I just released a new Version of the ApexLib APEX Developer Addon, a great tool that brings more features and functionality to your APEX Application Builder without installing anything in your Database.

It is a simple Addon for Firefox and Chrome Browsers, and can be installed in a few easy steps.

This Addon brings you many great features like Syntax Highlighting Editors, Keyboard Shortcuts and quick Navigation in the Application Builder. But you probably know that, if you are one of the hundreds of users who downloaded the ApexLib APEX Developer Addon in the past year.

New in this Release (tagged with Version 148) is – next to some bugfixes and APEX 4.2 enhancements – a new Keyboard shortcut and a better use of screen real estate.

New Keyboard Shortcut: “/” jumps to Search Box

Inspired by my favorite Mail Client it is now possible to simply press “/” and the cursor will be placed into the Search Box. Of course this only happens if you are not currently sitting in a field and try to type something…

You don’t think thats great? Then you probably don’t know about the countless features the Search Box opens to you: Search, jump to Page, quick Navigation or just enter “?” for help.

Don’t waste any screen space

I’m very lucky and have a biiig screen attached to my notebook, so most of the time i couldn’t care less. But even with the big screen – and of course more when i’m on the road with my 13″ notebook screen only – I find the Application Builder wastes screen space on the most important Page: 1 – Page Definition.

See that ~100 pixels on the bottom? I really don’t want to see that when i try to work on my Pages.

So the ApexLib APEX Developer Addon enlarges the Tree-Size and scrolls the Footer-Information out of sight. You still can scroll down to read it, but the first glance shows you just your Page elements. And this is the most important thing you want to do here.

Enough for today. If you already use the Addon it will do an automatic update over the next days, for everyone else please get over there and download it. I can’t work without it anymore :-)