Is there an IDE for PHP on Mac which would provide error checking and problem notification?

Although I do like PHPStorm, there are three ways to show errors in php which may be what you want

1) add the following two lines directly below the top <?php (will NOT show parse errors and can still show a blank page)

error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set("display_errors", 1);

2) create a file in the root directory of your site named ".htaccess" within that file add the following lines (WILL show parse errors)

# display startup errors
php_flag display_startup_errors on

# display all other errors
php_flag display_errors on

# specify recording of all php errors
php_value error_reporting -1

# html markup of errors, make them easier to read
php_flag html_errors on

3) update your php.ini file to show errors (this WILL show parse errors but may be harder to locate and you don't always have access. Calling "phpinfo();" within a php file will display information about php and help you locate php.ini)

Make sure the following settings are turned on:

error_reporting  =  E_ALL
display_errors = On
display_startup_errors = On

I am using Adobe Dreamweaver for all my projects. Dreamweaver will show you errors on the line they occur.

If you are looking for a free solution, you can check out Eclipse PDT: http://www.eclipse.org/pdt/ I have personally never used it so I cannot really give you any feedback, but some of my friends work with it on a daily basis.

Thanks, Jacob, for your response. Dreamweaver is really expensive for someone just getting started with PHP. I DL'ed Aptana Studio but am lost trying to get started and the documentation is not helpful. I will take a look at the eclipse plugin.

Hi Roger - I use PHPStorm made by JETBrains. The beauty of this IDE is that it enables you to code in a variety of languages (html, php, JavaScript) simultaneously. It is also very well documented at their site. For instance, they have good instructions on integrating PHPStorm with MAMP.