Tools of the Mason(ry)

Here’s a select list of Software that we use at Masonry from a development perspective. I'm sure there's many other tools that are used in the office but no one tells me about them. 

All right then, keep your secrets

- Mr. Frodo

Atom

What it does:
A text editor that makes adding plugins (like Emmet!) easy to install, update and manage.

Why we use it:
Atom has seamless integration with GitHub and is fully customizable. It's open source and has a dark theme enabled by default so you don't have to go through the hassle of looking at your settings.

Pricing: Free!

Website: https://atom.io/

Beanstalk

What it does:
Beanstalk is a GitHub repository that also handles server deployment.

Why we use it:
Our favorite part of beanstalk is the UI that shows branches, archives, and files that have been deployed. Beanstalk is also able to deploy git branches to different servers either manually or automatically which streamlines our workflow.

Pricing: $15 - $200 / Month

Website: https://beanstalkapp.com/

Craft CMS

What it does:
Craft is a content management system that’s flexible and scalable.

Why we use it:
You can read the full read-up here on why we use craft but the customizability and simple user interface are the main reasons.

Pricing: Free for personal use otherwise - $199

Website: https://craftcms.com/

Gather Content

What it does:
GatherContent provides a location for Content Creators to add text and photos in a similar way to how the CMS will be set up later.

Why we use it:
GatherContent helps clients shape their content to make data entry into the CMS more seamless. Rather than waiting for the CMS to be fully developed we can give clients a place to enter content that’ll be able to fit into the website's design. No more word docs that have huge blocks of content!

Pricing: $12/Month

Website: https://gathercontent.com

Hotjar

What it does:
Hotjar tracks click events as well as folds and how far uses scrolls

Why we use it:
We’re able to use hotjar to analyze user interactions with the website. We can use that data to improve the user experience and change how information is presented. Hotjar is also going to be the name of my Pickled Jalapeno business once I retire. 

Pricing: Free - $90 / Month

Website: https://trello.com

Sketch

What it does:
Sketch is a vector based design tool created specifically for websites and applications

Why we use it:
We were a photoshop team for a while but Sketch handles website and application design SOOO much better. To see an in depth look at why we “Sketch it Out” read this post.

Pricing: $99

Website: https://craftcms.com

Source Tree

What it does:
A visualization of git branches with a simple UI to help Code management to avoid conflicts and WTF moments. 

Why we use it:
Sourcetree connects with our beanstalk repository so we can have full visualization of our coding + deployment process. Additionally, Beanstalk is much more approachable than the terminal for beginning git users. It also has pretty colors!

Pricing: Free!

Website: https://www.sourcetreeapp.com

Trello

What it does:
Trello is a task management tool that is focused on organizing tasks from a Project's perspective

Why we use it:
We were on Asana for a long time before committing to Trello as our tool of choice. We like the ability to invite third party contributors to boards to create a ticketing systems and its ability to keep larger projects organized.

Pricing: Free - $45+ / Month

Website: https://trello.com

Additional Software

Google Drive
We like the ability to collaborate on documents and spreadsheets

Slack
A place to share Game of Thrones memes and reaction GIFs

Join.me
Our conferencing tool of choice.

1password
A collaborative password management tool.