When it comes to creating a web app development solution, PHP is the first choice of every developer. It enables PHP developers to provide the perfect solution to their clients. But to write a code and design the program, every developer needs a code editor. For PHP development, there are a lot of code editors available in the market. But today, we are going to talk about some of the most popular and free PHP code editors that can be every web developer’s choice.
What is a PHP Code Editor?
Code Editor means software that enables developers to write the code and design the program. It can be a stand-alone program or a part of IDE. It allows web app developers to write and read the source code in various programming languages like PHP, Java, HTML, C, C++, Python, and more.
The editors that enable to write and execute PHP codes are known as PHP code editors. It enables the PHP developers of India to design a program with a proper structure. It highlights the variables, parameters, & keywords of the code. This makes it easy for anyone to read and understand the code.
After learning about PHP code editors, let us go through the details of top free PHP code editors.
Top Free PHP Code Editors Every Web Developer Must Use
Some of the most popular and free PHP Code Editors are –
1. Atom
Atom was originally an internal tool of GitHub. Later it was made an open-source editor but is still maintained by GitHub. Atom is known as a hackable editor as anyone can easily customize every aspect of the editor interface like syntax, theme, UI, key binding, language-specific settings, formatting, and more. With Atom, you can download around 9000 packages which can allow you to add various features. But if a PHP developer wants to configure this editor for PHP, then he would have to add PHP-specific packages for refactoring, debugging, linting, and annotations.
Features of Atom
- Customize UI with around 3000 themes.
- Extensibility
- Real-time code collaboration
- Advanced replace and find a tool
- GitHub integration
Atom Supports:- Linux, Windows, macOS
License:- MIT License
Supported Languages:- PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby, Python, XML, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/atom/atom
2. GNU Emacs
GNU Emacs is a well-established PHP code editor that enables the developers to design a fully functional and customized system. It can be done by using Emacs Lisp scripting language. Emacs is an editor that supports a multitude of programming languages like CSS and HTML. This is not a typical front-end development editor.
GNU Emacs is an editor that comes with a certain coolness factor in the community of programmers.
Features of GNU Emacs
- Unicode Support
- Content-aware editing modes
- Built-in documentation
- Customizable command line and a graphical UI
- Debugger
- Open-source package repository
GNU Emacs Supports:- Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Solaris
License:- GNU GPL vs 3
Supported Languages:- PHP, Lisp, Python, Java, Scala, Ruby, JavaScript, Perl, and more.
Source Code:- https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git
3. Visual Studio Code
Microsoft powered Visual Studio Code is an open-source editor. It has become famous in the last few years. It is a code editor that by default supports PHP syntax. It allows the PHP development services providers to download PHP extensions from Visual Studio Code Marketplace to make the editor more advanced. The developers can easily customize every aspect of Visual Studio Code.
Features of Visual Studio Code
- Color theme picker
- Built-in Emmet support
- Built-in GitHub integration
- Integrated terminal
- Smart code completion
- Extensibility
Visual Studio Code Supports:- Linux, Windows, macOS
License:- MIT License
Supported Languages:- PHP, JavaScript, JSON, Markdown, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, SCSS, Java, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/microsoft/vscode
4. Brackets
Brackets is an Adobe product. It is an open-source code editor that primarily focuses on front-end development and also supports back-end languages like PHP. The inline editing feature of Brackets has made it more popular in the market. If you are a PHP developer who does both front-end and back-end development and likes to work with CSS preprocessors, this PHP editor is the ideal choice for you.
Features of Brackets
- Inline editing
- Lightweight
- Horizontal and vertical split view
- Live preview
- CSS preprocessors support
Brackets Supports:- Linux, Windows, macOS
License:- MIT License
Supported Languages:- PHP, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Sass, Java, Perl, Python, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/adobe/brackets
5. Vim
Vim means Vi improved. It is a better version of Vi code editor. Vim is a product of Unix systems. It comes with features like merging files, search history, syntax highlighting, split view, spell checker, and more. Besides, it supports protocols like SSH, HTTP, and FTP. The PHP development service providers can use Vim in six basic modes like visual, normal, insert, select, command line, and exit.
Features of Vim
- Six modes
- Built-in manual
- Easy mode for freshers
- Extensive plugin system
Vim Supports:- Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
License:- Vim License
Supported Languages:- PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, JavaScript, Lua, Perl, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/vim/vim
6. jEdit
jEdit is a cross-platform editor. It is written for JVM. The developers just need to install the jEdit and set it up to start working. jEdit enables the developers to work effortlessly and create unique solutions. It is an editor that highlights the syntax of more than 200 programming languages.
Features of jEdit
- Extensible via plugin
- Unlimited functionality
- Unicode support
- Search and replace tool
jEdit Supports:- Linux, BSD, Windows, macOS
License:- GNU GPL vs 2
Supported Languages:- PHP, HTML, JavaScript, XML, SQL, Java, Scala, Python, Perl, and more.
Source Code:- https://sourceforge.net/p/jedit/svn/HEAD/tree/
7. Bluefish
Bluefish is a code editor that supports various programming languages. It comes with a Gnome integration, so for PHP developers, it can be a perfect choice. Bluefish has very useful features like dialogs, wizards, and Emmet support for the developers to create PHP-based web app solutions.
Features of Bluefish
- Lightweight and fast
- Full-screen editing
- Multiple encodings
- Remote file access via HTTP, FTP, SFTP, and HTTPS.
- Extensible via plugins
Bluefish Supports:- FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD, macOS, Windows, Linux
License:- GNU GPL vs 3
Supported Languages:- PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, XML, Java, and more.
Source Code:- https://sourceforge.net/p/bluefish/code/HEAD/tree/
8. RJ TextED
RJ TextED is a full-featured code editor by Richard Johansson. It is specially created for web app development. It comes with very interesting features. The PHP developers can change the aspects of the UI by customizing the theme. RJ TextED is a freeware software but not open-source.
Features of RJ TextED
- Macro manager
- Built-in project manager
- CSS and HTML wizards
- Regular expression generator
RJ TextED Supports:- Windows
License:- Freeware
Supported Languages:- PHP, Java, JSON, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and more.
Source Code:- Not Released
9. Notepad++
Notepad++ is a very old code editor for Windows. It was created to replace Notepad, the default text editor, or windows. Notepad++ a lot more features than Notepad. It highlights the syntax for around 80 programming languages. Besides, it has great editing functionalities like multiple document interface, split view, undo/redo functions, and more.
Features of Notepad++
- Extensible via plugin
- Supports various character sets
- Open-source plugins for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems
Notepad++ Supports:- Windows
License:- GNU GPL vs 2
Supported Languages:- PHP, Python, Perl, HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus
10. TextMate
TextMate is a code editor for macOS. The PHP developers can integrate it with the underlying Unix shell and can customize the actions in different programming languages. There is an extensible bundle system used to make the customization process easy. The bundle includes code snippets, templates, commands, language syntaxes, and more.
Features of TextMate
- Easy to handle code snippets.
- Excellent search tool
- Custom themes
- Scoped settings
- Live HTML preview
TextMate Supports:- macOS
License:- GNU GPL vs 3
Supported Languages:- PHP, SQL, Python, Perl, Java, CSS, XML, HTML, and more.
Source Code:- https://github.com/textmate/textmate
Conclusion
These are some of the best and most popularly used free PHP code editors available in the market. Although they are all PHP code editors, they have their own specialties and features. Which code editor to choose completely depends on the type of the project and the knowledge of the PHP developer.
If you are a business owner who wants to have a unique PHP-based software solution, hire a PHP developer who is the best in taking full advantage of the code editor and the language itself.
