Unlocking Productivity with PhpStorm — A Beginner’s Guide

3 min readJun 27, 2023

Introduction

In web development, an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is crucial. PhpStorm, developed by JetBrains, is an outstanding IDE tailored for PHP developers. This article is the beginning of your journey with PhpStorm. Buckle up as we go through the ins and outs of PhpStorm, learning about its features, installation, and a glimpse into its practical applications through code examples.

What is PhpStorm?

PhpStorm is a commercial, cross-platform IDE for PHP built on JetBrains’ IntelliJ IDEA platform. PhpStorm provides an editor for PHP, HTML, and JavaScript with on-the-fly code analysis, error prevention, and automated refactorings for PHP and JavaScript code. PhpStorm’s user-friendly approach helps you write neat and maintainable code, making it a beloved tool among professional web developers.

Why PhpStorm?

1. Smart Coding Assistance

PhpStorm is renowned for its intelligent coding assistance. This feature ensures that you adhere to coding standards, offering relevant suggestions and automatically completing code as you type.

2. Integrated Tools

The IDE integrates with databases, version control systems, remote deployment, and other tools that streamline the web development process.

3. Debugging and Testing

PhpStorm comes with Xdebug and Zend Debugger for debugging and supports PHPUnit for unit testing. You can develop, test, and debug your code within the same environment.

4. Customizability

You can tailor PhpStorm to suit your needs through plugins, themes, and custom settings. This makes PhpStorm adaptable for different workflows.

5. Cross-Platform

PhpStorm is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This versatility ensures that you can use it regardless of your operating system.

Installing PhpStorm

To get started, visit the official PhpStorm page and download the installer for your operating system. Follow the installation instructions and, upon completion, launch PhpStorm.

On the first run, PhpStorm will ask you to activate your product. You can start with a 30-day free trial or input your license key if you have one. Additionally, students and educators may qualify for a free PhpStorm license through JetBrains’ education program.

A Quick Tour

Creating a Project

Once you have PhpStorm installed and open, let’s create a new project.

Click File > New Project....
Choose PHP Empty Project.
Choose a location for your project and name it.
Click Create.

Familiarizing with the Interface

When your project is created, you’ll see the PhpStorm workspace.

On the left, you have the Project pane where you can see your project’s files.
In the center is the editor where you write and edit your code.
On the bottom is the Terminal and other tabs such as Version Control, Debug, etc.

Writing Your First PHP Code

Let’s write a simple “Hello, World!” PHP script.

Right-click on your project folder in the Project pane.
Select New > PHP File.
Name the file hello.php.
In the editor, write the following PHP code:

<?php
    echo "Hello, World!";
?>

Save the file (Ctrl+S or Cmd+S).

Running Your PHP Code

To run your PHP code, you need to set up a local development environment. For this, you can use tools like XAMPP or MAMP, which provide you with Apache server and PHP.

Start your XAMPP or MAMP server.
Move your project folder to htdocs (in XAMPP) or htdocs (in MAMP).
Open your browser and go to localhost/{your_project_name}/hello.php.

You should see “Hello, World!” displayed on your browser.

Customization

PhpStorm has countless plugins that you can use to enhance your coding experience. To access these plugins, go to File > Settings > Plugins and browse repositories. There are also themes that you can use to change the look of PhpStorm, which can be found in the same Plugins section.

Conclusion

This introduction has just scratched the surface of what PhpStorm can do. As you continue your journey, you will find that PhpStorm’s strong features and extensions facilitate a streamlined and efficient coding experience. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just getting started, PhpStorm is an incredibly powerful tool in your arsenal for PHP development. Don’t hesitate to explore its numerous features and happy coding!