PHP Tool to check syntax/code validity [closed] - php

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I am new to PHP and was wondering whether there is a tool which checks the PHP code syntax and validity.
For example if I have:
class myClass
{
public function function1()
{
$this->myvariable++;
$this->function2();
}
private $myVariable;
}
I would like the tool to highlight that the variable myvariable and the function function2 does not exist within that class.
I have searched online and found http://www.icosaedro.it/phplint/index.html however when I tried it in my PHP project it did not work correctly. I know that php has the -l option, however that only checks for syntax not validity.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

It sounds like you're looking for an IDE.
PHPStorm is a popular paid IDE for PHP. (~99$/~99€)
Netbeans is also popular, as well as being free.
I've also heard of phpDesigner, Komodo IDE, and Zend Studio. Also, you can find a list of PHP Editors here.

Answer 2

The kind of tool you're looking for, strictly speaking, is a static analysis tool such as PHP Mess Detector. An even simpler (and faster) check can be run from PHP itself using the -l switch, but will only warn against syntax errors.
More advanced checks against code smells, which are somewhat less than bugs but have been found to often evolve into those, can be run by tools such as CodeSniffer for PHP.
That said, the tools above (and many more) are either already bundled, or can be easily integrated, into various IDEs such as Eclipse for PHP. These also supply useful integrations such as code highlighting and inline error highlighting, so that you can quickly "zoom in" on the various bugs. Also, they come with a ton of useful features such as code completion, lookups, insight, templating, and refactoring. More advanced IDEs also "know" about the most popular frameworks and so can be a great help in using them.

Answer 3

You are searching for Integrated Development Environment or shortly IDE, which is software with a lot built in functions to help you to write, test, develop, debug etc... your software.
If we are talking about PHP programming language I prefer them in the following order:
Netbeans
PhpStorm
phpDesigner
Zend Studio