CNET Editors' review
Created by the developers behind the popular CSSEdit, Espresso is another option for Web developers who want a relatively low-priced, one-window Web editor that also gives you an intuitive code-editing environment along with organizational tools and other extras.
Espresso uses a two-paned, single-window interface organized around a single, logical workflow: the app has Workspace, Files, and Publish sections, and it's easy to drag and drop files and sites. A third Navigator pane lets you view and quickly manipulate the organizational structure of your docs. Espresso also gives you a full set of editing features, including multilanguage support (boosted by plug-ins called Sugars), nice syntax highlighting, an intuitive code-folding system, CodeSense, and a good implementation of snippets. Espresso also gives you a smart Quick Publish option, integrated FTP that allows for file browsing and quick edits, image previews, and more.
Different tools will appeal to different developers, depending on their needs and work style, but--especially with recent updates--Espresso is a full-featured, well-designed contender in this category and definitely worth a look.
Publisher's Description
From MacRabbit:
You design and develop for the Web? Espresso turbo-charges your workflow with the perfect blend of features. Speed through day-to-day edits with extensive language support, contextual completions, powerful smart snippets, and Zen actions. Use the Navigator and code folding to prevail over the most complicated documents. Watch your web pages update in real time with live styling, visualize and inspect your layouts with X-ray, then push the changes to your server with Sync or Quick Publish. Oh, and did we mention CSSEdit 3 is built in?
What's new in this version: Web Preview and X-ray
- When X-ray opens a style sheet to reveal a style, it now selects the item
- Added "Empty Cache…" (in the Espresso menu) to removed cache Web Preview contents
- Fixed Live Styling showing unstyled pages (with Safari 5.1 installed) when using @import to combine style sheets
- Fixed an issue where filling in a Web form would mark projects as edited
- Fixed an issue where Web Previews wouldn't load if the ... See all new features
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All versions:
3.5 starsout of 2 votes
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Current version:
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Results 1-3 of 3
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"Solid text editor, lackluster IDE."
Version: Espresso 1.1.2
Pros
Text editing is fluid and fast. The app is lightweight and the interface mostly stays out of your way. The extensible sugar system allows for community supported updates to editing languages.
Cons
You can't resize project sidebars or other portions of the interface. Text snippets are extremely basic (you can't sort or categorize them). There's no color picker. Nearly all of CSSEdit's features are missing. S-L-O-W development timeline.
Summary
With better support from the developer, Espresso could easily be the leading editor on the Mac OS. However MacRabbit has been slow to respond to community feedback and, for the most part, this application hasn't changed substantially since the original beta.
Looking forward to an update that brings more configuration options, better FTP and publishing, X-Ray and visual CSS editing. -
"Handy app for managing web sites"
Version: Espresso 1.1
Pros
It's a convenient way to manage an entire web site.
Cons
No syntax for css...css editing is straight text. Doesn't render photo files.
Summary
It keeps track of all the files in the selected folder, highlights syntax in several formats including HTML and php. Compares online files to local files and uploads, deletes, or ignores uploading/downloading files at user's option.
It keeps track of all the files in the selected folder, highlights syntax in several formats including HTML and php. Compares online files to local files and uploads, deletes, or ignores uploading/downloading files at user's option. (Current version does render graphics.)
Updated on Dec 22, 2009 -
"Very respectable program"
Version: Espresso 1.0.7
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
I use Espresso for my everyday HTML/PHP/Javascript/CSS needs.
It works well, the colour coding templates available are nice, and it seems to be relatively stable.
I use it strictly as a coding tool. I don't use it for organizing my sites or projects. I found that functionality never worked the way I wanted/needed it to.
I don't use the FTP engine, as I found it is very elegant or reliable. (I use Forklift.)
Overall I give it a thumbs up. I purchased it as part of a MacHeist bundle, so got it at a good price.
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