Using ZendStudio with XAMPP - php

I had installed XAMPP, as a matter of convenience, since it installs php, apache (which is what I need) and, in addition, it installs other things like MySQL, but I'm not going to use now.
In XAMPP, I enabled the mssql module (editing the php.ini), to use the connection to Microsoft SQL, and everything works fine.
Now, I'm wanting to debug a script in PHP debugger with ZendStudio and I notice that there are two ways:
Internal
Server
[Internal], uses the ZendStudio "internal" PHP.
[Server], connect to a server (which is what I need).
The point is that I can not do it, I can not understand how it is configured.
I would like to use with the XAMPP apache and php.
I use Internal for now, but I get problems with the mssql module. I was looking at the Zend internal php, copied by hand the mssql dll and edited the php.ini (I am talking about the Zend) but still not working.
Any ideas?

You will need to install either Zend Debugger or xdebug on the server, and then configure Zend Studio accordingly. Both are fairly easy to install on XAMPP, and there are many articles available through Google that detail installation better than I can here.
If you choose to go with Zend Debugger, you shouldn't need to do anything else in Zend Studio, as it is the default debugger. If you opt for xdebug, you will need to edit your Studio configuration to use xdebug instead. This option can be found under PHP > Debug, and is a drop-down labeled PHP Debugger.
Now you can start a debugging or profiling session using the Zend Studio browser toolbar, or from the Remote Debug or Remote Profiling buttons in Studio. I highly suggest reading the Zend Studio manual for some more advanced debugging information.
Also, just to throw this out there, you can replace XAMPP with Zend Server Community, which has Zend Debugger installed and configured by default. Studio 7+ will pick up a Server installation and configures itself to use it automatically.

I'm not all that familiar with ZendStudio, but wouldn't you just use the "Server" option and point to http://localhost/ for the server to connect to?

Related

What to do to dubug/execute an existing PHP project

I am beginner to PHP. I want to debug/execute an existing PHP project. I have already installed Eclipse as IDE and what else should be installed in my system (OS is Windows xp).
And what and all settings should do in that...??
I request you to invest few seconds for this "Kid of PHP".......
I would recommend installing xampp, it allows you to run a website on your local machine.
php and a web server would come in handy ;-)
http://windows.php.net/download/
http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.cgi
Firephp is a Firefox extension. It works as a module of Firebug. After you install it and add the php library to your code your messages will appear inside the browser. A real quick and clear way to debug in php.
Since you said you are a beginner, it is better NOT to go after advanced debuggers like xDebug at the moment.
print_r(); die;
is the best debugging tool for you now.
Also if you want to nicely format the output of print_r() when arrays or objects are shown, do this:-
echo '<pre>', print_r($array), '</pre>';
And Eclipse! If you are a beginner (or pro), definitely go for NetBeans. NetBeans comes with built-in support for xDebug and zend debugger and a lot other cool stuff you can use when you learn more. If you are going with Eclipse, you will need to install Eclipse extensions like PDT for making Eclipse support PHP.
Of course you will need a web server with PHP support. If you already don't have that, install xampp as somebody mentioned earlier. That's the easy way to get the web server running quickly.
NetBeans is just great, everything works out of the box. Very little to configure. (I'm a former Eclipse user)

How to get Visual Studio Development Server to work with PHP?

I'm a .NET specialist working with a PHP/Flash programmer to deliver an app via IIS. After jumping through 17 hoops of fire and defeating a gargoyle in a gruesome battle to the death, I managed to get my IIS 7.5 server to cooperate with PHP, and now if you browse to my public web site, you can see the Flash objects happily doing their behind-the-scenes stuff with PHP, whatever that may be.
But... when I'm debugging my app using the VS Development Server, that still apparently doesn't know how to cope with PHP: I'm getting the same HTTP 405 (Method Not Allowed) errors that I was getting on IIS before aforementioned gargoyle breathed its last ("The HTTP verb POST used to access path '/php/blah.php' is not allowed.").
So, what do you have to do to get the VS Dev Server to play nice with PHP?
My PHP Debugging Setup
I'm a .NET developer who has been swimming in the PHP pool for the past few months.
Spoiled by the VS.NET IDE, debugger, and strongly typed platforms, I was determined to create a PHP development environment that closely resembles my .NET debugging experience.
NOTE: It may be easy to setup PHP debugging in IIS for new PHP applications. However, the steps listed below break down some very involved steps as I found required to debug in WordPress and Joomla. Only follow these steps if you aren't having any luck with getting debugging to work.
Disclaimer:
The full set of steps to complete this setup are quite involved. I'm throwing this together ad hoc in hopes it will help others in need of setting up a professional development environment with little background in Linux based systems.
These steps are not guaranteed to work and may be very sensitive to environment settings. I spent a lot of time going through the effort of trial and error until I got this working.
Along the way, I have to give credit to a few good online resources you should review to get started. These do not address debugging or development setup. I'll provide details below.
Step by Step Guide: Installing XAMPP and WordPress on Windows
Since I'm new to posting here, I can't add more than one link. Just Google the following references:
- Google: sixrevisions tutorials web-development-tutorials using-xampp-for-local-wordpress-theme-development
Securing Your XAMPP Installation
Google: robsnotebook xampp-builtin-security
DEVELOPMENT SETUP
WAMP Stack vs IIS for PHP:
First, I did not use IIS to host my PHP application. I wanted to keep these web servers separate and use one of the available WAMP Stacks to develop against. This allowed me to manage and study configuration settings that would be used on Apache and Linux. If I was deploying the PHP App to a Windows host, I would have chosen an IIS setup. Again, this was a choice based on creating similar configured environments with a Linux host.
What is WAMP Stack?
For those unfamiliar, a WAMP Stack stands for a distribution package of Apache, MySQL, and PHP running on Windows. Other flavors include LAMP (for Linux), MAMP (for MAC), and others. There are several flavors within the community that provides WAMP Stacks to work with. I originally found BitNami interesting to work with. However, I was not happy with the Control Panel used to manage the different services within the Stack.
Selecting XAMPP for Windows
At the end of the day, I went with a package called XAMPP (Cross Platform Apache, MySQL, PHP, and PERL). The second P in XAMPP provides PERL support that is lacking in the other WAMP Stacks (WAMPServer, bitnami, and a few others). I also like XAMPP because it has what appears to be a more active community and the stack has been very stable for me. Additional standout features of XAMPP to consider is support for hosting an FTP Server, apache based mail server. The option to run MySQL and Apachi as services or local running app is easily toggled with a click of a button.
Setting Up XAMPP for Development
Setup of XAMPP is straight forward. My experience is with the previous release 1.7.3. They just released 1.7.4. Go to:
Google: apachefriends xampp-windows
and scroll down the page till you see the install links. If you want to work with a release that has matured with some time, you can still find 1.7.3 at the following link:
Build Link: www (dot) apachefriends (dot) org (/) download (php) ?xampp-win32-1.7.3.exe
Installing XDebug for PHP Debugging
This applies to installing PHP on WAMP with Apache or on IIS. Selecting the correct version of this dll isn't straight forward.
First, go to:
Google: xdebug org download (php)
and review the various versions available.
The versions are not very intuitive to parse. Follow this guide to understand it:
Breakdown of XDebug Name: [php_xdebug-2.1.0-5.3-vc6.dll]
- XDebug version 2.1.0
- Compatible with PHP 5.3
- VC6: Use for Apache ver 1 or 2
- VC6 indicates compiled with legacy Visual Studio 6 Compiler
- VC9: Use for IIS
- VC9 indicates compiled with Visual Studio 2008.
- NTS (not listed in the name above) indicates Non Thread Safe.
- The version listed is thread safe.
PHP.ini Config Setting
NOTE: Since I've not set this up on IIS, I'm not sure what the specific settings are to apply. However, this is document throughout the web.
For WAMP/XAMPP:
Locate \php\php.ini file.
Comment out line by adding semi colon to start of line.
;zend_extension = "php\ext\php_xdebug.dll"
Locate [XDebug] Section
Use settings similarly listed below and set to your path:
[XDebug]
;Common Settings
zend_extension = "P:[Fully Qualified Path]\xampp\php\ext\php_xdebug-2.1.0-5.3-vc6.dll"
xdebug.profiler_enable = 1;
xdebug.profiler_output_dir = "P:[Fully Qualified Path]\xampp\tmp"
xdebug.profiler_output_name = "xdebug_profile.%p";
xdebug.remote_enable = 1;
xdebug.remote_host = "127.0.0.1";
xdebug.remote_port = 9000;
;Make sure your IDE setup on port 9000. Some will default to 7870.
xdebug.trace_output_dir = "P:[Fully Qualified Path]\xampp\tmp";
;************
;Needed for IDE Support
;************
xdebug.idekey = "vsphp";
;This value can be arbitrary or may require something specific for your IDE.
xdebug.remote_autostart = 1;
xdebug.var_display_max_depth = 5;
Debugging with IDE
I use 2 IDEs to develop in PHP:
phpDesigner7
Google: mpsoftware phpDesigner
VS.PHP (a PHP plugin for VS.NET 2010).
Google: jcxsoftware vsphp
I want to love VS.PHP in VS.NET 2010, however, it's not the greatest experience in step through debugging. phpDesigner7 has been much better for debugging and access to local variables, intellisense, and using running eval commands during debugging. VS.PHP is so close to being great, but you will be frustrated if you have little patience. I still prefer it as my development editor of choice, even for PHP.
Regardless of IDE, most IDEs provide internal debugging support without any of the extra steps I listed above. However, these applications will launch the php app in a private webserver using IDE specific php.ini settings.
I'm doing a lot of custom integration with WordPress, Joomla, and .NET applications. Therefore, I need the debugger to use the php.ini settings for my various platforms. For me to debug these platforms, I configure my IDEs to essentially run in remote debug mode. The IDE and web server coordinate run time execution with the help of XDebug acting as a broker and providing the necessary debugging symbols to the IDE debugger.
Configuring IDE for Debugging
Final step is to configure your IDE so the debugger can connect to the web server.
The 3 settings to look for are as follows:
PHP-CGI: P:[Fully Qualified Path]\xampp\php\php-cgi.exe
PHP.INI: P:[Fully Qualified Path]\xampp\php\php.ini
Listen Port: 9000
Different IDEs may label these settings differently and require additional settings. These should be the most important ones to look for.
NOTE: Use [php\php-cgi.exe], not [php\php.exe] for debugging. The php-cgi.exe is required to run php.exe on windows.
I hope this gets you started with attaching your IDE to the web server, setting breakpoints, and doing a lot with line by line debugging.
You will not be able to make Visual Studio Development Server work for PHP. However you can easily use IIS Express (http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2010/06/28/introducing-iis-express.aspx) which will not only give you PHP, but also install WinCache, URL Rewrite and other features that are super important for PHP development.
Also, note that other platforms like Classic ASP are supported as well, where in Cassini they are not.
One option is to not run cassini and instead just get IIS installed on your dev box and run everything through there.

Is there a true all-in-one solution for PHP Development?

I'm looking for a "SINGLE INSTALLER" solution for PHP Development.
Is there anything out there which will give me a nice IDE, Web Server, Debugger, Database, etc, on a single install image (*.msi or *.exe)?
This of course would be completely opposite of Eclipse PDT, which requires you to search and locate a bunch of additional components which never quite work together.
I think you should go for a separate install for server (web, database) and one for development (IDE, debug) -> Zend or PHPed ?
I think the question is: Does there need to be a true all-in-one solution? I think not.
I agree it's bothersome to have to put dozens of pieces together, but I find a combination of XAMPP, the IDE of my choice, and a few additional bells and whistles (like Polystyle for source code formatting) totally flexible, and not too much work to install.
I don't know if you'll find all of what you're looking for in one package for Windows, but you can get it narrowed down to about two...
XAMPP for Windows comes with: Apache, MySQL, PHP + PEAR, Perl, mod_php, mod_perl, mod_ssl, OpenSSL, phpMyAdmin, Webalizer, Mercury Mail Transport System for Win32 and NetWare Systems v3.32, Ming, JpGraph, FileZilla FTP Server, mcrypt, eAccelerator, SQLite, and WEB-DAV + mod_auth_mysql.
Then you just need an editor with a debugger, which there are many choices, mostly non-free, such as NuSphere's PhpEd - or free - such as Eclipse PDT or gVim+XDebug+DBGp client.
True one-in-all - not yet. Maybe someone reading this will upload a version.
My tip would be:
XAMPP and Netbeans (The PHP bundle).
2 clicks to install.
3 clicks if you don't have java installed already.
Netbeans is a nice IDE for PHP, too. I use it all the time and I'm much more satisfied with than with Eclipse PDT. It comes in one neat bundle, that you can just install and use right away.
Just download the PHP bundle here
As for a web server, I can recommend XAMPP or Zend Server. They are both easy to install and do a good job. XAMPP has MySQL on board while Zend Server has some really cool optimization features for great performance.
Should it be a requirement that your development environment is easy to install? You're a developer so, you should be able to install and configure a set of (more powerful) tools that suit your specific needs.
You'll only install your bundled IDE once (every so often) so that feature no longer is of benefit when you're developing your projects. It's more likely to become a hindrance as you struggle to configure your environment.
Take a look at Komodo IDE also.
If you're on windows you can get a WAMP package for web,php,database. For IDE I do like Zend Studio 5.5. Not their latest interation based off of PDT. 5.5 has a nice debugger and a built-in web browser that you can view output. The interface is pretty fast, running your code through the debugger/browser is slower than on a real webserver, but ofcourse you get the nice perks of breaking,inspecting your code. The only drawback is that Zend Studio 5.5 is not supported anymore and the highest PHP version that works with it is 5.2.13.
Currently though I have a Virtualbox Ubuntu Server image that mirrors my production enviroment, except it has Samba installed so I can easily copy files back and forth.

PHP: Understanding code via function or file tracing (without XDebug)

I have inherited a moderately large PHP codebase. In order to better understand how it works, I'd like to be able to print to logs a function or file trace whenever I hit a page, so I can correlate pages with source code. Are there any tools I can install? I have root on the server, and so have the ability to install anything as far as Apache or PHP add-ons goes.
I have heard about XDebug, but when reading up on installation, I've discovered that it is not compatible with Zend Optimizer. Unfortunately, this codebase requires Zend Optimizer, so XDebug does not appear to be an option for me at this time.
I'm developing under Linux.
Pisto,
running such tools would probably degrade the performance of your webserver anyway so you shouldn't do that on your production server. So I would advice you to copy the code on a different server disable Zend Optimizer and use Xdebug there.
Zend also provide their own debugging extension Zend debugger may be it work with the Zend optimizer.

Remote Debugging PHP Command Line Scripts with Zend?

I'm using Zend Studio to do remote debugging of my php scripts on a dev server. It works great for web code, but can I make it work with command line scripts?
I have several helper apps to make my application run. It would be really useful to fire up the remote debugger through command line instead of a web browser so I can test these out.
I assume it's possible, since I think Zend is using xdebug to talk to Eclipse. Apparently, it adds some parameters to the request to wake the Zend code up on a request. I'm guessing I'd need to tap into that?
UPDATE
I ended up using xdebug with protoeditor over X to do my debugging.
I was able to get remote CLI debugging working in Eclipse, using xdebug, though I've not tried it with the zend debugger. I would assume this should work the same with ZSfE, if that's the "Zend Studio" you're using.
Since this is more along the lines of product support, your best bet is probably emailing the support people. We bought Zend Studio at my last job and they were always able to help us in a matter of hours.
Feel free to post the answer though, I am sure there are more people looking for it. :)
There's an option to debug a php script,
run->run as->php script
I believe it also has to be in your project root though. Just for clarification, Zend studio uses their own debugger, while the eclipse pdt project you have the option for Xdebug or Zend's debugger.
Haven't tried, but you can set the QUERY_STRING environment variable to the one that toggles the Zend debugger on.
Per this article.
export QUERY_STRING=start_debug=1&debug_host=<host name or IP of the local machine>&debug_port=<the port that is configured in your ZDE settings>&debug_stop=1
And then run the CLI script.
Remote command-line debugging is possible, I just tried it.
In my case I used Zend Studio + Zend Debugger.
This official article here by the Zend people will help you out, it's what I used. It explains all the parameters that must go into the shell command.
Make sure that you have the php.ini properly set on the remote server, and that it allows your IP address and it will work.
Also, you don't need to export the QUERY_STRING variable.
You can just do:
QUERY_STRING="start_debug=1&debug_host=[127.0.0.1]&no_remote=0&debug_port=10137&debug_stop=0" /path/to/php/binary /your/php/script.php
Running that on an SSH shell will light up your Zend Studio. Sweet!

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