Tools, Tips, Tricks

What Works

Farther back in the past than I care to delve, I started using an FTP program called “Transmit.” Mac-only. Works like a charm. Over the years, it’s been my first “go-to” tool for manipulating web-based materials.

I recall agonizing over the purchase of the software, but as a paid-for program, it worked correctly, quickly, and earned its purchase price back with the dramatic reduction in headache medicine.

Less time spent banging one’s head against the desk top.

Several years later, I split my web-spinning, website management tools into a pair of much simplified categories. No more “graphical user interface” tools. Straight code or WordPress, and I only arrived at WordPress after several other efforts.

Transmit – Panic, Inc.

The people who make Transmit also make a program called “Coda.” Available from the Apple App Store, or from the website, or wherever. The program combines Transmit’s FTP, file transfer stuff, with a text-based editor. I can easily log on, change something on a site, and not have to download, edit, upload. Very handy when setting up WordPress sites, as there’s usually a simple configuration file that has to be modified. Simplest of tasks, yet, before I used Panic’s Coda, remarkable lack of elegance in the operation.

Coda 2 – Panic, Inc.

While the prices are negligible, I’ve spent tens of “iTunes” dollars on various FTP, website management programs, usually a loose FTP item. One had such an arcane iPad interface, I never did figure it out. Waste of $9.99 or 7 bucks, or whatever it was. Still have the app, kicking around. Several of them.

Diet Coda – Panic, Inc.

The same people who built Coda, now Coda 2, came up with an iPad app called “Diet Coda.” Sort of Coda-lite for the i-things. iPad, mostly, I guess. Works well enough.

As I lay in bed the other evening, I had a quick notation, and I had to change some of the site’s static text.

The tool collection is disparate set of softwares that I use to do the heavy lifting on websites.