Blogs » Use Vim as a PHP IDE

This is a general guide for using SpaceVim as a PHP IDE, including layer configuration and usage. Each of the following sections will be covered:

• Enable language layer
• Code completion
• Syntax linting
• Enable LSP support
• Ctags integration
• Jump to test file
• running code
• Code formatting
• REPL support

Enable language layer

To add PHP language support in SpaceVim, you need to enable the lang#php layer. Press SPC f v d to open SpaceVim configuration file, and add the following snippet:

[[layers]]
  name = "lang#php"

For more info, you can read the lang#php layer documentation.

Code completion

lang#php layer will load the PHP plugin automatically, unless it’s overriden in your init.toml. The completion menu will be opened as you type.

Syntax linting

The checkers layer is enabled by default. This layer provides asynchronous syntax linting via neomake. It will run psalm asynchronously.

To install psalm, you may need to run:

composer require --dev vimeo/psalm

Enable LSP support

To enable language server protocol(LSP) support for php, you need to enable lsp layer for php.

[[layers]]
  name = "lsp"
  filetypes = ["php"]

The default language server command of php is:

['php', g:spacevim_plugin_bundle_dir . 'repos/github.com/phpactor/phpactor/bin/phpactor', 'language-server']

If you want to use intelephense, install intelephense from command line:

npm install -g intelephense

To override the server command, you may need to use override_cmd option:

[[layers]]
  name = "lsp"
  filetypes = [ "php" ]
  [layers.override_cmd]
    php = ["intelephense", "--stdio"]

If you are using nvim(>=0.5.0), you do not need to use filetypes and override_cmd option. You just need to use enabled_clients to specific the language servers. for example:

[[layers]]
    name = 'lsp'
    enabled_clients = ['intelephense']

Ctags integration

The gtags layer provides ctags integration for your project. It will create the index file for each of your project. To enable gtags layer:

[[layers]]
    name = 'gtags'

With this layer, you can jump to method and class definitions easily (using ctrl + ] by default). Read gtags layer for more info.

Jump to test file

To manage the alternate file for a project, you may need to create a .project_alt.json file in the root of your project.

for exmaple, add following content into the .project_alt.json file:

{
  "src/*.php": { "alternate": "test/{}.php" },
  "test/*.php": { "alternate": "src/{}.php" }
}

with this configuration, you can jump between the source code and test file via command :A

running code

To run current script, you can press SPC l r, and a split window will be openen, the output of the script will be shown in this window. It is running asynchronously, and will not block your Vim.

Code formatting

The format layer is also enabled by default. With this layer you can use key binding SPC b f to format current buffer. Before using this feature, please install php_beautifier:

pear install PHP_Beautifier

REPL support

Start a php -a inferior REPL process with SPC l s i. After the REPL process being started, you can send code to inferior process. All key bindings prefix with SPC l s, including sending line, sending selection or even send whole buffer.