September update (1.61) introduces support for Pest tests. This means, your tests defined using it() and test() methods are seamlessly listed in the VSCode's Test Explorer, tests can be inspected, run, debugged, or profiled. Additionally, the editor inside your test anonymous function provides full IntelliSense for $this variable and its members. Let's see how it works.
Test Explorer in Visual Studio Code opens the door to all your PHPUnit and Pest PHP tests. You can browse and filter test suites, test classes, test cases, and data sets. Run, debug, profile, or navigate to any test. You can enable automatic testing on changes, browse test history, and see detailed diffs of actual and expected results. Let me show you how.
Debugging PHP can sometimes feel like chasing ghosts. Even experienced developers often encounter the same recurring issues, especially when using Xdebug or IDE-integrated debuggers. Here’s a practical guide to the most common pitfalls—and how to solve them.
We're thrilled to announce that Zed IDE is now officially supported by our PHP Tools extension! 🎉
We’re excited to announce the release of PHP Tools for Visual Studio Code version 1.59! This update delivers a wide range of improvements and new features — from enhanced Laravel support, powerful code actions, and improved IntelliSense, to diagnostics and formatting refinements.
Let’s take a look at what’s new:
We’re excited to announce the release of Update 1.58 for our Visual Studio Code extension. This update comes on the heels of a major internal change in our technology stack and brings a suite of new features, improvements, and foundational enhancements for future development.
PHP Extension works seamlessly with Cursor—the popular AI-powered code editor. With the PHP extension, you get a full suite of features, including code completion, intelligent code actions, an integrated debugger, advanced syntax highlighting, and effortless navigation. But that’s not all! It also offers workspace-wide code analysis and detailed diagnostics. Plus, these features are fully compatible with the AI chat agent, creating a powerful coding experience.
Performance always matters. Your Laravel application might be beautifully designed and written, but there's always the possibility of hidden bottlenecks. Is it unnecessarily slow? Can it be optimized further? Sometimes, a single function can consume most of your CPU time. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to profile your Laravel application in Visual Studio Code to uncover and address these issues.
.env Files in PHP: Concepts, Tools, and Best Practices
Environment variables are a crucial part of managing configuration in modern web applications. .env files are an elegant way to handle these variables, ensuring configuration remains separate from your codebase. In this article, we will explore the key concepts, tools, and best practices for working with .env files in PHP, including the use of libraries like phpdotenv and debugging techniques in Visual Studio Code.
In a previous blog post, we introduced the initial Blade editor support for Visual Studio Code. This support brought a seamless integration of PHP editor language features into Blade files. Users could enjoy enhanced productivity with features such as mouse tooltips, PHP code completion, inlay hints, refactorings, code actions, and intuitive navigation within their Blade templates. These features significantly improved the development experience for Laravel applications.