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PHP Tools for Visual Studio - Features

Syntax Highlighting

Read your code in colors

The PHP Editor colorizes your code according to Visual Studio settings, giving you a better overview in the colors you are used to. The colors respect Visual Studio conventions with support for dark, light and 3rd party themes.

Code Validation

Get your code checked as you type

Detect type mismatches, typos, missing function parameters, unknown classes and functions as you type. Code analysis periodically checks your code for various issues and underlines them immediately. This avoids having to handle most of the issues in run-time.

IntelliSense

Use smart code assistance

The IntelliSense feature provides you with smart, context-aware code completions, detailed tool tips and function parameter assistance. The feature contains a complete PHP manual, learns from your code and performs type analysis. Its purpose is to minimize the amount of key presses you have to do.

IntelliPHP

AI assisted development

Elevate your PHP coding productivity to new heights with IntelliPHP. This cutting-edge feature provides comprehensive whole-line suggestions tailored to your code context, empowering you to write code faster and more efficiently. The best part? IntelliPHP operates locally, ensuring the privacy and security of your code. Say goodbye to time-consuming manual typing and embrace the convenience and confidence of IntelliPHP's locally executed AI whole-line completion.

Navigation Features

Jump to any definition from anywhere

Navigate to definitions and references using 'Go to definition', find all references, class view, navigation bar and more. Quickly jump through your code using the well-known Visual Studio shortcuts you are used to.

Code Lens

Quick navigational adornment always here

_Code Lenses_ are displayed above every declaration header with quick information with the number of references, overrides, prototypes, or trait uses. Click and jump directly to references.

Refactoring

Rename identifiers seamlessly

Avoid typos and keep code clean using our refactoring features. You can rename all kinds of identifiers as you type or you can use the rename dialog. Refactoring can rename identifiers in place or with a detailed preview where you can uncheck single occurrences.

PHP Manager

Install, Update, No Hustle

Just select PHP language version for your project and let PHP Tools to install and maintain the PHP binaries, composer, and other dependencies. This means working debugging, IIS Web Server, or fixed frequent configuration issues, without hustle. Explore More...

Code Formatting

Keep code nice and easy to follow

Automatically format your code when you type. Code formatting works great for the whole document, a selection of code, after you complete a statement or a block of code. The feature respects Visual Studio conventions, normalizes spaces, works great with mixed HTML, PHP and more.

Code Actions

Fix and Refactor code with a click

Take advantage of code refactorings and code fixes, and use smart suggestions right in the editor. This helps with keeping the code clean, suggests namespace completions, renaming symbols, implementing interfaces, fixes common typos, and other actions. Explore More...

Regex Editor

Write and Test your PCRE with ease

Edit regular expressions in a nice colorized view, or open them in the Regex Tool Window. Any syntactic or semantic error gets underlined with additional informations. Test your regular expressions before you run the code, and use the Regex Tool Window to inspect defined capture groups. Explore More...

PHPDoc Support

Easily document your code

Documenting your objects and functions helps you while coding. It also improves code analysis by hinting parameter and return types. The PHP Editor colorizes PHPDoc blocks, generates them automatically and integrates its content into IntelliSense.

Visual Debugger

Debug your code as you are used to

Inspect and edit variables, step through the code, pause on breakpoints, check the call stack and more, just as you are used to in Visual Studio. Xdebug integration works great with all kinds of web servers, allowing you to debug your program quickly and intuitively.

Exception Assistant

Be notified about run-time issues in your code

Break on selected errors, warnings, notices and exceptions, and thus, check the state of the program that is causing them. Building an error-safe code is an essential objective for any programmer. Don't miss a single issue with the exception assistant.

Debug Inlines

Contextual values at your hand

Watch important values or expressions during debugging. _Debug Inlines_ keep you informed about expressions of the current code context, function parameters, loop iteration variables, properties, and appropriate array entries.

Remote Debugging

Debug code running on a remote server

Deploy your project and solve issues on your remote server directly from Visual Studio. It can be a Windows server, Linux or Mac. Moreover, remote files are mapped to your local project, so remote debugging is just as fast as local debugging.

Immediate Window

Iterate faster

Enter the PHP code and see the results immediately in the Immediate Window during debugging. You can adjust the run of your program, introduce new variables or modify existing ones.

Error List

Review all project errors at one place

Quickly check all your syntax and fatal errors found in your project, before you actually run and debug the code. Error List helps you to keep the code clean, without unexpected run-time glitches.

Unit Testing

Test your code automatically

Write PHPUnit tests, manage test cases, organize them in categories and keep an overview of passed and failed scenarios. PHPUnit is seamlessly integrated into the Visual Studio Text Explorer, allowing you to author, run and debug your test cases.

Project System

Manage and customize your project

Take advantage of the Visual Studio Solution Explorer and the MSBuild industry standard. This allows for various customizations, custom projects and item templates, running or debugging more projects at once and more.

HTML Editor

Design and code all together

Write all the web languages within PHP files as you are used to. Mix HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP with complete built-in support from Visual Studio. The editor even allows all your favorite 3rd party plugins like Web Essentials.

Smarty Templating

Intense experience with Smarty Editor

Templating with our Smarty editor makes it easy if you are a beginner or an advanced Smarty user. Syntax highlighting and syntax error checking is a must have. Be sure to explore great IntelliSense features and coding snippets to edit templates quickly and comfortly.

Twig Templating

Best-in-Class Twig Editor

PHP Tools for Visual Studio offers you complete support for Twig templates, including syntax highlighting, error checking, code completion and outlining. Take advantage of our unique split view to understand and fine-tune your twig templates. Explore More...

Blade Templating

Get help with your laravel page

Blade editor colorizes your entire code and provides all the smart features you need for HTML, CSS, JS, Blade and embedded PHP within the blade files. Syntax errors and issues are underlined right in the editor, while IntelliSense suggests and helps. All running on top of Visual Studio's powerful editor engine. Explore More...

Code Snippets

Build code faster

By taking advantage of code snippets, insert common code fragments with just a few key hits. Avoid common typos, generate functions, documentary comments, loops and other constructs as it should be.

Composer Integration

Composer everywhere, just like it should be

Quickly search and install packages from a rich user interface. Update them and install missing packages with just one click. The Composer is also integrated within MSBuild as well as in the Solution Explorer, and its complete output appears in the Output Window.

Deployment

Publish your project to a remote server with one click

Incremental publish automatizes the deploying of your project files to a remote server. You can deploy a whole project or just a single file. It does not matter whether it is FTP, SFTP, FTPS, File System or Azure. We have covered them all.

Source Control

Push, Pull, Sync and Merge your code and work items.

A seamless integration with Visual Studio source control providers like Git and TFS gives your team all the tools they need. Command-line is not required, you can do all the source control tasks right in Visual Studio using the well-known user interface.

Remote Explorer

Upload, Download, Browse, Compare.

Link your project with remote locations and quickly sync your changes using FTP/FTPS/SFTP, browse the remote, compare your changes with the server, and more. Explore More...