Code folding, Edit in new tab, CSS Lint

shiftedit : 20/06/2011

Code folding

Code folding is now supported for Ace users.
To create a fold, select some code and press Ctrl+Shift+C
You can expand the fold by pressing Ctrl+Shift+E or just by double clicking it.

Edit in new tab

You can now edit files in new browser tabs instead of ShiftEdit tabs. This will give you a little more screen real estate and is great if you prefer to manage tabs using your browser. You can also bookmark the resulting tabs and come back to them later without having to load the full-blown IDE.

To open a file in a new tab from the ftp explorer.
Right click -> Open -> Edit in new tab

There is also an option in preferences to default to this behaviour when opening files.
Edit -> Preferences -> Open files in new browser tab

CSS Lint

CSS Lint has been integrated and provides much more comprehensive CSS checking and is fully configurable from preferences.
Edit -> Preferences -> CSS Lint

Other changes

Lots of new options in the edit menu including Add semicolon ctrl+;
Animated title during FTP transfer
New Help menu with feedback form
Home tab is now closable.
Several fixes

Dropbox Support

shiftedit : 25/02/2011

We're pleased to announce the immediate support for Dropbox!

If you're unfamiliar with Dropbox, it allows you to share a folder across multiple computers and devices. This is great because it is now very convenient to edit files on your computer using ShiftEdit.

To get started download and install Dropbox:

Add a new site in ShiftEdit and select Dropbox from the Server Type dropdown. You will be redirected to dropbox for approval. Once approved you then just need to press Save.

Hope you enjoy this new update. If you have any issues please report them to the list.

update 18/02/2011

shiftedit : 18/02/2011

Been a busy week for updates. Here's what I remember:

ShiftEdit now loads much faster with fewer requests.
FTP is now quicker at listing files.
Fixed a bug with find+replace.
You can right click tabs for save and close options.
Added "Close other tabs" option,
Added "Select Parent Tag" to Edit menu.
Can switch language syntax from View Language
Upgraded to Ace 0.1.6

Ace and Ads

shiftedit : 10/02/2011

Ace

Users of ShiftEdit will be familiar with the Bespin component which is used for editing. The Bespin project has now been merged into Ace.

Ace is somewhat different to Bespin but we've started to integrate it - and it can now be selected from the list of available editors in Preferences.

There are still a few bits we need to do - but support is pretty good. Ace is the future and will eventually become the default editor.

We've received feedback that the adverts are somewhat intrusive. What with ad-blockers and unrelated ads - they've never been a great source of revenue so they've now been removed completely.

In order for the project to remain viable we do need to generate some revenue. So we've added a 3 site limit to free accounts. If you are currently using more than 3 you will only be able to access 3 of them. Premier edition is unlimited. And is now even cheaper at just $5/ month or $50/ year.

Master Password

shiftedit : 04/11/2010

For an online IDE security is vitally important. We hold the passwords to many websites and are a potential target for malicious hackers.

Our systems are fully patched and we have a firewall in place to prevent hackers but we have to plan for the worst case scenario. What if a hacker somehow obtained our database and source code?

If you connect without using the save password option then the password is kept in the session until you logout or the session expires.

If you have many sites typing in all the different passwords can be annoying and also hard to remember. So we've introduced a new master password feature.

You can set a master password by going to Preferences -> Security. Once the master password is set any ftp passwords that are stored will be encrypted using your password. You will then only need to enter the master password once per session to access all of your sites.

Without the master password the only way a hacker could obtain your passwords would be using an unfeasible brute force attack.

If you forget your master password - you can remove it but you will lose all of your stored FTP passwords.

This is an overview of how the master password system works:

Setting the master password

Client enters master password.
Master password is hashed using SHA1 and a unique salt in the clients browser
Hash is then transmitted to server
Existing FTP passwords are AES encrypted using the hash
The hash is then re-hashed and stored on the server

Accessing a site

Client enters master password
Master password is hashed using SHA1 and a unique salt in the clients browser
Hash is then transmitted to server
Hash is rehashed and verified against stored hash
FTP password is AES decrypted using the original hash
The hash is stored in the session until the user logs out or the session expires

You will notice that at no point is your master password directly transmitted to our server, ensuring greater security.

ShiftEdit Premier Edition

shiftedit : 13/10/2010

ShiftEdit is now ready for your business.

For professional and business users alike we present ShiftEdit Premier Edition.

SSL security
Dreamweaver import/ export
Telephone / email support
Ad free
£50 per user per year.

Version comparison and order page.

ShiftEdit.net: A New Home

shiftedit : 11/10/2010

ShiftEdit's popularity is growing every-day. It has now grown beyond the point of being a pet ShiftCreate project and deserves it's own home. So from now on you will be able to access ShiftEdit at shiftedit.net. Please update your bookmarks and blogs accordingly.

Built-in browser via Live view

shiftedit : 06/09/2010

ShiftEdit now has a built-in browser via a new option called Live View.
You can see it in action here:

This should make development a lot easier as you can now do everything from the same tab without having to open new browser tab or window.

Source Formatting and Balance Braces

shiftedit : 24/08/2010

Following on from yesterday's announcement, we've added two more great features.

Source Formatting

From the edit menu you can now select "Apply Source Formatting". This will go through the opened file and add line-breaks and tabs where necessary. This is useful if you are working on a file that has been minified or is in an untidy state.

Balance Braces

You can select all code between brackets by pressing ctrl+' or selecting "Balance Braces" from the edit menu. If you press it again it will find the next outter set of braces. This works for regular, square and curly brackets. This is useful for finding a closing bracket - or checking if brackets match up.

Realtime syntax debugging and bracket closing

shiftedit : 23/08/2010

We've added some exciting new features to ShiftEdit.

Realtime syntax error checking

When working on a PHP or JavaScript file the script is checked for syntax errors as you type. If an error is found the error message is displayed above the code editor. You can also click the line number in the error message to be taken straight to the broken line. This is an excellent tool for debugging and is a great time-saver during development.

Bracket closing

In PHP and JS files brackets are now automatically closed as you type. This is a useful time-saver and works for normal, square and curly brackets.

Tag closing

When you close an opening HTML tag the closing tag is automatically appended. This is another time-saver.

All of these features can be disabled via the preferences window if they are not your cup of tea. (Edit->Preferences)

Save Password and Code Snippets

shiftedit : 17/08/2010

We've added two important new features to ShiftEdit.

Save Password option

When creating new sites the FTP password is now optional. If left blank. when you connect you'll be prompted to enter your password. The password is stored in your session so you will only need to enter it once and it's cleared when you logout. Using this option prevents the password from being stored in our database.

Code Snippets

Code snippets are chunks of code that you use every now and then. You can add as many snippets as you like and organise them into folders. They are then readily accessible whenever you need them.

Bespin, SFTP and more

shiftedit : 09/08/2010

The last few weeks have seen a lot of improvements to ShiftEdit.

Bespin 0.9a1 came out which was a major milestone as it now supports most of the core features that we need it to. As well as basic editing it can now be used with Find and Replace.

Find and Replace is a very important tool for any developer and has been made more intuitive. When performing a search you just have to press enter instead of clicking the Find button. It will also tell you if you've reached the end of the document.

We had a request for SFTP a while back. I'm pleased to say this is now in. In order to integrate this we had to abstract the FTP code. This should pave the way for adding new connection methods like SVN.

There is a new preferences dialog where you can set the tab size and font size. Expect more options to come.

Aside from these major updates there have been a lot of bug fixes - some of which were quite critical. If you haven't used ShiftEdit in a while, now's the time to get back in as it is a much more stable beta.

We are currently seeking testers and feedback. Also if you like ShiftEdit, please help spread the word - whether it's on a blog or social network.

A full changelog is available.

Drag and Drop to Open

shiftedit : 01/05/2010

You can now drag and drop files from your computer straight into ShiftEdit.

So far this only works in Firefox 3.6 and above.

This technology is built on web standards so hopefully in the not so distant future it will be supported by other browsers such as Chrome and IE.

Bespin Integration

shiftedit : 01/03/2010

The code editing component of ShiftEdit is by far the most important. The current version offers a choice between MDK editor and CodeMirror. They both have their pros and cons and are maintained by individual developers. Both struggle with large files and because of their implementation it's hard to see that ever being fully resolved.

The Bespin project by Mozilla is also providing a stand-alone editor component. It has a more robust implementation and greater resources behind it. It is integrated into the development version of ShiftEdit. Currently the Bespin component has a few bugs and is lacking some features. Once these are resolved and Bespin is fully integrated, ShiftEdit should be ready for prime-time. Then I'll be able to eat my own dog food and end my reliance on Dreamweaver.

Code folding, Edit in new tab, CSS Lint