Tools for development

[Sajaki]

It's not a tool, but it is a php Reference and has lots of tips on tools too : http://www.phptherightway.com/

There’s a lot of outdated information on the Web that leads new PHP users astray, propagating bad practices and insecure code. PHP: The Right Way is an easy-to-read, quick reference for PHP popular coding standards, links to authoritative tutorials around the Web and what the contributors consider to be best practices at the present time.

There is no canonical way to use PHP. This website aims to introduce new PHP developers to some topics which they may not discover until it is too late, and aims to give seasoned pros some fresh ideas on those topics they’ve been doing for years without ever reconsidering. This website will also not tell you which tools to use, but instead offer suggestions for multiple options, when possible explaining the differences in approach and use-case.

This is a living document and will continue to be updated with more helpful information and examples as they become available.

[hanelyp]

If you run linux, Mac with the shell utilities, or windows with mingw or cygwin:

Wondering where a function is defined?
> cd <phpbb_root>
> grep -R "function <name>" *

Code is broken, and you're not sure why?
> tail <web server error log file>
or sometimes
> php <suspect php file>
will sometimes give useful information.

(I consider a computer without a bash shell and standard posix utilities to be crippled.)

[AmigoJack]

Those aren't development tools, they're rather fundamental tools for all occasions.

The Windows command line knows findstr since day 1, while DOS always offered find (which also finds lines in files) and type. Just in case you're in a situation not being able to run/get 3rd party software.