[noodle]

like you said, there's limited options, and each one has its individual drawbacks, but header redirect fits my needs when i'm doing php development. ymmv.

plus, when making decisions, i tend to follow the "whats best for my users" test. in this case, as you've stated it, its seamless IDE integration vs having a consistent external link structure. a no brainer, imo.

[jsteele]

All true. I've bounced back and forth. On a previous project, there was no need for stepping through the code, so header() trumped. My current project has benefitted greatly from the IDE, so I'm using a session var (and hoping the user refrains from bookmarking! :)