Quick Netbeans tip – task filters

I’m using Netbeans as my main IDE for PHP and Python projects for over a year now, yet only now I have stumbled upon this feature – creating filters for tasks that show up in the “Tasks” window (Ctrl+6 shortcut to show/hide the window).

Task filters

Setting rules for the filter

To be honest, I wasn’t even using it (until now), cause, by default it shows all the todo-s and issues from all the files from the current project. This can produce a pretty big list if (like me) you have Zend Framework, Pear and other frameworks and libraries set on the include path for the project you’re working in, as the little @todo-s will show up from those files, too.

Filters to the rescue. On the “Tasks” window there’s that little icon of that whatever-it’s-called showed on the first image, where you can create and edit filters. I’ve created a simple one, which excludes todo-s from files that have “Zend” in their location and includes only from PHP files (second image).

Me likes this feature.