6 replies to this topic

[Lazy Foo]

   So I'm working on a new project that uses HTML5/JavaScript/Cocos2D. I've dabbled in Javascript before but I've never done anything large enough to warrant any tools more complex than notepad++.

 

   Now that I'm doing something real time, I am missing the features I had in IDEs like Visual Studio or even Code Blocks. Are there any tools that can:

 

-Check syntax so I know my my code will execute without having to refresh the page.

-Auto complete so I don't have to constantly flip back to the documentation to see what an an object's members are or what a function's arguments are.

-Multi-browser support so I can see what my code will run like multiple browsers without having to open multiple windows.

-Anything that make supporting internet explorer easier.

 

   I am on windows, but if there's anything on OSX or Linux I can work in those environments. Open Source or free is prefered but I may be able to actually purchase some software if it'll save me the time.

[Sudi]

well not sure about cocos2d but if you use libgdx you can code your game with java and in eclipse and publish to a browser game. It gives you all the features you want(not sure about internetexplorer). You should give it a try its really easy to use and setup. And as an upside you can actually run the game on a pc(win, mac, linux) in a browser and on phones.

[EmployeeNumber8]

Sublime Text 2 is a very nice cross platform IDE. If you are coming over from Visual Studio, then I think you'll like it.

 

Google Closure Compiler is your best option for compilation/minification of your scripts. There is also a command line version of the compiler on the Closure Tools home page.

 

Firefox and Chrome push out updates very often, so to make sure you're ahead of the game ...

Get the dev channel version of Firefox  and the dev channel version of Chrome. Why? You can catch bugs and report them for Chrome here and for Firefox here ... and they may get fixed before that version in the release channel gets deployed to the masses (the dev channel browsers are a couple versions ahead). You can also use new features/API not yet available in the release channel.

 

You need Firebug for Firefox.

Chrome comes with built in debugging tools, just press F12.

 

Basically - an IDE isn't enough.

 

Internet Explorer is going to be a big issue ... most developers are innovating in Firefox and Chrome. The more that happens the more Internet Explorer gets phased out when it comes to advanced in-browser apps and games.

[Navall]

JSLint can also help you find error and mistakes, although it's quite harsh.

[jbadams]

I'm a big fan of WebStorm and the other Jetbrains development environments -- well worth a look!

[imac2000]

I use sublime text 2, it has great code complete and zen coding which is nice for html.

 

there are tools to test in multiple browsers like 

 

https://browserlab.adobe.com/en-us/index.html#

 

I have to admit I haven't used any i just have chrome and ie open all the time while I've working,

I trend to get stuff running in chrome and work backwards to get IE running.

[Drakonka]

+1 on Sublime Text 2. It has plugins that do many of the things you're asking about. I hear Sublime Text 3 is also great, though haven't played with that yet.