NAntBuilder 1.1, Handy Cover for Handy Tool

Home

The make tool was cool. But this "was" is twenty years old. Today's programmers don't cherish the old make not because they are dumb, but because they live in the new time with a new mind and new habits. Today's build and automation tools are XML-based, because XML is universal. .Net environments and .Net programmers are in love with free and open-source NAnt tool.

But, as modern developers, we want not only a language, but also an IDE for it. C# and VB.Net have their Visual Studio (and several alternatives), and now NAnt has got its NAntBuilder, smart full-featured NAnt IDE.

Of course, it has a rich syntax highlighting. And yes, it has a really smart code completion (even thinking of all NAnt extensions that you have). Several code navigation tricks allow you to easily develop and maintain even lengthy scripts: the code can be folded and have its outline, in a click you can jump to any task or item. When you are to write large amounts of code, you'll be happy with the integrated code snippets and documentation.

A fast built-in debugger allows you trace your scripts as they run. NAntBuilder can highlight not only a script itself, but also the NAnt output, making it easy to read. All syntax errors are also determined and can be easily browsed.

If you already have a good language, why not to use a complete IDE for it?

Who's Online