Many designers and developers are moving their workspaces to the web. Online sites and applications can provide you with an integrated development environment (IDE) for coding, testing, and debugging. Other online tools can generate code, content, and elements for your design and development projects. Another popular type of project web application for developers and designers is cloud and online collaboration software that lets you work on designs and code with others in real time. Check out some of these project web application tools to upgrade your design and development toolkits and broaden your array of options for automating work and working with others online.
Project Collaboration Applications
Developers and designers who need to work with teams, managers, or consultants often seek a way to share their work online. There are several utilities built for this purpose. Trello and Mural are two of the most popular options for online collaboration and both programs allow you to use screen-sharing and real-time communication with collaborators. These project web applications are great for teams that don’t want to download excessive remote-sharing utilities or are working across a variety of hardware platforms.
There are several types of collaboration software packages available, ranging from simple screen sharing utilities that allow one or more people to view every action you take on your screen, to robust and complex applications that allow multiple keyboard and mouse inputs and grid-style thumbnail video conferencing. Determine your project’s needs by considering how many people you need to collaborate with and what kind of tools each person will need access to in order to find the best online collaboration software for you.
Online IDE Applications
While IDEs are typically thought of as large programs for desktop usage, there is an emerging market for lightweight online IDEs. With an online IDE you can compile code and debug web projects without downloading any applications to your computer. This is great for people working remotely and developers who work from several different terminals after taking their web development training . Two of the best options for online IDEs are IDEOne and CodeChef. Both of these online tools are free to use and load quickly, making them ideal for coffee-shop coding sessions.
Web Applications for Content
Designers and developers alike are enjoying many new options for online content generation and automation. There are online utilities to create full-featured navbars and menus, buttons and icons, and even filler text. IMenu Pro and BlindText are two web tools designed for these purposes.
If you need development content, look no further than CSS Menu Maker or JavaScript Free Code. These web applications allow you to create menus, and animations and other effects, respectively. With online content generators like these you can automate tasks and save yourself from redundant workflow processes. Other online tools for generating content can create web elements, widgets, and scrolling effects for your website. Next time you need a web element or interface component that you feel may have been created by others at some point, do a quick search for open-source versions of it online. With countless open-source libraries and code projects being uploaded everyday, you will often be surprised about how many projects you can delegate to existing coding.
Project Web Applications for Testing
There are several ways to test your online coding without having to install it on a local IDE. If you have your own web hosting you can test your entire site by installing it to a subfolder on your host. This is a great way to visually inspect a working version of your site without getting it indexed by search engines or seen by visitors prematurely. The application needed for this is cPanel or another file management tool provided by most web hosting companies. Check with your host about how to setup subfolders on their system.
Other web applications for design and development testing include the online tools JSFiddle and Nibbler. JSFiddle lets you enter JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to run and test your coding in a live environment. Nibbler and other online testing websites can check your coding for bugs and measure the responsiveness of your designs.
These tools and applications can save you time and effort while keeping your work online. If you’re a designer or developer on the go or need to collaborate with others in your workflow then several of these tools are a must-have. Many of these tools can create the major elements of your website including menus and navbars, and buttons or other aspects of your project’s interface. Other online tools allow you to create and test your own code, or even download open-source code snippets to use on your own sites. With local machines becoming less critical to design and development processes, you will be able to stay a step ahead by moving aspects of your design and coding to the web.
