First of all, a new version (as of now), 0.6.1 has been released. If you have just 0.6, then get this new one. Also, delete any previous attempts of installation, i.e. delete any project you created to install zencoding (probably called zencoding), or this won’t work.

1. Create a new general project called zencoding.
2. The zip of zencoding you downloaded should have bunch of .js files, along with a directory called filters again having a bunch of .js files. Ignore the _MACOSX folder.
3. Create a new folder called scripts in your zencoding project directory, and copy all the zip file contents into it (except for _MACOSX).
4. Start/Restart Aptana Studio, right click on the project explorer, and select Refresh (or simply press F5).
5. Now, zencoding should appear in the scripts menu. The shortcut ALT+E doesn’t work, and I’ll post a solution soon.
6. To use zencoding, type a sample syntax, select it, and then select Scripts -> Zen Coding -> Expand Abbrevations.

If that still doesn’t work, post a comment below, and we’ll see what we can do.

This is quite annoying. I recently download a book (in HTML format) from Project Gutenberg. The clickable Table of Contents are really great. But I prefer converting it to PDF and reading it there (for many reasons).

What’s the solution? Simple… I opened the HTML file in OpenOffice Writer/Web (sweb.exe). I used the PDF Export option to write the PDF file. And you’re all set! The hyperlinks would work great.

At least, I can now enjoy reading those books. I hope this solves your problem.

I have the say, the article/post which pushed me towards trying it was: Why, oh WHY, do those #?@! nutheads use vi?.

Its an interesting post, which demonstrates various features of Vim. I should agree that Vim is very powerful, and I’m writing this very post in Vim. Of course, It’s not a kind of software which will work the way you want out of the box. You’ll have to do some basic configurations, especially if you’re thinking of using it for programming.

For me, I use NERDTree as a FileExplorer inside Vim, just like you’ll find in IDE’s like NetBeans. This lets me work conveniently work with say, PHP Frameworks, which have a source structure you need to adhere to, and keep moving between them at times.

I just chose a good dark color scheme for Vim, and you can get a wide variety of them from Vim’s website.

So, why Vim in the first place? Vim has great features to speed up writing. Its modal architecture allows for manipulation of text using practically all keys of keyboard, as opposed to normal text editors we find these days, where in you need to use CTRL/ALT etc. so as to tell the editor that you’re executing a command, not inserting text.

I’m new to Vim, and use only the basic set of features. I’m learning the more advanced ones, but I thought, Instead of going into a “learning spree”, I’d rather at least see how I can use the basic stuff in my daily life. Judging my comfort level with them in my normal work was important before I jump into advanced features.

The in-built tutorial for Vim does give a good insight about the basic powerful features of Vim. I agree when Vim-ers say it is difficult to document every method by which Vim increases productivity, because there are literally infinite. Vim can be customized by the user to his liking.

I know many people won’t like Vim. I agree that after using today’s text editors, it’s difficult to use something like Vim, which borrows ideas from years into the past. But still, it’s principle are still valid and increase productivity for those who demand it.

I know, there is even a PHP extension for Eclipse, but I’ve started preferring Netbeans. You can call it a personal taste. This article is for people who have not yet found a good PHP IDE and still sticking with editors.

So, looking at the Netbeans IDE, it supports creation of new PHP projects as well as projects from existing sources. This is very useful if you’re using some sort of PHP framework, and want to have access to the entire pre-built directory structure from within the IDE. You can simply right click on a directory and create a new php file etc. I know, this feature looks silly, but I’ve struggled when editors would provide directory listing, but no option to create a new file there!

The loading time of Netbeans is better than Eclipse based editors like Aptana, and a little less annoying. Netbeans provides with a Navigator, which enlists PHP functions and variables for easy reference. This feature is very useful when you’re coding large applications.

I really don’t have that much to say about Netbeans, neither do I intend to specify each feature that it offers, since the Netbeans website does a good job at it. The main point is, it provides a good environment and better flexibility than a simple editor. I don’t suggest throwing away the editors, they’re always useful for small changes, as I’ve mentioned.

If you were dearly searching for a good free PHP IDE, I suggest you to take a look at PHP Netbeans.