I don’t like splitting up my development environments, but I build projects for clients who use both .NET systems and Apache-based systems. This means I am forced to split my time between Visual Studio for the .NET and Dreamweaver or another IDE for the PHP-based work. I don’t want to use two IDEs – I’d much rather build everything in one.
I prefer VS for its intellisense support. It’s also easier to track down bugs in JavaScript used between two different projects when the syntax coloring is consistent – every IDE colors text slightly differently, making the same file look different in each environment.
Aside from VS.Php, what solutions exist for adding PHP support to the Visual Studio IDE? VS.Php looks promising, but I don’t want to shell out any cash for something that may or may not satisfy my need. Since PHP itself is free, I’m wondering if anyone’s bothered to build a free extension that offers the same support. Is this possible? Or should I just bite the bullet and go with VS.Php?
VS.PHP is what I use
Comes with a free trial and adds support to VS.