DraftCode is a Powerful PHP Development App for iPad

Coding can tie developers down to laptops and desktops, sometimes just for the ease of viewing multiple windows all at once or just to render screens with clarity. With web design and development, the parameters change up a bit, allowing for a reduced need for screen real estate and increased flexibility on when you can make a change. Sometimes, ideas come to creators at the most inconvenient of times – the very time when a computer is not at hand. That’s when one wishes for a tool of some sort to take with them, allowing for easy updates, viewing and tweaking. That is where DraftCode steps in.

DraftCode App Review

DraftCode, created by Solesignal Limited, puts the power of a self-contained and self-powered developer environment onto the iPad, so you can take your creations wherever you go, and make changes as they come to you. There is no need for Internet connections. There is no need for any server or access to any. DraftCode is all of this, and more. For those skeptical developers who know all too well the power behind interactive development environments and what they entail, the question comes to mind as to how much such an app can offer. Well, it offers quite a bit.

By feeding off the inherent flexibility and functionality of WordPress and Flatpress, it supports PHP 5.4.23 offline theme and plugin development to make sites shine and stand out from the rest. The interface is clean and simple; and, while it took a bit of time trying to decipher how to use it properly, it became a close companion in convenient coding. To start, the app offers a variety of PHP extensions that provides support for enhanced operations.

Extensions currently support MySQL, Sqlite3, PDO, OpenSSL, libxml, and ZIP. The developers of the app promise many more are on their way. The runtime environment is standalone, turning your iPad into your very own personal server. You can run web apps as if they were running for real on the internet, complete with cookies, forms and sessions you create as needed.

Files are easily created, imported and shared through a flat-file storage. Transferrable files include just about all you need for sharp web app development: HTML, PHP and CSS. This allows for smart and efficient engineering reuse and recoding. Why create what’s already been done? As for graphics, you can easily import from the iPad’s camera roll or photo storage. This means instant use of what you capture as you see it. If something inspires an idea, you can snap it, save it and use it! With easy rendering through the built-in runtime environment, pages that are designed and coded up can easily and instantaneously be rendered for instant fixing and updating. Screens and forms will render as if they were being displayed for real on Safari.

DraftCode also supports Javascript/AJAX, HTML and CSS with PHP to further enhance functionality. What was most surprising was the option to customize the work environment. Color schemes, brightness and more could be selected to meet your very own individual needs while coding. While difficult to master at first, the app soon became a familiar haven for code development. The extended keyboard was a blessing, but the barrenness of the interface was almost daunting and unwelcoming when first encountered. But, after getting past that initial empty look and after importing and creating, the real value is soon revealed.

Get DraftCode from App Store