Optimal workflow (workflow) of an html coder?

Question

CMS

I make up sites in statics (i.e. regular html files saved locally).
There was a task to typeset html-templates on Smarty , but at the same time it is not clear how the workflow will look like .
In theory, you need to install a working copy of the project locally. So I can work with all the necessary files and immediately test in the browser, and not save files every minute via FTP when editing on the server.
Tell me, do I understand the layout designer's workflow correctly , which works with Smarty templates? And what tools are better to use for these purposes (they say Denwer is outdated)?

Answer 1

First you need to master version control systems. Locally, you will run the project on anything, it already depends on your operating system.
PHPStorm is the best IDE for you, as far as I know it works with Smarty.

Answer 2

I advise you to install a virtual machine (VirtualBox, Parallels, KVM) with a samba server on it.

Answer 3

open-server