As a Mac user, I like to download apps that are not only for entertainment, productivity, or video editing but also apps that make my life easier when writing code.
There are some apps I have that I never close, no matter how many windows are already opened, because I know I’ll need them sooner or later.
In this article, I’ll share 5 apps that I use on a daily basis when writing code.
Before we start today’s article, I have a recommendation for those interested in software design and development.Enhancing your skills and knowledge is crucial in this field. That's why I'd like to introduce you to Arjan.
Arjan has a YouTube channel called ArjanCodes, where he helps junior and intermediate-level software developers grow into more senior roles. He also helps development teams improve how they work and deliver higher-quality software. His background includes teaching ICT to Master's students for close to 20 years and then becoming an entrepreneur. He has sold courses to over 3000 developers and works with development teams at Fortune 500 companies. He also writes blog posts twice a week on software design and development
Don’t forget to check out Arjan’s content if you’re into software design or development.
Now let’s see the list of apps.
1. Paste
Sometimes when we write code we forget the syntax of a function, all the libraries we need to import for a project, and even some terminal commands. All of this stops our workflow, so what to do?
Well, you could create a cheat sheet and open it every time you need to copy some lines of code … or you could download Paste.
Paste is a clipboard manager that can help you store all your code snippets and reuse them with a couple of keystrokes. Any time you’re writing code and can’t remember the syntax of a function, just press ⇧⌘ and the following menu will pop up.
Image by author
You can create multiple pinboards to organize not only your code snippets, but also images, links, and more. The best part is that all your clipboard history is shared across all your Apple devices.
2. Swish
Picture this — you’re writing code in your favorite text editor or IDE and suddenly need to open multiple apps and multitask. You could simply open the apps and switch back and forth between windows, but it’s better if you could have multiple windows open in a perfect 2x2 or 3z2 grid.
How to easily do this? With Swish! This app helps you control windows and applications right from your trackpad with swipe, pinch, tap, and hold gestures.
I use it often when I’m stuck and need to follow the steps from a video tutorial or StackOverflow to solve my problem. Here I only divide the screen into halves — on one side goes YouTube/StackOverflow and on the other my text editor. The gesture I use to divide the screen in a few seconds is two fingers to the right or left to send the window to the right half or left half of the screen respectively.
Here’s how it works.
Image by author
This is just one of the 30 gestures that will supercharge your workflow when writing code.
3. Keeping You Awake
Has it ever happened to you that you leave your code running, take a break, and when you come back your computer is sleeping?
That happened to me quite often, especially when I left my automation scripts running in the background … until I used KeepingYouAwake.
What the app does is quite simple — it prevents your Mac from going to sleep with one click. Of course, to keep your Mac awake, you could simply leave a video playing in the background (as I used to do in the past), but that can drain your battery and might make your computer a bit slow.
However, with KeepingYouAwake, you can pre-defined activation durations and it can even disable itself when the battery level is low.
KeepingYouAwake
4. Discord
I use Discord every time I get stuck. StackOverflow is good whenever you want the answer to questions that were already solved in the past, but when it comes to asking non-common questions related to a project or finding the answer to quick questions you can’t find on Google, Discord is your go-to place.
On Discord, you can find dozens of servers about the programming language you’re learning. You only need to join a big community to get your questions solved fast! No matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced programmer, on Discord you’ll always find someone who can help you.
On servers such as Tech with Tim and Python, you can find many Python enthusiasts to chat with, while on SpeakJS you can find all things JavaScript whether you’ve just started learning JavaScript or you’re a developer with years of experience.
5. Terminal
An app every programmer should always have open is the terminal. The terminal helps us interact with our computer through commands instead of the graphical user interface (GUI), which is what most people use on a daily basis.
With the terminal, we can do things such as navigate through a directory, work with files, and more, but way faster than when working with the GUI (if you’re already familiar with it, of course)
Although learning how to use the terminal is something that isn’t essential to coding, it can help you become more proficient when working with your operating system. As a result, you’ll easily do tasks such as running servers, running your script, managing a virtual environment, and more!
Image by author
Some IDEs have a terminal integrated into their interface, so feel free to use it in case you don’t want to have another window open.
I’m preparing a guide to transform your Mac terminal, so that you become more productive as a programmer. Stay tuned!
Terminal is often used, for example: operating server environments, writing and running code, viewing logs, and so on.
In fact, for such tools, there is no need for too many features. The simpler and more concise, the better.
Because many things can be resolved through the command line.