Code Collector Pro

As a developer there comes a point when one has to type blocks of code that repeat over and over again. So, when you start defining that start block of an app or the routine for In-App purchase or the About Screen menu, etc, one way would be to use templates. However that is not a very convenient method all the time, sometimes you need more than templates as you cannot start with fresh files.

Help comes in various forms, for all Mac OSX users, one form that help for repetitive redundant code comes is Code Collector Pro from M Cubed Software ( http://www.mcubedsw.com/software/codecollectorpro ). A simple looking app that does so much more than meets the eye.

When I have my developer hat on, I do end up spending time typing the same code over and over again, so at first I used alternatives such as text files, but then as most of you know, that is good when you are working with terminal based systems and VIM as your text editor. With the GUI based systems, you need something more that helps you create libraries, that allows you to have code snippets and best of all code snippets that you can insert into your apps.

As with text editors that a lot of developers use, it is helpful if the code is syntax highlighted, so as to maintain readability. A review of text editors is in one of the earlier posts on this blog. TextMate, is one of the editors mentioned. Code Collector Pro is smart in the way it manages extensibility of new languages, it uses the TextMate bundles for new languages. So you can automatically add not only code syntax highlighting but also code snippets. All of which can be inserted into your application easily. To test the true power of Code Collector Pro, I tried the app in both demo mode and in licensed mode. There are about 5/6 standard languages supported like C, C++, Objective-C, Python but on licensing the app, you get over 120 syntax coloring options. Plus if you can drop more TextMate bundles, you can keep expanding this.

Drag drop text files onto Code Collector Pro to save the snippets, copy snips from the web and create new snippets, set the language, set the license detail on each snippet.

The best is always saved for the last, Code Collector Pro allows you to share your snippets with other users, the sharing feature allows you to share your snippets over the net in a neat HTML format.

This little gem is priced at €20 which is about $25 and available directly from the developer's website. This is *not* available on the MacApp store. If you are a serious developer, then this is a tool that will only be helpful and increase your productivity.

You can download the dmg from the website and give this a try before you decide to fork out the money to license it.

One lucky reader can get a copy of Code Collector Pro for free, all you have to do is follow @whatsin4me and retweet "Read the reviews at reviewme.oz-apps.com, follow @whatsin4me , RT and win, this time its Code Collector Pro from @mcubedsw" simple, by next Sunday we shall announce the lucky winner of our first giveaway, thanks to M Cubed Software.

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