This page will serve as a blog of sorts attempting to explain what's going on with development and the developer. I believe in being honest with development, it's short comings and future plans so you can make an informed decision when buying.

I said it once, and I'll say it again: "The future of good software relies on the input of it's users!" If you're having problems with WebScripter or want to see new features implemented or things changed, please tell the developer. I don't actually use all the languages WebScripter supports so your input as the professional is the difference between getting the features you need or being ignored.

Version History

• Version 2.0.3 - 11/04/08
• Universal binary at last! This was no trivial step for me as I changed Pascal compilers (FPC) and development environment. Good-bye Pascal CodeWarrior and over 10 years of programming with it!
• Symbol filter in the side pane was removed for a cleaner look.
• Updates can be downloaded automatically from within the application.
• A new slicker website design appears with this release.
• Disabled window toolbar items no longer look too white on Leopard's darker appearance.
• Changed the list appearance (again) to look more Leopard.
• Various menu items enable/disable properly now.
• New application/document icon. Thanks to Jordan of www.onetoad.com.
• Spell checker now works in the editor. There is also a spelling item in the contextual menu when you click on a word.
• Find/Terminal panes animate as they open/close.
• Icons in the preference window toolbars appear "selected" now. Doh!
• Translucent drag images from lists now look better.
• Menu items are now disabled if the command isn't available. Doh!
• Version 2.0.2 - 6/15/08
• Fixed nasty bug that was over looked in the new file dialog when choosing a new folder.
• Fixed a bug with single file uploading.
• Included new users guide for trial version.
• Minor improvements to the built-in preview with basic navigation and status bar.
• Fixed syntax parser bug in CSS.
• Browsers have a more Leopard look and feel.
• Better looking close boxes for tabs and some panes.
• Fixed some potential crashes when previewing in a new window.
• Version 2.0.1 - 5/27/08
• 10.5 Leopard compatible.
• Version 2.0 - 5/18/08
• Version 1.0 - 4/20/06

• Known Problems
• Auto-pairing and syntax styling isn't smart enough when working with HTML.
• I think the single most annoying problem is editing files larger than 1000 lines is too slow to be usable. This is not a bug in the syntax parser like you may think but rather a known bug in the text editing engine I use. I'm pressing the developer to fix the problem but it's hard to say when that will happen. Until then I hope you can split files into smaller sections, which is a good practice anyway, IMHO. Very sorry about this.
• Folders can't be uploaded in the FTP client, which is pretty cheap, I know. Apple's FTP engine is pretty cheap itself and requires lots of extra work arounds on the developers behalf. If you're doing serious maintenance or setting up a site using a real FTP client will be better.
• There is no overflow menu for the tabs so if you add more then there is space in the window they just draw outside of the window bounds.
• Planned Development
• Code folding will happen for sure in not too long.
• The current error lists above the editor will be replaced with inline errors that appear in the editor. This will open the door to real time syntax checks also.
• Preview on server command should upload the file (if it was modified) before previewing.
• Reference material built into the app and text editor are crucial for productivity. To that end I'm thinking of some ideas that would allow you to search and index random web sites for information based on the language being programmed. More on that later...
• I would like to see a search feature similar to Spotlight or the Finder which searches for symbols, files, text and other resources all in one location.
• Project search is too simple and lacking file type filters, replace all and better display for results.
• Better built-in preview browser, more like a real web browser. Version 2.0.2 had some significant changes but it's still lacking.
• WebScripter 1.0 had a pretty slick DOM viewer which made navigating HTML files quick and easy (see a movie here) and I have still not seen any other apps implement anything like so I hope to bring that back sooner than later.
• Again, a feature lost from version 1.0. HTML tags should have unique colors instead a constant like is implemented now.
• I have be making preparations for a real interactive debugger interface for PERL and Ruby which will appear in future versions. I would like to make a PHP debugger but honestly quite clueless as to how to go about it as PHP does not include a debugger like PERL and Ruby. Which is a shame because I think most users will be using PHP.
• After using the FTP functions more I feel like there should be more concrete information on the state of transfers in a central location (and a way to cancel them!), like a transfers window. Now you get a progress wheel in the project browser and an icon in the editor toolbar but I still feel left in the dark a bit.
• Browsers should have a built-in find feature like editors, that pops up over the browser for quick access. Now it can be difficult to navigate browsers with many items.