestamp can be inserted at the press of a button, while the edit menu only holds basic functions. Sadly, search and replace is not one of them.

Apart from syntax highlighting, there’s the possibility to customize text the way you see fit. Enhancements apply to selected strings, and even the page itself benefits from several alignment options. You can enter fullscreen for a larger workspace. When done, you can run the code to check for any possible errors, shown in the debug panel.

Bottom line is that efficiency of code writing heavily depends on the IDE used. PhpGum is a suitable environment to write new or edit existing PHP code, even if not fitted with advanced features. Of everything that’s missing, it would have greatly benefited from a search function.