MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench is an app that I cannot live without. In some ways, it is
slightly trickier to use than phpMyAdmin. However, it’s located on your PC,
and it gives you the power to do backups and repairs on your databases
and enables you to make changes in a slightly different environment from
phpMyAdmin through your browser. Try it; it’s a tool I prefer to use.
You can download MySQL Workbench for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X at
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/
FileZilla
FileZilla is one of the best — if not the best — free File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
clients available. There are other free ones and there are many that you can
pay for, but FileZilla is my go-to FTP client. It’s fast; it’s efficient; it can do
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP, which you really should be using) or basic
FTP; and it lays everything out in a simple, easy-to-use window.
One warning with FileZilla is that it stores your passwords in a non-protected
file, which means virus and malware writers, if they write stuff which gets
onto your computer, could theoretically read that file and get your FTP login
details, including your password. Of course, that means the attack must
specifically look for your password file — and it has to make it past the
virus checker, which I’m sure you have installed on your PC — but it is a
consideration to note, and you should remember to not store your passwords within FileZilla.
You can download it for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X at http://
filezilla-project.org.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a wonderful editor for editing any kind of files: text files, PHP
files, HTML files, CSS files. You name it, Notepad++ can read it. One of things I
like most about it is that, with PHP files, it includes color coding to delineate
different types of elements and helps you see where you are in the file and
identify where the code elements you are working on close.
Notepad++ is available for Windows only. You can download it at http://
notepad-plus-plus.org.
PuTTY
PuTTY is a powerful tool that enables you to connect to devices online, using
a system called telnet, providing you have the correct login details. It is very
useful to website owners, especially those with a Virtual Private Server (VPS)
or dedicated server, because it enables you to open a command-line prompt
on your server by logging in via Secure SHell (SSH), so that you can run commands as needed.
PuTTY comes with dire warnings that you must not use it anywhere where
it’s illegal to use. The research I’ve done suggests that it is legal to use it
within the U.S., providing you’re using it for connection to a device that you
own or have the right to connect .
MySQL Workbench is an app that I cannot live without. In some ways, it is
slightly trickier to use than phpMyAdmin. However, it’s located on your PC,
and it gives you the power to do backups and repairs on your databases
and enables you to make changes in a slightly different environment from
phpMyAdmin through your browser. Try it; it’s a tool I prefer to use.
You can download MySQL Workbench for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X at
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/workbench/
FileZilla
FileZilla is one of the best — if not the best — free File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
clients available. There are other free ones and there are many that you can
pay for, but FileZilla is my go-to FTP client. It’s fast; it’s efficient; it can do
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP, which you really should be using) or basic
FTP; and it lays everything out in a simple, easy-to-use window.
One warning with FileZilla is that it stores your passwords in a non-protected
file, which means virus and malware writers, if they write stuff which gets
onto your computer, could theoretically read that file and get your FTP login
details, including your password. Of course, that means the attack must
specifically look for your password file — and it has to make it past the
virus checker, which I’m sure you have installed on your PC — but it is a
consideration to note, and you should remember to not store your passwords within FileZilla.
You can download it for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X at http://
filezilla-project.org.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a wonderful editor for editing any kind of files: text files, PHP
files, HTML files, CSS files. You name it, Notepad++ can read it. One of things I
like most about it is that, with PHP files, it includes color coding to delineate
different types of elements and helps you see where you are in the file and
identify where the code elements you are working on close.
Notepad++ is available for Windows only. You can download it at http://
notepad-plus-plus.org.
PuTTY
PuTTY is a powerful tool that enables you to connect to devices online, using
a system called telnet, providing you have the correct login details. It is very
useful to website owners, especially those with a Virtual Private Server (VPS)
or dedicated server, because it enables you to open a command-line prompt
on your server by logging in via Secure SHell (SSH), so that you can run commands as needed.
PuTTY comes with dire warnings that you must not use it anywhere where
it’s illegal to use. The research I’ve done suggests that it is legal to use it
within the U.S., providing you’re using it for connection to a device that you
own or have the right to connect .
