Future Topics: What I'll post about when I have time

• Firebug for Javascript debugging (what the heck are breakpoints, and how to use them)
• Regex Coach regular expression testing/debugging tool
• New-school image rollover techniques
  

WinSCP - "Keep remote directory up to date" feature

WinSCP is a free, open-source graphical SCP/SFTP client for Windows, based in part on the ubiquitous puTTY SSH client. If you're working remotely on a server for which you only have SSH access, it is *the* tool to use for file transfers.

Although I've used WinSCP for years, I just learned today that it has a "Keep remote directory up to date" feature that can allow it to monitor a directory locally as you edit, and immediately transfer files to the remote server as you save them. This is an incredible time saver when developing on a remote development server, as it eliminates any need to manually transfer the files before you can view your changes. If you're actively editing a number of files at the same time, it makes the hassle of working without mapped drive access much less onerous.

Just to be clear, this isn't some cheesy "synchronize" feature like in many FTP clients. This is a tool that you turn on and off only when you need it while actively developing.


I really wish I had known about this years ago -- I could have shaved a lot of hours of off previous development projects...

Post the First

13 years on the web, 9 years into the "blog" epoch, 7+ years as a professional web developer, and I've finally created my first blog post. I don't do "technology for technology's sake", and I've never felt that I had a real *reason* to have a blog.

But... in my work as a web developer, I'm always looking for new tools, methods, and information that will make my work easier, faster, and of higher quality. I've kept track of this info in a lot of ways over the years: text files, bookmarks, a personal wiki, etc. It just occurred to me, "why not write them up as blog?" Even if I'm the only one who ever reads it, it'll serve as a good reference for me. If others stumble upon it and find it useful, all the better.

One thing I'm *not* going to do is write up tutorials. Search out any given tool or technique, and you'll find a virtual sea of tutorials, of widely varying quality. The world doesn't need more tutorials. What *I* (and maybe you) need is reminders of what's out there, and pointers to the best information I can find. That's what I'll post here.

Free Range Bytes? Yeah, sure, why not. If we're going to force them to carry all our information around for us, we might as well treat them to the best conditions possible...