Netbeans - Open remote folder/new project

Question

I have been using Netbeans for several months now and like it a lot. I am trying to enable a way to create a project which accesses live files on my server to make changes. When I create a project using a remote source, it starts downloading all the server files to my computer. This would be just fine, except for the fact that (a) the server has a few gigs of files on it and (b) there are two of us that will be making changes on the server.

In the past, I have worked with IDEs that just open an FTP or SFTP connection and will download the file you want to edit, and then upload that file back to the server when you save it. Preferably, this is what I would like Netbeans to do.

I have tried adding a FTP folder in Windows, but Netbeans won't open it. I have tried using Swish and setting up an SFTP folder, and Netbeans won't find the Swish folder altogether.

On a side note, I understand what I am doing is horrible practice, but it is a small site and I am usually the only one working on it. I haven't worked on the website in the past several weeks and just thought it would be easier to get access directly than re-downloading the entire server's worth of code/images/videos/etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Solution 1

NetBeans does not support what you want to do. However, if you put your site under Subversion/Git (revision control), you could check out the content, modify it locally and push modification back remotely.

This would also help avoiding code clashes when your friends work on your website too.

Solution 2

Actually Netbeans supports this for php projects. Just choose :

PHP Application from remote server

(but git is the best solution anw as it gives you version control as well but the above is useful if you want your server files to be updated when you just press ctr+s)