Setting up a development environment #

This page is for application creators setting up a machine to build on Exponential. The goal: a local installation you can reinstall in minutes, with debugging on and your extension in its own Git repository.

Contents #

1. Tools
2. A local installation
3. Serving it
4. Development settings
5. Your extension in Git
6. Daily commands

Tools #

A local installation #

git clone https://github.com/se7enxweb/exponential.git exp-dev
cd exp-dev
composer install
php bin/php/console exp:install --apply --package=sevenx_multisite_clean --url=http://127.0.0.1:8088

SQLite, generated administrator password shown once (The console install). Reinstalling with the same command (--force) gives a clean state in minutes.

Serving it #

composer require se7enxweb/exponential-velocity
php bin/php/console exp:velocity config set --apply ServerSettings Engine qbix
php bin/php/console exp:velocity start

Velocity keeps classes in memory: after you add or change a PHP class, exp:velocity restart (or exp:velocity deploy). For quick template work, --engine=php (PHP's built-in server) runs each request fresh (8.3 Velocity).

Development settings #

In settings/override/site.ini.append.php of the development machine only:

[TemplateSettings]
DevelopmentMode=enabled
ShowTemplatePathComments=enabled

[DebugSettings]
DebugOutput=enabled

DevelopmentMode makes compiled templates follow their sources and turns the packer off. The debug bar shows queries, templates, settings and timings (Exp debug bar, Debugging and logs). Never copy these settings to production.

Your extension in Git #

Keep the application in its own repository, checked out (or symlinked) into extension/<ext>, with its own composer.json so it installs like any extension later (Composer packages and Packagist). Activate it in settings/override/site.ini.append.php:

[ExtensionSettings]
ActiveExtensions[]=expdemo

Daily commands #

php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e                  # after adding or renaming a class
php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-tag=ini --allow-root-user  # after a settings change
php bin/php/eztemplatecheck.php -s<siteaccess> <file.tpl> # template syntax
php -l <file.php>                                        # PHP syntax
php bin/php/console exp:velocity deploy                  # everything, in the right order

Related pages #

• Your first extension
• Develop with Git
• PHP and Composer standards
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.