ColdFusion Builder update 1 has been released, and it provides fixes for most of the issues that have been bugging me; specifically:
- (bug) Jumping around when editing long lines with horizontal scroll
- (bug) Odd behavior with code folding
- (bug) Memory issues
- (bug) Sometimes copy & pasting resulted in a StackOverflow error
- (bug) A refactoring issue
- (bug) A bug when using SourceGear source control
- (bug) And a personal favorite: The split pane buggyness that I noticed was fixed.
You can get instructions on the proper way to handle the update here, but here are a few notes:
- Updates are managed via Adobe Updater, which checks weekly by default (can be configured to monthly in options)
- You can force it to check for updates several ways, including choosing the Help > Adobe ColdFusion Builder Updates... menu option from within CFB.
- Only the most recent install will be updated. For example, if you installed as a plugin within Eclipse and later as stand-alone, only the stand-alone install will be updated.
- If you are updating a stand-alone install, you only need to restart CFB after the update process. If updating a plugin install, you need to restart eclipse with the
-clean option.
- If you're using Windows Vista or Windows 7, make sure you run CFB/Eclipse as an administrator before starting the update process. If you don't, you won't be prevented from running the updater, but the update may not function properly.
Lastly, you'll know that the update installed correctly by the version number shown in Help > Product Details. 1.0 was version 1.0.0.271911, and Update 1 is version 1.0.0.274293.
Posted in
CFBuilder
| 2 Responses
May 20 2010
For my personal projects, I have switched entirely over to Git for version control. However, at work I still have to use Subversion so that everyone on my team can share. That is not to say that Git isn't perfectly capable of working for our team, but that the team isn't ready to make the switch.
While I am extremely curious about the prospect of using Git as my Subversion client -- something that I understand is not difficult to do -- I haven't yet worked up the nerve to try it on something as important as a work project. I can't afford for something to go wrong. So for the time being, I'm still using native SVN clients.
Recently I decided that I would give the Subversive client a try. When I first started with SVN I used Tortoise, and when I started developing with Eclipse and CFEclipse, there seemed to be (after very little research) a consensus that Subclipse was the better client; so it's what I've used for the last few years.
Myself and at least one other coworker have been using Subclipse and having some problems that we believe may be unique to Subclipse -- or at least to using Subclipse in our environment. We often have projects checked out onto a shared drive and have sometimes run into a situation where a commit can't be made from the root, or issues when selecting a few individual files in disparate directories. Suffice it to say, frustration is setting in and while the command-line works, it would be nice if IDE integration worked.
So that's why I'm trying something new. Not only is Subversive now an official part of the Eclipse project (a nice endorsement), but I've heard lots of praise for it recently. I've always wondered if I had made the right choice going with Subclipse, so now I'm aiming to find out.
Speed
My very first impression was how fast it seems to be. I haven't done direct side-by-side comparisons, but from a subjective standpoint it feels like browsing a large repository -- the Mango Blog repository, for example -- is extremely fast. Even a checkout seemed faster. And you can't complain about too much speed.
Does it work?
Of course, most importantly, is the reason that I switched: Does it work in cases where Subclipse seemed to fail us before. The answer is short and sweet: Yes! So far, I haven't run into any similar complaints about Subversive.
Shortcuts
I never knew how much I needed keyboard shortcuts for version control.
Update? Ctrl+Alt+U
Commit? Ctrl+Alt+C
Compare with latest from repository? Ctrl+Alt+L
And the list goes on. I could never switch to an Eclipse-based SVN client that didn't have these or similar keyboard shortcuts available and not experience some serious frustration.
Any complaints?
Actually, yes. I was quite surprised to find that after installing the client through the Eclipse update site, it still wasn't fully installed. It seemed like there was a framework in place for the functionality, but the first time I tried to anything with a repository, I was prompted to install a connector -- a step that (to the developer's credit) Subclipse completes during the original installation.
Now, this may not be that big of a deal, and I suppose it really isn't, but I am trying hard to use UAC in Windows 7. I have my reasons, but suffice it to say that I want my relationship with UAC in Windows 7 to work out. In order to install the plugin in the first place, I had to run CFBuilder as an administrator. Fine, did that. After the install, I was prompted to restart. Ok, that's not desirable, but fairly reasonable. Once I try to connect to a repository, I'm prompted to install a connector -- but oh wait, you can't just install it, you have to exit CFBuilder, run as an administrator, and install the connector. And then restart again, of course.
It's not the end of the world, but it was annoying enough that I thought I should mention it. And it's not CFBuilder's fault at all, this is a combination of seemingly-odd choices by the plugin developers and Windows UAC pains.
Do I recommend it?
Absolutely. Even if for the keyboard shortcuts alone. That plus added speed is a no-brainer for me. Where I can't use Git, I'll be using Subversive.
Posted in
CFBuilder |
Subversion
| 8 Responses
May 13 2010
Here's a tip I just figured out for myself this morning, out of necessity. Have you ever wanted to work on one section of a file while looking at another section, hundreds of lines up or down? Scrolling back and forth is a nightmare.
Other editors offer what is called a Split Pane, where you can take the currently open file and divide the window in half, each showing the same file, but each with its own independent scroll bar. Doing this, you can have one section of code in-view, and another that you're working on. This is incredibly helpful.
It's not immediately obvious, but you can do this in Eclipse, and therefore in CFBuilder, too.
The first thing you need to do is clone the tab that you want to split. To do this, choose Window > New Editor from the menu. This will open a 2nd editor (tab) containing the same file, but it won't be split. These two tabs are linked -- changes you make in one are also made in the other.
Next, drag the tab for this new editor to the side of the Eclipse window you want to split. As your mouse approaches the edge of the pane, it will change to an arrow, and there will be a shaded border filling about half the pane, indicating that if you drop it where it is, the editor will fill that border area. Drop it there.
You can split horizontally, as I have here, because I have an enormous monitor and plenty of room:
Or you can also split vertically, if you don't have the horizontal screen space:
Update:
Although it's possible to create split panes as I've illustrated here, the functionality is kind of buggy. If you just need to view or compare 2 sections of the same file, this could be useful; but trying to edit the file in one of the panes seems to cause some strange issues with syntax highlighting, your cursor may disappear, and the pane may just freeze up. I've filed a bug for this behaviour, which I would encourage you to vote for if this feature is important to you. Hopefully this issue will get resolved in a future update.
Posted in
CFBuilder
| 5 Responses
April 28 2010
