Drupal Development Tool For Netbeans 7

Thank you, this should come in handy.

I finally figured out how to detect when the active editor document changes. It took me a while to figure this one out, since the NB API documentation isn't the greatest.

I had to take a break from that part to give my head a rest and never really got any help from the NB dev list. Instead I went to tearing in the source code (which is huge for Netbeans). Instead I started doing more work on the actual Drupal component that will replace the toolbar button. Here's an early image of it:

http://yfrog.com/j2mxqexj

I'm starting to work some Drush functionality into it. There are certain limitations to doing this, like commands have to be able to be executed with no user input (I'm sure there's a way around this, but my Java knowledge is still pretty limited and I don't want to risk locking threads). Also there's no real way for Netbeans to know the internal details of a Drupal installation, short of giving NB access to the database. Of course that may all change in Drupal 8 with the implementation of file based configurations. Then a whole new world will open :D

I'm hoping to push these new changes out to GitHub in the next few days.

Thanks!

Just a quick update. I pushed out 1.5.1 tonight. No real changes, but it now works on NB 7.0+. Basically I dropped the PhpModule dependency, since that doesn't really have a public API and caused the version limitations. I finally dug deep enough into Netbeans source code (and got a nice headache!) to figure out how to do it with Netbeans lookup system. You can grab the NBM here:

https://github.com/downloads/HollyIT/NBDrupalDevel/NBDrupalDevelTool.nbm

It's also now the master version of the project since the API stuff is playing nice now.

I've got the initial commit in of Drush support. Currently this works on Windows only (will have Mac and Linux support in soon). The branch is here:

https://github.com/HollyIT/NBDrupalDevel/tree/dev

Make sure you have Drush properly installed on your system and you set the path to Drush in NB's options window. Check the Drush output window for signs of any errors. I've been testing it out with certain things like cache clearing and module enable/disable and it is working fine (there is a warning when Drush first fires up about Drush not being able to open a file, but that seems to be a false warning. It might be the fact that this is running inside a command processor in Java).

If you discover any problems, please file a ticket on GitHub and include your Drush and Drupal versions as well as a copy of the Drush output window.

Thanks!

EDIT: Here's a blog post with a little more detail

Here's a blog post going into a little more detail on the changes:

http://www.hollyit.net/blog/netbeans-drupal-devel-tool-version-20-bleedi...

Hi there,

I just opened a Drupal project in Netbeans and have your module successfully installed. I'm familiarizing myself with the tool, reading your documentation, watching the video, etc.

Here is a small issue: I do not see the Drupal drop icon in my toolbar - although that is how it is shown in the documentation. Instead, I went to

Window -> Drupal -> Drupal API

to bring up the Drupal 6 menu. There is no separate window that opens up from here.

Thanks for your great efforts. I manage a few simple Drupal sites and am just getting started in custom module development, theming, etc. I think this plugin will be a great tool for me. If you would like, I can continue to provide feedback as I use your software.

Again I want to say thanks, because it is very inspiring to see a skilled programmer like you do things like this. I really enjoyed the video and am really excited about what these tools will help me build!

If you downloaded beta 2 and got an error that it couldn't be installed on NB 7.0.1, then grab the NBM again and it should install. There was a point release change in JavaHelp that made it not install. I just changed the API version for the library and it installs fine now. Sorry about that!

Nothing real major in this. There was a couple of Linux/Mac bugs with Drush. I think I've got them all squashed now.

The only new addition is a reload button on the API Tree TopComponent. This will simple reload any changes you made in the template libraries. Only changes to names and the actual structure need a reload. If you only edit the code template, then you don't need to reload as those are loaded on each insertion.

SUPER COOL NEW TRICK

I got to admit I wasn't really that informed on the variables in Netbean's code template system. Yesterday, after creating a module for a client with a bunch of different forms and having to copy and paste to make my validate and submit handlers, I thought that there had to be an easier way. Sure enough there was using this tool! I created a Declare Form snippet to load into the tool through my own library. Here's the XML for it:

EDIT: The input filter doesn't like my XML, even with code or pre, so here's a gist of it:

https://gist.github.com/1360746

When you insert it, the first ${form_id} is selected. Type in your form_id and all occurences of ${form_id} (will display just as form_id when inserted into the editor) is automatically changed to what you type in.

I had a feeling there would be a lot more potential to this than I originally intended and I just found it out.

I'm still hoping to get a dedicated site up for the tool, complete with a Snippet sharing feature. I really want to get the time to work on it this weekend now that I found out more hidden power of these snippets. I think we could really develop a big library of stuff to help speed up coding down the road.

Hello guys, I realize it's not precisely the place to ask this. But I have been developing for Drupal in Netbeans for a year now, and I just love the way how it prompts function names and variables names even for the functions that you yourself wrote in the project.

Recently however, I encountered a nasty thing, where the FTP support for netbeans died. It fails to read files in the remote server. I have tried same in Aptana and Eclipse, and they share this problem. Aptana a bit different, but still shares in it. I have searched a lot, and there is a Java 7 bug. Some also say it's the firewall problem. It is Java - specific, FileZilla does fine. I have played with Windows firewall, and then tested under Linux. I have downgraded to Java 6.x, in Windows and Linux. Nothing helps.

Have you encountered this problem? I read that for most people, either downgrading Java to 6.x or tweaking the firewall helped. Not for me. I also tried OpenJDK instead of Sun's Java.

Please suggest how to at least learn what is happening with my Java-based FTP. Not being able to use netbeans has ridden me of many a comfortable way of working. Would be glad if somebody could suggest a helpful diagnosis of the problem or a solution.

i´d have a feature request:
i love your way to create modules and themes.
yet most if not all my projects start with an installation profile.

to be more exact:
1. with a .profile file containing the call to the profiler library
2. a build file downloading core & this profile from github
3. with a make file downloading some basic contrib modules and the profiler library.
4. an info file enabling some modules

i am sure i can do this with templates, but was wondering if you could add that to your wizardly tool at some point since it is very similar to what you already have.

thanks again!

that is the answer i was hoping for!

It's still got a ways to go, but I've got the snippet sharing stuff in place:

http://nddt.hollyit.net/

You can either register for an account or submit snippets anonymously. The anonymous stuff is totally custom. You provide your name and email then if you ever want edit access you can get it by requesting a key through your email. If you decide to register down the road, then the anonymous snippets submitted by your email will be imported. I've done some extensive testing on this, but wouldn't be surprised if a bug or two got through.

Once I get more time I do plan on expanding the site more. I've just got a lot of projects going on right now, so time to even eat is becoming rough LOL!

In Netbeans 7.1.1 on a Mac the error message for configuring drush doesn't make sense because there is no Tools -> Options menu selection. Instead choose preferences and then select PHP across the top. From there you will see the Drupal "tab" where you can configure drush.

Hope this helps others.

d'oh... i got this message:

Hi,

I'm not sure if NetBeans plugin installation did this by default or not. But I do have an icon on my toolbar at the top with a text box that allows me to search the Drupal API. You can add this to your toolbar by right clicking on it and customizing it. Scroll down and look for the Drupal API item (or Drush if you want that.) In addition the Drush and Drupal options are available from the Window > Drupal menu option. Choosing the Window option will provide a Drupal API tab in the area where your Navigator is. Selecting the Drush option will open a tab in the bottom where command line, search results, etc. would be. (Make sure you configure the Drush location in your preferences and choose which version of Drupal you are developing for so you get the correct API info.)

Hope this helps,
Jack