Development tools

Tools included with buildkit

When you install buildkit you'll get all these tools.

This list of tools is also maintained in the buildkit readme file.

CiviCRM-specific tools

• civibuild - Build a complete source tree (with CMS+Civi+addons), provision httpd/sql, etc.
  • documentation
  • repository
• cv - command is a utility for interacting with a CiviCRM installation
  • documentation: run cv list
  • repository
• civix - CiviCRM extension code generator
  • documentation
  • repository
• civistrings - Scan code for translatable strings (*.pot)
  • documentation: run civistrings --help
  • repository
• cividist - Generate tarballs from a series of git branches/tags
  • documentation
  • repository: within civicrm-buildkit
• gitify - Convert a CiviCRM installation to a git repo
  • documentation: run gitify with no arguments
  • repository: within civicrm-buildkit
• civilint - Check the syntax of uncommitted files using phpcs, jshint, etc.
  • documentation: run civilint with no arguments
  • repository: within civicrm-buildkit
• civihydra - Create a series test sites for several CMSs (extends civibuild)
  • documentation: run civihydra with no arguments
  • repository: within civicrm-buildkit
• civicrm-upgrade-test - Scripts and data files for testing upgrades
  • documentation& repository
• civi-test-run - Run one or more test suites
  • documentation
  • repository: within civicrm-buildkit
• Coder - Configure phpcs for CiviCRM's coding standards
  • documentation & repository
  • (Derived from Drupal's coder project)

External tools installed with buildkit

These tools are not specific to CiviCRM, so you may already have some of them installed on your system. If you install buildkit you'll get all these tools at once, in addition to the CiviCRM-specific tools listed above.

• Dependency management
  • composer - Manage dependencies for PHP code.
  • bower - Manage dependencies for Javascript code.
• Source code management
  • git-scan - Manage a large number of git repositories.
  • hub - Send commands to github.com.
• Source code quality
  • jshint - Check the syntax of Javascript files.
  • phpcs - Check the syntax of PHP files.
• Site management
  • amp - Abstracted interface for local httpd/sql service (Apache/nginx/MySQL).
  • drush - Administer a Drupal site.
  • joomla (joomla-console) - Administer a Joomla site.
  • wp (wp-cli) - Administer a WordPress site.
• Testing
  • karma (w/jasmine) - Unit testing for Javascript.
  • paratest - Parallelized version of PHPUnit.
  • phpunit - Unit testing for PHP (with Selenium and DB add-ons).

Other useful tools

Miscellaneous

• git - version control system
• psysh - a reply-echo-print-loop for PHP (like php -a, but better)
• MySQL Workbench - A graphical interface to your local (or remote) MySQL server
• MkDocs - for editing documentation

Text editors

If you already have a text editor you love, then stick to that. If you're new and need some recommendations, here are some of the most popular text editors among CiviCRM developers:

• PhpStorm (See CiviCRM-specific notes on PhpStorm)
• NetBeans
• Sublime
• Atom
• vim