PHP Tools

July 3, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

A comprehensive extension for PHP development in Visual Studio Code that boosts productivity with smart code generation and framework-specific tooling.

Key Features

1. Getter/Setter Generation

Example

Automatically generate getters and setters for class properties with configurable options:

  • Supports both traditional and fluent (return $this) setter styles
  • Configurable PHPDoc generation
  • Multiple generation strategies (single/multiple properties at once)

Commands:

  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert getter
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert setter
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert getter and setter
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert getter (Master)
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert setter (Master)
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Insert getter and setter (Master)

2. Class/Object Generation

Example

Quickly scaffold various PHP constructs with proper syntax and structure:

  • Regular, abstract and final classes
  • Interfaces and traits
  • Enums (PHP 8.1+)
  • Automatic namespace detection
  • Configurable strict types declaration

Commands:

  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate class
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate abstract class
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate final class
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate enum
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate interface
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate trait

3. PHPDoc Generation

Example

Intelligent documentation generation with customizable formatting:

  • Function/method documentation
  • Property documentation
  • One-line @var PHPDoc for local variables
  • Configurable empty lines and spacing
  • Return type and @throws annotation support
  • Improved exception import handling in generated PHPDoc
  • Support for properties with hooks and methods with attributes
  • Description generation options

Commands:

  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate PHPDoc (default keybind: Ctrl+Enter)
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate PHPDoc (Master)

4. Constructor Generation

Example

Convert class properties to constructor arguments with:

  • Automatic type inference
  • Property promotion support (PHP 8.0+)
  • Configurable line length formatting
  • PHPDoc generation options

Command:

  • Advanced PHP Tools: Generate class constructor

5. String Conversion

Convert PHP string expressions under the cursor between concatenation, sprintf(...), and double-quoted interpolation.

Commands:

  • Advanced PHP Tools: Convert string to concatenation
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Convert string to sprintf
  • Advanced PHP Tools: Convert string to interpolation

Examples:

Convert string to concatenation:

// Before
$message = sprintf('Hello %s!', $name);

// After
$message = 'Hello ' . $name . '!';

Convert string to sprintf:

// Before
$message = 'Hello ' . $name . '!';

// After
$message = sprintf('Hello %s!', $name);

Convert string to interpolation:

// Before
$message = 'Hello ' . $name . '!';

// After
$message = "Hello {$name}!";

6. Symfony Framework Support

Specialized tools for Symfony development:

  • Service configuration navigation (jump between services.yaml and class declaration) Example

  • Quick access to service definitions Example

  • Twig template navigation Example

7. Yii2 Framework Support

Specialized tools for Yii2 development:

  • Service configuration navigation (jump from configuration to class) Example

  • Quick access to service definitions (jump from class to configuration) Example

  • View template navigation from controller Example

Configuration Options

Customize the extension behavior through these settings:

  • advanced-php-tools.builder-strict-types - Add declare(strict_types=1) (default: true)
  • advanced-php-tools.builder-generate-phpdoc - Generate objects with phpdoc (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.setter-return-self - Make setters return $this for fluent interfaces (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.getter-setter-generate-phpdoc - Generate phpdoc for getter/setter (default: true)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-function-show-description - Add descriptions to function docs (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-property-show-description - Add description to property PHPDoc (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-constant-show-description - Add description to constant PHPDoc (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-function-return-void - Add return to PHPDoc if returns void (default: false)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-empty-lines-after-description - Control spacing after descriptions (default: 0)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-empty-lines-before-return - Add empty lines before return in PHPDoc (default: 0, ignored when return is hidden or there are no params)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-empty-lines-before-throws - Add empty lines before throws in PHPDoc (default: 0, ignored when there are no throws)
  • advanced-php-tools.phpdoc-show-throws-on-diff-lines - Format throws on separate lines (default: true)
  • advanced-php-tools.constructor-args-one-line-max-length - Line length threshold for single-line constructors (default: 120)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Default keybindings can be customized in VS Code settings:

  • PHPDoc generation: Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Enter (Mac)