Essential Mac Tools Every Developer Should Use: Docs, Mind Maps & Diagrams

Introduction

Many friends have asked me about development‑related tools; here I highlight three tools I consider essential (available on Mac, with Windows equivalents). One is a documentation tool, the other two are for drawing, and I’ll briefly mention the rest.

Documentation Tool – Dash

Having documentation at hand is invaluable for a full‑stack tinkerer. Dash lets you save code snippets, replace placeholders with a single click, and quickly reference requests and responses. It also solves the common problem of searching JavaSE docs by method name without knowing the class, and integrates Google and StackOverflow searches. The tool provides massive English documentation, with Chinese‑translated sections for JavaSE, jQuery, PHP, etc.

Dash also offers a handy feature to search directly by method name, which many other documentation tools lack.

Mind Mapping Tool – MindNode

MindNode is a visually appealing mind‑mapping app with multiple themes, superior to XMind in aesthetics. I used it for the "Java Interview Questions" series and other diagrams; you can view the results in my previous articles.

For example, the business flow diagram for sending verification codes created with MindNode makes the subsequent coding much easier.

Diagramming Tool – OmniGraffle

Below is a quick guide on how to create a diagram with OmniGraffle.

1. Open the Software

Any template works; just pick the first one.

2. Drawing

2.1 Select a rectangle.

2.2 Set a black background. You can choose any color; I used RGB(62,61,63).

2.3 Combine shapes. The blocks you see are composite shapes; OmniGraffle also offers many attractive color schemes.

3. Tips

OmniGraffle provides a large library of prototypes you can experiment with. Remember to place the black background on the lowest layer (the "Layer" area); you’ll figure it out as you go.

Other Tools

I will update this list irregularly; feel free to comment on tools you’d like me to elaborate.

Postman

– Chrome extension for debugging RESTful APIs, especially useful for its bookmark feature.

jsonView

– Chrome extension that formats JSON responses for easy reading.

iTerm2

– macOS terminal with many beautiful color schemes.

欧路词典

– Handy translation software.

MacDown

– My favorite Markdown editor on macOS, supporting multiple styles.

Shadowsocks

– Essential tool for scientific internet access.

Snap

– Lightweight gesture‑switching tool for macOS, similar to Alfred workflows.

TeamViewer

– Remote control tool for assisting others with computer issues.

licecap

– macOS tool for recording GIFs.

PaintCode

– Generates Objective‑C code from animations, removing the fear of creating cool effects.

HHEnumeration

– My favorite Xcode plugin that provides friendly enum suggestions; highly recommended for iOS development.

Simpholders

– iOS development utility for quickly accessing the sandbox.