Project configuration

This page is the complete settings reference for PhpThunder. Each section explains not just what a setting does but also when you'd actually want to change it.

For a quick orientation, the settings fall into five areas:

Intelligence — PHP version, interpreter, include paths
Formatting — style rules for arrays, parameters, control structures
Diagnostics & code fixes — what PhpThunder analyzes and flags
Testing — runner selection
Debugging & profiling — Xdebug port, profiling server, tracing

Intelligence

These settings drive code analysis: what PHP version to target, which PHP binary to use, and which source directories to scan.

PHP version and interpreter

Setting	What it does
`phpThunder.phpVersion`	Sets the PHP language level for the current folder. Affects diagnostics, feature checks, and type analysis.
`phpThunder.activeInterpreter`	Selects the active interpreter by name from the PhpThunder catalog.
`phpThunder.interpreters`	Machine-scoped catalog of PHP binaries. Managed by the PhpThunder settings UI — don't edit this by hand.
`phpThunder.shortOpenTag`	Allow PHP short open tags (`<?`) in addition to `<?php` and `<?=`. Matches `short_open_tag` in `php.ini`. Disabled by default.
`phpThunder.server.memoryLimit`	Maximum memory the language server may use (e.g. `70%`, `4gb`, `2048m`). Default: `70%` of total RAM. Requires a window reload to take effect.

When to change: Set phpThunder.phpVersion as soon as you open a project. Getting this right prevents false-positive diagnostics about language features. Use phpThunder.activeInterpreter to pin a workspace to a specific binary when your machine has multiple PHP versions.

Useful commands:

PhpThunder: Select PHP Version
PhpThunder: Configure PHP Interpreters

Composer and include paths

Setting	What it does
`phpThunder.composer.mode`	How PhpThunder finds Composer: `auto`, `projectPhar`, or `custom`.
`phpThunder.composer.projectPhar`	Path to a project-local `composer.phar`, relative to the workspace root.
`phpThunder.includePaths`	Extra PHP directories to index beyond what Composer provides. Paths from the global, workspace, and matching folder scopes are merged for each project.

When to change: Most projects work fine with auto. Set projectPhar when the project ships its own composer.phar under a tools/ or build/ folder. Use includePaths for legacy codebases, internal SDKs, or monorepo packages that aren't registered in composer.json.

Important: After changing includePaths, run PhpThunder: Reindex Workspace or reload the window. Include-path changes are not picked up automatically.

Useful commands:

PhpThunder: Configure Composer
PhpThunder: Configure Include Paths
PhpThunder: Reindex Workspace

Completion behavior

Setting	Default	What it does
`phpThunder.completion.autoTriggerFallback`	`true`	When VS Code's `editor.quickSuggestions` settings suppress completions for plain text, PhpThunder can still auto-open suggestions for PHP variables and namespace identifiers.

When to change: Rarely. Leave this at true unless you're seeing unwanted suggestion popups.

Formatting

PhpThunder formats PHP files as PSR-12 by default. Standard VS Code editor settings and .editorconfig files are honored in all tiers — no license required.

The phpThunder.formatting.* customization settings below require a Pro license or an active trial. Most style options default to preserve, so they don't change existing style unless explicitly configured.

Layout settings

These accept preserve, auto, force-single-line, or force-multi-line:

Setting	Controls
`phpThunder.formatting.arrays`	Array literal layout
`phpThunder.formatting.parameters`	Function/method parameter list layout
`phpThunder.formatting.arguments`	Call-site argument list layout
`phpThunder.formatting.matchArms`	`match` expression arm layout

preserve — leave the existing style alone
auto — break to multi-line when the line exceeds maxInlineWidth, keep single-line otherwise
force-single-line — always collapse to one line
force-multi-line — always expand to multiple lines

Syntax style settings

These accept preserve, force-braces, or force-alternative:

Setting	Controls
`phpThunder.formatting.ifSyntax`	`if`/`elseif`/`else` style
`phpThunder.formatting.foreachSyntax`	`foreach` style
`phpThunder.formatting.forSyntax`	`for` style
`phpThunder.formatting.whileSyntax`	`while` style
`phpThunder.formatting.switchSyntax`	`switch` style

preserve — keep whichever style is already used
force-braces — always use curly-brace blocks
force-alternative — always use if (): ... endif; alternative syntax (common in view templates)

Width control

Setting	Default	What it does
`phpThunder.formatting.maxInlineWidth`	`80`	Line width at which `auto` layout mode breaks a single-line construct into multiple lines.

When to change: Set maxInlineWidth to match the project's line-length rule (120, 100, etc.) and use auto for arrays and parameters to get consistent automatic breaking.

Additional formatting settings

Spacing

Setting	Default	What it controls
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceAfterCast`	`always`	Space after cast operators: `(int)$x` vs `(int) $x`. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.shortArraySyntax`	`preserve`	Array bracket style: `force-short` = `[]`, `force-long` = `array()`, `preserve` = keep source form.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceBeforeDeclParens`	`never`	Space before `(` in function/method declarations: `function foo($x)` vs `function foo ($x)`. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceBeforeCallParens`	`never`	Space before `(` in function/method calls: `foo($x)` vs `foo ($x)`. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceBeforeCFParens`	`always`	Space before `(` in control-flow headers such as `if`, `foreach`, `for`, `while`, and `switch`. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spacesInsideDeclParens`	`never`	Spaces inside parentheses in function/method declarations. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spacesInsideCallParens`	`never`	Spaces inside parentheses in function/method call argument lists. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spacesInsideCFParens`	`never`	Spaces inside parentheses in control-flow statements. Options: `never`, `always`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceAfterComma`	`always`	Space after commas in inline (single-line) lists. Options: `always`, `never`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceAfterDoubleSlash`	`preserve`	Space after `//` in line comments. Options: `preserve`, `always`, `never`.
`phpThunder.formatting.spaceBeforeReturnTypeColon`	`false`	Insert a space before the `:` of a return type hint: `): void` vs `) : void`.

Syntax style

Setting	Default	What it controls
`phpThunder.formatting.trailingCommaMultilineArrays`	`preserve`	Trailing comma in multi-line array literals. Options: `preserve`, `add`, `remove`.
`phpThunder.formatting.trailingCommaMultilineArgs`	`preserve`	Trailing comma in multi-line call argument lists. Options: `preserve`, `add`, `remove`.
`phpThunder.formatting.classBracePosition`	`new-line`	Opening `{` of a class, trait, or enum. Options: `new-line` (PSR-12), `same-line` (K&R), `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.functionBracePosition`	`new-line`	Opening `{` of a function or method. Options: `new-line` (PSR-12), `same-line`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.namespaceBracePosition`	`new-line`	Opening `{` of a bracketed namespace. Options: `new-line`, `same-line`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.controlFlowBracePosition`	`same-line`	Opening `{` of control flow statements (`if`, `else`, `for`, `foreach`, `while`, `do`, `switch`). Options: `new-line`, `same-line`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.tryCatchBracePosition`	`same-line`	Opening `{` of `try`/`catch`/`finally` blocks. Options: `new-line`, `same-line`, `preserve`.
`phpThunder.formatting.catchFinallyOnNewLine`	`false`	Place `catch`/`finally` on a new line instead of following the closing `}`.
`phpThunder.formatting.indentSwitchCase`	`true`	Indent `case`/`default` labels inside `switch` blocks (PSR-12 style). `false` aligns labels with `switch`.
`phpThunder.formatting.elseOnNewLine`	`false`	Place `else`/`elseif` on a new line instead of following the closing brace.
`phpThunder.formatting.returnTypePosition`	`same-line`	Return type hint placement. Options: `same-line`, `new-line`.
`phpThunder.formatting.emptyBodyPosition`	`new-line`	How to render empty function/method/closure bodies. `new-line` = `{\\n}` (PSR-12); `same-line` = `{}`; `preserve` = keep source.
`phpThunder.formatting.maxConsecutiveBlankLines`	`1`	Max consecutive blank lines between statements. Options: `preserve`, `0`, `1`, `2`, `3`.

Alignment

Setting	Default	What it controls
`phpThunder.formatting.alignConsecutiveInlineComments`	`true`	Align consecutive `//` comments to the same column.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignVariableAssignments`	`true`	Align consecutive `=` in variable assignments and constants. Assignments are grouped by their receiver/base expression (gofmt-style): `$a['x']`/`$a['y']` and `$o->p`/`$o->q` align together, but a bare variable does not align with a property/array access. Within a group, gofmt's size-ratio heuristic decides the breaks (keys within 2.5× of the running geometric mean stay aligned; keys ≤ 40 wide always align).
`phpThunder.formatting.alignArrayArrows`	`true`	Align consecutive `=>` inside array literals.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignMatchArrows`	`true`	Align consecutive `=>` inside `match` expressions.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignPropertyHooks`	`true`	Align consecutive `=>` inside PHP 8.4 property hook blocks.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignCSSDeclarations`	`true`	Align consecutive CSS declarations (`property: value;`) in `<style>` blocks.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignJSObjectProperties`	`true`	Align consecutive `:` in JS object literals inside `<script>` blocks.
`phpThunder.formatting.alignJSVariableAssignments`	`true`	Align consecutive `=` in JS variable assignments inside `<script>` blocks.
`phpThunder.formatting.htmlNonIndentTags`	`[thead, tbody, tfoot, caption, colgroup]`	HTML tags whose children stay at the same indentation depth (no extra nesting).

Diagnostics & code fixes

Setting	Default	What it does
`phpThunder.diagnostics.enableVendor`	`false`	Run diagnostics on files under `vendor/`.
`phpThunder.diagnostics.enableVendorForOpenFiles`	`true`	Show diagnostics for vendor files open in the editor, even when `enableVendor` is `false`.
`phpThunder.diagnostics.level`	`max`	Analysis strictness level (`0`–`9` or `max`). Higher levels enable more checks.
`phpThunder.diagnostics.disabledRules`	`[]`	List of diagnostic rule IDs to disable entirely (e.g. `["UV001", "CF001"]`).
`phpThunder.diagnostics.ruleSeverities`	`{}`	Map of rule IDs to custom severities (e.g. `{"UV001": "hint", "CF001": "error"}`).
`phpThunder.codeFixes.enabled`	`true`	Enable code-fix hints and quick actions.
`phpThunder.codeFixes.disabledFixes`	`[]`	Disable specific fix IDs. Use the catalog below for the current IDs.
`phpThunder.diagnosticsSummary.enabled`	`true`	Show per-file diagnostics summary indicators.
`phpThunder.diagnosticsSummary.inlineSummary`	`true`	Show a clickable CodeLens summary at the top of each file.

When to change: Enable diagnostics.enableVendor only when you're actually working on a Composer package or need to trace a problem into a dependency — it increases analysis load and noise. Disable specific fix IDs in disabledFixes when a rule doesn't suit the project.

Code fix IDs

phpThunder.codeFixes.disabledFixes accepts the stable code-fix IDs listed below.

ID	What it disables
`CF001`	Short array syntax (`array()` -> `[]`)
`CF003`	`is_null($x)` -> `$x === null`
`CF004`	Loose null comparison (`== null` -> `=== null`, `!= null` -> `!== null`)
`CF005`	`count($x) > 0` -> `!empty($x)`
`CF011`	Redundant `else` after a `return`
`CF012`	Boolean ternary simplification
`CF012b`	Boolean `if`/`else` simplification to `return (bool) ...`
`CF014`	Inline variable (`return $x;` style simplification)
`CF020`	String concatenation to interpolation
`CF032`	Single-return closure to arrow function

Testing

Setting	Default	What it does
`phpThunder.testRunner`	`auto`	Test runner: `auto`, `phpunit`, or `pest`.

When to change: auto works for most projects. Explicitly set phpunit or pest if the project has both installed but you only want to use one.

Debugging & profiling

Setting	Default	What it does
`phpThunder.profiling.webPort`	`8190`	HTTP port for the local web profiling server (Pro).
`phpThunder.profiling.docRoot`	`"public"`	Document root for web profiling, relative to the workspace root (Pro).
`phpThunder.debug.inlineValues.enabled`	`true`	Show variable values inline while a debug session is paused (Pro).
`phpThunder.trace.server`	`off`	LSP communication tracing: `off`, `messages`, or `verbose`.

When to change: Adjust webPort and docRoot to match the project layout. Use verbose tracing only when diagnosing extension behavior — it generates significant log output and should be turned off afterward.

Operational commands

The commands you reach for most often after configuration changes:

PhpThunder: Reindex Workspace — rebuild the project index
PhpThunder: Configure PHP Interpreters — add or switch interpreters
PhpThunder: Configure Composer — update Composer resolution strategy
PhpThunder: Configure Include Paths — add extra source directories
PhpThunder: Select PHP Version — change the language level for the current folder

Next steps

Free vs Pro — which workflows depend on a Pro license
Troubleshooting — if the project still behaves unexpectedly after configuration changes

Documentation

Overview