AS Editor Tip

This isn't original but I thought it was worthwhile mentioning as I stumbled across this tip on some blog recently quite by chance, though I forget where, and it was something I didn't know about, maybe someone else out there is as dumb as me.

Ever needed to indent your code in the editor, can't find the indent button like in DW and don't like to use the code formatter?

Well just select the text block you want and hit Tab! Boy is that so dumb and obvious why did I miss it.

Of course shift-tab gets you unindent as well.

While we are here I might as well say a few things about the editor. I see a LOT of people moan about the editor, how they can't ever imagine using it again and how they use 3party tools like Sepy and Eclipse.
Well let me say I don't mind it at all and I spend a lot more time coding than probably most people do.
I would add that I do all my coding in class files so I never use the Actions Panel and I think maybe that is the difference.
I wouldn't give up using the editor as I really like the code hinting and the syntax checker which I am not sure you can get in the other editors and I mean by that including reminding me that a variable or function is private in another class not just that I am using keywords correctly.
In particular I like the way I that code hinting is not just limited to the MM set of classes but can work with my own classes as well. Not many editors I know of allow that or at least make it so easy.

That's not to say the editor is anywhere up to the level I wish. I think I saw someone say the other day that MM were not aiming at being the world's best editor and that fair enough but I think it's not unreasonable to expect it to be in the ballpark with say Borland's IDE.

Some features I think would cost little and be trivial to add. For example whenever I code I always have DW open, not because I am using any web stuff but simply I find it essential to have its search and replace tool to search over all my source files say for example I am trying to find where a particular method is being used across class files. Why can't Flash at least have an editor with the features of DW?

I also miss some of the old HomeSite (now sort of DW) editor extensibility features, like being able to add blocks of code or create macros for for-loops etc. It might be nice if JSFL could be used in this area as that seems to now be the "user level automation tool".

Well I hope we see some improvements in the IDE in the next release of Flash, this is one are at least where MM are not restricted with backwards compatibility.