I have tried (I think) every editor listed on this website. Most are ok in one area or another, but then poor in others. It is quite frustrating! Here are the top editors that I think deserve extra attention..

1. PSPAD ([size=-1]www.pspad.com) - free editor!
The only weak functions are
- very basic code beautifer
- basic multilanguage colour coding, but supports a lot of languages
- no tag editor

2. WeBuilder 2006 ([/size][size=-1]www.blumentals.net) [/size][size=-1]- commercial
This does practically everything that you want - except it has a poor FTP interface. If you are only editing a small number of files, or the files are local, then this is an almost perfect editor.

3. Zend Studio (commercial)
Pretty good. Very good for debugging code. But no tag editor, and pretty slow.

4. Dreamweaver MX (commercial)
This actually does everything I want. Except not well. The FTP interface is perfect - except it is too slow to use! and it does silly things - like uploading all the "linked" files - even when you tell it not to. It it like this throughout - little things either do not seem to work, or just seems clumsy.


None of the others do enough of what I want for me to consider them.
I need
- good FTP interface
- context sensitive help (ie link to PHP help, etc).
- multi-language colour coding
- tag editor (not essential, but very useful)
- code beautifer (must be multilangage capable ie HTML/PHP)
- code explorer (ie list PHP functions)
- bracket matching/highlighting (essential!!)

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Kneighbour, you may want to consider NuSphere.
Judging from your list, they have all the necessary things.

For me, the list of "must haves" is a bit different. I need:
- profiler
- smarty support
- easy db connection support
- tech support

I'm not sure that I find it all in PhpED, but judging from what they say of Nusphere support forum, it's quite probable.

Take a look at http://www.nusphere.com - what you think?

Yes - it is not bad.

I liked the fact that it invoked Polystyle and not HTML Tidy (well, it does, but you can choose). HTML Tidy is a real pain - in fact, it can be downright dangerous, and I do not recommend it for anyone that mixes PHP in with HTML (as we all do, I presume).


But it does not have a HTML Tag editor, which for me is a killer problem. A Tag Editor saves me so much time it is worth looking for another editor that does it. There is a context sensitive tag help system, which is better than nothing, but it is too messy for my liking. It is like the Zend editor in that respect (and it is one of the reasons I do not use Zend either).

The FTP saves are VERY slow - almost to the point of making it unusable. I generally edit files live from an FTP site - and I am saving mutilple files all the time. The slowness here is a big problem.

The context sensitive help is very good. And indeed in most other respects it is a great editor. Almost everything else looks and feels good - like it was written by a programmer that actually uses it.

I have used a bunch of different php ide's and liked many of them, but I think I have recently purchased the one that I will use the most. Don't get me wrong, I am all for open source software but I found that buying blumentals WeBuilder 2006 was the best option for me.

I have heard others gripe about problems with the FTP interface, but I am not sure what they are talking about as the only thing I have done with the FTP is open documents from my server into it, work on them and then save them back on the server without actually having to pull down and re-upload them. For anything greater than that I use Filezilla, a free FTP program.

If you want a solid all around ide that will handle a whole bunch of things (from html, js, css and all other code languages to an SQL browser) I suggest buying this, it is reasonably priced and has a ton to offer. Plus they update the software on a regular basis so if you have things that you would like included, you can always ask and see if they'll include it in a future update.

I agree - WeBuilder 2006 seems to be the best all round IDE out there.

I had mentioned some problems with the FTP interface - but that was because I had not understood how it worked. Now I have no problems with it at all. It is better in fact (well, faster) than Dreamweaver and most of the others.

There are still a few small issues, but it has most of the features I want.

One thing I did find - get rid of HTML Tidy and use Polystyle. HTML Tidy is quite dangerous if you use PHP code in with your HTML. It actually RE-ARRANGES the order of your code lines! It does not seem to understand PHP all that well. This is not a problem with the WeBuilder editor, of course.

A tag editor like Dreamweaver or WeBuilder. ie you can edit the HTML or CSS properties/tags in a separate space. The context stuff (like Zend or Nusphere) is virtually useless (in my opinion). Code templates are another feature.


Yes - this is also virtually useless. If you can plug in an external tool (like Polystlye), then that should be ok.

This is not just a feature to make your code look pretty - it is my main way of checking for correct syntax. Plus of course it also helps in logic flow, etc.
http://www.zeusedit.com

I installed Rapid PHP 2007 (v8.02) (which is almost the same as WeBuilder 2007) today and here are my thoughts after about 3 hours of using:

Pros:

• fast, lightweight (about 5MB)
• nice and intuitive interface
• nice splitting windows with preview
• good highlighing
• good bookmarking
• well thought

Cons: (Flaws that disqualify Rapid PHP 2007 from using (in my purposes) are marked with asterisk *)

• Switching between open files (using tabs) does not refresh Code Explorer, it is refreshed when mouse cursor enters its area.
• Delay to showing function parameters cannot be set.
• Delay for automatic function suggestions cannot be set.
• Closing a tab by double clicking could be implemented (at least as an option)
• In keyboard shortcuts, you cannot find command by shortcut, and cannot sort shortcuts table by command or shortcut.
• *Cannot find command shortcut to delete line (Ctrl+Y) to reassign it to other keystroke (Ctrl+E).
• Closing program should save session by default to open previously opened files when running program again.
• *PHP Syntax Checking shall not show alert if no errors (only some info in status bar).
• Wizard at start shall ask to input path to local *.chm help file instead of setting it later.
• *Typing dollar inside function/method shall give list of allowed variables in local scope (not global) to choose.
• *When CHM help file is invoked by pressing F1, it is not possible to go back to Rapid PHP by pressing Alt+TAB, it's icon selected from program manager sends user to chm window.
• Automatically enclosing brackets and quotes is missing.
• Keystroke: Ctrl+Enter could insert
  tag.

Anyway I hope it can be the best in no time when some features will be added/bugs fixed.

Maybe I'm missing something but I don't find Dreamweaver useful for PHP