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PhpReference

Main Author: Julien Boudry
License: say hello if you like or use this code!
Donation: ₿ bc1q3jllk3qd9fjvvuqy07tawkv7t6h7qjf55fc2gh or GitHub Sponsor Page

PhpReference is a powerful documentation generator for PHP projects. It analyzes your codebase using reflection and generates comprehensive Markdown documentation for your namespaces, classes, methods, properties, and constants.

Workflow

• Automatic Documentation Generation - Analyzes PHP namespaces using reflection to extract classes, methods, properties, constants, and their metadata
• PHPDoc Integration - Parses and renders PHPDoc blocks including descriptions, parameters, return types, and custom tags
• Cross-Referencing - Generates internal links between classes, methods, and properties
• Public API Focus - Control what gets documented using @api tags or visibility rules
• Markdown Output - Clean, readable documentation in Markdown format ready for GitHub, GitLab, or your documentation site

Features

• Full Reflection Analysis - Classes, interfaces, traits, enums, methods, properties, constants
• PHPDoc Parsing - Descriptions, @param, @return, @throws, @see, custom tags
• Type Resolution - Automatic linking to documented types
• Cross-References - Internal links between elements
• Inheritance Tracking - Shows declaring class for inherited members
• Custom Public API Rules - Define what gets documented
• Source Links - Optional links back to source code
• Configuration File Support - Set your preferences once in reference.php and run without arguments

Quick Start

Installation

Install PhpReference via Composer:

Recommended: Using a Configuration File

The recommended way to use PhpReference is with a configuration file. This avoids typing the same arguments repeatedly and makes your documentation setup reproducible.

Create a reference.php file at your project root:

Then simply run:

📖 Full Configuration Documentation - Learn about all available options, priority rules, and advanced usage.

Note: If you're working on the PhpReference project itself, use php bin/php-reference instead of php vendor/bin/php-reference.

Quick Start Without Configuration

For a quick one-time generation, you can use command-line arguments:

💡 Tip: While command-line arguments work well for testing, using a configuration file is recommended for regular use and CI/CD pipelines.

Command-Line Options

💡 Remember: Command-line arguments override configuration file settings. For regular use, prefer using a configuration file and only override specific options when needed.

Common Use Cases

Development Workflow

Once you have a reference.php configuration file, your workflow becomes simple:

CI/CD Integration

Using a configuration file makes CI/CD integration straightforward:

No need to specify arguments in your workflow file - everything is configured in reference.php.

Multiple Documentation Targets

Generate different documentation sets using different config files:

Public API Control

PhpReference lets you control what gets documented:

Using @api Tags (Default)

Mark elements for documentation with the @api PHPDoc tag:

Include All Public Elements

Use --api=IsPubliclyAccessible to document all public classes, methods, and properties regardless of @api tags:

Available API Definitions

• HasTagApi (default): Only elements marked with @api tag
• IsPubliclyAccessible: All public elements

Output Structure

PhpReference generates a structured documentation hierarchy:

Requirements

• PHP 8.4 or higher
• Composer for dependency management

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and guidelines.

Credits

Created and maintained by Julien Boudry.

If you find this project useful, please consider:

• ⭐ Starring the repository
• 💬 Sharing your use case
• 💝 Sponsoring the project