The following article will cover a number of tools that I have used extensively throughout my programming career. All of these tools have drastically reduced the time needed to complete tasks, and allowed me to become more efficient when writing code. In fact, some of these tools have made me so efficient, I’m not sure I could program without them! I hope you’ve been able to find some new tools through these recommendations too
As a programmer, you can’t help but hear about all the new frameworks, libraries, languages, etc. that are constantly released every single day. So how do you know which ones are worth learning? There are so many! I’ll share with you the best repositories to explore depending on what programming language(s) you want to learn.
AutoHotKey
Being a keyboard wizard is essential for any developer, so learning how to use hotkeys for keyboard shortcuts is vital: it automates repetitive actions and saves you a lot of time.
If you’re a Windows user, you can turn to AutoHotKey, a scripting language that helps automate recurring actions you have to undertake in Windows applications.
With it, you can manage files, folders, and windows, and perform various other actions that aid developer productivity.
You can use this scripting language to script keystrokes, mouse clicks, menu selections, which can comprise a combination of actions you can use for Graphic user interface testing, or similar activities.
There are a lot of hotkeys available, but you can start with the basic commands, and work your way up, for even faster performance.
Sublime Text
Every developer aiming at productivity must work in a good code editor, and Sublime Text is a pleasing choice. It is a cross-platform code editor that supports various markup and program languages.
With Sublime Text, you can easily navigate through lines and files, make changes simultaneously to multiple areas of your code, and switch between projects in an instant.
This code editor even offers a distraction-free mode, so you no longer have to rely on your own willpower to avoid distractions when working. This mode shows your editor full screen, with all UI chrome features hidden.
It’s fast in execution, but simple in interface, and you can run it on Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Codeanywhere
When developing software in a team, you’ll need a straightforward collaboration program, so you can work on various parts of the code simultaneously. Codeanywhere lets you do just that, as it is a code editor that allows developers to code together in real-time, and finish more in less time.
With this code editor, you can work directly in your browser. Just invite your collaborators, by sending them an URL link of the project; you can determine the level of permissions for each team member, and invite as many programmers as you want.
Choose one of the 75 programming languages, and you’ll get the corresponding syntax highlighting for it. You’ll be able to see the cursors of your colleagues as they move in the editor, so you’ll know where they are at any given time.
Apart from coding in your browser, you can also use Codeanywhere on iOS and Android. You can even link your Codeanywhere account with Dropbox and Google Drive, for an even faster sharing experience.
RescueTime
While Clockify is for tracking work hours, RescueTime is more for tracking personal productivity. It’s an automatic time tracker that measures how much time you spend on various software and websites, without you having to click anything. As such, it’s perfect if you’re interested in how, for how long, and on what websites you procrastinate.
You just install it on your computer, and each time you switch from one website or software to another, it automatically starts recording the time you spend on it.
This time data is then stored in the cloud, and you get reports on how much time you spend on time-consuming websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
This app lets you set an alarm that goes off after you’ve spent your limit for the day on a certain website. For example, you can set it so that it warns you when you’ve already spent 2 hours on Instagram.
Timely: Automatic time tracking
Timely can track time spent in every web and desktop app automatically for you. Get a precise daily record of all the time you spend in documents, meetings, emails, websites and video calls with zero effort. It’s all 100% private to you. With flexible options for logging time, your team can manage timesheets in the way that makes most sense to them.
By capturing every second of your work day, Timely stops billable time from falling through the cracks. Report and invoice clients transparently, and use accurate company time data to improve project rates and budgets.
Features:
- Automatic time tracking
- Project tracking
- Team management
- Integrations
Pricing:
- 14 Day Free Trial
- Starter – US$8/month (Annual plan)
- Premium – US$14/month (Annual plan)
- Unlimited – US$20/month (Annual plan)
Tupel: Mac-only remote pair programming tool
Tuple is a Mac-only remote pair programming tool. It gives mouse and keyboard control to both parties. Handing off control takes one click, so you never need to dictate what you want your pair to do. Tuple streams in glorious 5K so you can read your pair’s tiny programming font. Our audio is low-latency and super clear.
Using Slack or Zoom is not terrible for pair programming, but if you are working with mac, you can get a better way. With Tuple, you level up your pandemic pair-programming game by getting features like remote control, low-latency connection, and a block of all noisy notifications.
Features:
- Dual control
- Minimal lag
- Security of code/communication
- Full keyboard support (e.g. application switching)
- Context switching awareness (e.g. when we bounce from editor to browser)
- Audio support
- Editor/IDE agnostic
Pricing:
- 14 Day Free Trial
- US$25/month/user
Atom
Atom is an open source and free desktop editor cum source code editor that is up-to-date, friendly and hackable to the core.
Key Features:
- Atom supports cross-platform editing and works for various operating systems like Windows, Linux and OS X.
- Atom is a customizable tool with which one can effectively edit the look & feel of the User Interface, add few important features etc., without editing the configuration file.
- Important features of Atom which made it a remarkable tool are its built-in package manager, smart autocomplete, multiple panes, file system browser, find & replace feature etc.
- Atom is used to build cross-platform applications with web technologies using a framework called ‘Electron’.
Conclusion
When you’re a programmer, there are plenty of things that can slow you down. These can be anything from a hard to find bug or a particularly tough to manage source code. You could even just have a tough time staying organized and keeping all the content you need accessible.