ChrisManciero.com

10 apps every developer needs

This is a list of applications that I use just about every day and I noticed that my programming tasks would take a lot longer to do if I did not have these tiny little apps that save time and make my life a lot easier. Most of these applications are freeware but the ones that you have to pay for pay for themselves in the first day you use them with the time you save.

1. SlickRun - http://www.bayden.com/SlickRun/
   
   Freeware - This application is cool if you don't feel like searching your computer everytime you want to run an application. SlickRun allows you to open a program on your computer by setting up keywords. A must have for programmers. An example of a keyword would be "ie" which would open Internet Explorer for you. You can also have SlickRun open up SQL Query Analyzer and login to a database for you. Just think instead of opening up SQL Query Analyzer choosing the database and entering in the username and password to connect SlickRun and do all that for you.
   
   
2. Edit Plus - http://www.editplus.com/
   
   $30 single user (30 day trial) - Forget about having the right application to open a document, with Edit Plus you can open up any document and be able to work on it without having the software that first created the application on your computer. Hate viewing soure of a web page in notepad and then having to clean it up to find that one line in the source code that is causing a problem, you can select to view the source of a page in Edit Plus from the right-mouse click menu and the source code will be easy to read. It's not just good for viewing documents or source code but it allows you to create files like Asp.NET, JavaScript, XML and so on with syntax highlighting which I know makes programming a lot easier for anyone.
   
   
3. SQL Prompt - http://www.red-gate.com/products/SQL_Prompt/index.htm
   
   Freeware - This one is one of my favorites. I found this application because I never could remember what the column names are in a table or even the name to a certain table that I was looking for in SQL Query Analyzer. What SQL Prompt does is it indexes all the tables and their column names and uses IntelliSense when you are creating your query to fill in the table or column name. The Intellisense also helps you when you are using a function in your SQL like the REPLACE function, the Intellisense displays the syntax for the function so you know you have it right.
   
   
4. Xplorer2 Professional - http://www.zabkat.com
   
   $30 single copy (21 day trial) - I use this application because when I have to copy a file from one folder on my computer to another I didn't want to open another instance of Explorer, so with Xplorer2 Professional I can copy between the folders easier because Xplorer2 has dual panes so I can navigate through my computer to find the folders I want all in one application. Xplorer2 also offers bookmarking which allows me to save bookmarks to folder that are a pain to navigate to. For example instead of clicking on my C:\ drive then the Windows folder then the System32 then Etc to get to my host file I can just click my bookmark I created called host and Xplorer2 will navigate right to that folder.
   
   
5. Desktop Search - Google Desktop or Windows Desktop
   
   Freeware - I know that when I am programming sometimes my program asks for a method or functionality that I have already created for another application but the problem is that I know something about the method like the filename that it is in but I don't know where on my computer that file is. Using a desktop search solves that problem for me becaue it lets my computer search for me and tells me where that file is located at.
   
   
6. ColorMania - http://www.blacksunsoftware.com/colormania.html
   
   Freeware - ColorMania is a great application for trying to find the color value, being RGB or HEX. ColorMania has an eyedropper tool that you drag over the color that you want and ColorMania will display the value for you. Perfect for when you see a color you like but don't know the value of it.
   
   
7. Windows Grep - http://www.wingrep.com/
   
   Freeware - Windows Grep, (or "The Grepper" as I call it), is perfect for searching through a directory for files that contain a word or words in the file. An example for this would be that you have to change a method name in you project but you don't know where and/or how many times you referenced that method name. You can use "The Grepper" to search through your project folder and it will tell you all the files that have that method name in it so you know which files you will have to change.
   
   
8. RegEx Coach - http://weitz.de/regex-coach/
   
   Freeware - For people like me who know about regular expressions know that when you think you have it right you don't. With the RegEx Coach you can enter in your regular expression and some sample text and it will highlight what text matched your regular expression. It's a good tool in that it saves you time from writing your regular expression and loading your whole application just to test that one little part to see if it works.
   
   
9. Cropper - http://blogs.geekdojo.net/brian/comments/9730.aspx
   
   Freeware - This tool is good for the developer that needs to take screen shots of what they are developing and don't want to waste time with cropping a print screen image. The Cropper saves you the hassle of learning a program like PhotoShop. With the Cropper you can save the image as a Bitmap, Jpg, Png or Gif. The Cropper's capture area comes with it's own ruler built in so you know how big your image is before you capture it.
   
   
10. FileZilla - http://filezilla.sourceforge.net/
    
    Freeware - Every developer needs a FTP Client so that's why FileZilla is on the list. FileZilla makes connecting to servers quick and easy. I have been using it for years and there is no other FTP client I would use.