Webmasters have it pretty easy nowadays – you can set up a site in literally a few minutes with a few clicks. Just a decade ago, you had to know HTML and CSS at the very least, and setting up a site on a hosting account was very hard, not to mention expensive. If you’re a webmaster and you don’t want to be tied to your desk (or any desk, really), you have probably already investigated the option of using your tablet or smartphone for web development, and it’s actually possible to do it nowadays.
Here are some of the apps you should check out and install if you want to do web development and manage your website from your smartphone or tablet.
AndFTP. You’re most definitely going to need an FTP client to work on your site, and AndFTP is the best FTP client for Android. It’s got all the features you may need, including support for FTP, SFTP, FTPS and SCP, plus the interface is easy to understand and use. Transferring, opening and editing files is a snap and you can easily modify, for example, the header.php file of you WordPress site right on your phone.
DroidEdit. Of course, you’ll need a good code editor to edit all the files, and while the integrated Text Editor is great for the purpose (it can open any files, as well), for actual code you’ll be much better off with an actual code editor. DroidEdit is pretty much the best there is for Android, and it lets you edit any text files, highlights code syntax, supports undo and redo, search and replace and other features, and best of all – it’s free!
Mobecommerce. If you’re building an eCommerce site or a web store and you want your buyers to be able to easily use it on their smartphones, Mobecommerce is the app for you. It works with most online shopping cart solutions, and it makes browsing and checkout much easier. For the actual server-side you may check the following solution for online shopping cart.
VNC Viewer. VNC Viewer lets you connect to other computers using the RDP or VNC protocols, and this can come in handy when you want to work with your server using the GUI or want to see how your new changes look in various browsers without having to be in front of the actual computer – you can install software and view everything remotely using your smartphone or tablet with VNC Viewer.
Smart Diagram. Smart Diagram lets you create diagrams or mind maps right on your Android smartphone or tablet, which is great if you find yourself getting the best ideas outside of your home or office. The app is easy to use and you can create large diagrams or mind maps with ease.
WordPress. WordPress is the leading blogging platform online, and of course they have a mobile app for Android, as well. You’ll need to enable XML RPC posting on your site beforehand (you can do it using the Android browser, actually), but once you do that, it’s very easy to post and edit articles on your site, and you can add pictures, videos and links relatively easily, too.
It’s definitely possible to build website and to do web development from an Android tablet or even smartphone, especially if you get an external keyboard, so if you were planning to do it, be sure to check out the apps listed above – I’m sure you’ll love them!
