Hey all. Using an IDE is a choice developers make. There are so many options ranging from a simple text editor, to a full fledged IDE (Integrated Development Environment). I have always been a fan of IDEs and in particular Dreamweaver. A lot of hard core developers will make fun of me for that but there is a good reason I like Dreamweaver.
First off it functions like an IDE but it is a lot simpler and snappier. This differs from something like Espresso or even Textmate because the IDE functions allow you to have code hinting for classes that you create automatically. This means if you create a class and some methods for it, in other areas of your code you will be able to call the class and have the parameter template show up and call methods. Many suped up text editors have built in Code Hinting but it is not dynamic based on your project.
Sweet! Bloginfo without having to check the WordPress Codex
Where we run into problems is when we code in a third party framework like WordPress. You want to have code hinting for things like “bloginfo” and “get_” because who the heck is going to remember the exact syntax of all functions in the WordPress codex? Who I ask! Well I found the solution. Mindshare Studios has provided a Code Hints xml file specifically for WordPress functions.