How to install Eclipse + PHP Development Tools (PDT) + Debugger on Mac in The Year 2011 [closed]

Question

I had a lot of trouble installing Eclipse and PDT on my system. It took two days, largely because all the tutorials I could find were out of date (written in 2008, it's 2011 now) and various steps they included were no longer necessary, broken, or irrelevant. I wanted to write my process here so it could be improved upon (via wiki) as time goes on.

1. Install Eclipse without PHP plugin ("Eclipse Classic"). This will give you a complete Eclipse, which I find preferable, as the UI is more fleshed out (e.g. you get a default list of Perspectives, which helps you understand what Perspectives are.)

2. Install PDT SDK with the Help > Install New Software menu item. You'd think you'd be done here, but if you try to run something, it'll fail complaining of not having a debugger.

3. Install the Zend Debugger. It'll fail if you try to use the Install New Software option, as many tutorials suggest ("No repository found containing osgi.bundle.org.zend.php.debug.debugger.5.3.7.v20091116".) Instead, download it from http://www.zend.com/en/community/pdt, and manually copy the features/ and plugins/ directory into your Eclipse install (these instructions are not written anywhere).

4. Restart Eclipse

5. Monkey with preferences for a while -- if you followed a previous tutorial and tried to manually add your php executable to Eclipse prefs (/usr/bin/php), remove it (PHP > PHP Executables). Set one of the Zend Debugger executables to the default. If you've already tried to execute a .php file, remove the existing "Run" profile you (maybe weren't aware that you) created (Run > Debug Configurations...).

6. Eclipse works! You should be able to run a .php file as a script just fine.

Answer 1

http://wiki.eclipse.org/PDT/Installation

I have recently installed php development tools into eclipse by following the instructions on this wiki. Hope it helps anyone who was having issues like I was.

Answer 2

Love it. Personally I highly recommend using Eclipse 3.3 and PDT 1.3 and forgoing new versions until they get their act together. I would help out but, well, my time is limited as it is. I've found there are many issues with PDT versions since:

• 2.0 through 2.1 had severe performance isuses
• 2.1 seemed very rushed - lots of the prefernece
• 2.2 seems to have issues with auto completion on constructors and the like (reading some of the developer comments in bug reports don't inspire confidence AT ALL, either)

I also recommend installing in much the same fashion as the original post recommended - get the vanilla eclipse, don't even try downloading the PDT package.

Additionally, don't ever try using the SimpleTest plugin - it's buggy and fails at least half the time on every install I've ever encountered.

Alternatively, if you work in a business environment or have money to spare, Zend Studio is basically PDT done... better.