A Coda 2 wish list

So, if you've been following along my twitter account you would have seen I've started to use Coda 2 as my main code editor for all the fun HTML, CSS and JavaScript I get to do. I started using Coda when I got my first Mac in 2009 after years of using Dreamweaver (ever since version 3). I had a dalliance with Espresso 2 for 6 months and wasn't to keen on what I saw of Coda 2.

Then I decided to try it for a client project. To see how I go along.

Since using it daily for quite a while now I've, every now and then, found some things that'd I really like to be added to the upcoming updates which I think will make such a great product even better.

This list is in absolutely no particular order and I may add to this post as and when I ever think of them.

A project todo list

You've got your current project open. Maybe there's the HTML and CSS page open. You think of something that you need to add on a todo list for the project. Wouldn't it be great if you can do that somewhere within Coda? You could have it as an option in the sidebar. Having the todos for a project tied to the project rather than a third party would, I feel, speed up your work and aid your concentration. Rather than flitting from Coda to a todo app to Coda again.

The sidebar open/closed per file.

Currently I'm finding I use the sidebar when I'm editing the CSS but don't want it there when I'm playing my HTML. It'd be great if, somehow, The sidebar would remember it's open or closed state on a per file basis rather than per project. I'm sure if I still and my 27" iMac instead of this 13" MBA I'd have The sidebar open all them time though. But it'd be a great option.

Add Markdown files as a book.

When I'm writing my CSS with LESS I'm more often than not using Clearleft's ClearLESS LESS library made by // All Marked Up //. This library has a fantastic markdown file of all the what's and wherefores to help and it'd be great if I could have this nicely accessible in say the Books format in Coda. So I can have it open and easily readable.

Add a viewport dimensions helper to the Preview

Although, yes, I do 'design in the browser' and test on a variety of devices I find myself using the preview in Coda quite a lot for initial layout and colouring in. Sometimes I use the built-in iOS 'user agents' but when I don't it's because I'm resizing the 'browser'. It'd be great to have an option to include a live dimensions of the viewport. Like Dave Rupert's fantastic FitWierd.

A key and mouse shortcut for 'Jump to Style'

Still using Preview, I really like the idea of being able to go to the line of CSS for a particular element from looking at the rendered page. Rather than (or as well as) having it as a right-click menu option I'm sure it'd speed up development if it was (also) a mouse(trackpad) and keyboard shortcut. Something like shift + cmd + click so that I can quickly get to CSS code. Of course this could prove tricky as some elements have more than one class etc but maybe the mouse/key shortcut could open up the options of CSS available. I'm sure that'd be a little quicker than right-click, move the mouse down, across and select.

Jump to Style goes to open LESS/Sass file

As I've mentioned in wish number 3. I use LESS, I also use Sass (well the SCSS syntax). If in my project I've got a Sass or LESS file open I'd love the Previews 'Jump to Style' to be able to go to those files rather than my compressed one line of CSS which I can't read.

Only view certain types in The Navigator

Sometimes I add bookmarks to my CSS so I can jump to them quickly. It'd be really good if, in The Navigator, I could just view the bookmarks for the file that's open rather than all the CSS classes (for example) as well. You can arrange all the bits that Navigator by kind or Name. I'd really love to be able to only see certain types (like bookmarks).

Move the 'iPhone' about

When I'm using the Preview mode I sometimes have the iPhone 'user agent' set. It'd be really nice if I click to inspect element I could move the 'iPhone' so that I can easily view the webkit inspector (granted this would not be an issue on a 27" iMac).