facebook / phpsh

Mailing list at: http://groups.google.com/group/phpsh

To install:
(Note that the install currently clobbers any previous /etc/phpsh/rc.php)
~ python setup.py build
~ sudo python setup.py install
(Will download and install the pysqlite dependency for you if needed.)

The buildscript uses setuptools.  This comes with python >= 2.5.
If you are using python 2.4, go grab EasyInstall:
http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/EasyInstall#installing-easy-install
Currently, python 2.3 and earlier is not supported.  Let us know if
your setup requires that and we might try to support a lower common
denomenator..

To set up after install:
- If you just want to use vanilla php, just do ~ phpsh  and have fun.
- To connect to an actual codebase, e.g.:
  ~ cd ~/www
  ~ ctags -R            # for phpsh ctags integration, recommended
  ~ phpsh lib/init.php  # or some file(s) that load codebase libraries
- To get autoloading, modify /etc/phpsh/rc.php.  After that it's just:
  ~ cd ~/www
  ~ phpsh
  And for times when you just want vanilla php:
  ~ phpsh -c none
- For individual configuration, also see rc.example.php in the php
  distribution.


Note to ppl hacking on phpsh:
- For faster iteration, after installing once, you can run phpsh from src/
directly without reinstalling.  E.g.:
  ~ cd ~/www
  ~ ~/projects/phpsh/src/phpsh


Todo for after phpsh 1.2
- (A) Simple phpsh breakpoints that you can insert into your php code.
- (B) magic fatal undoing?
- Convert from /tmp file to named pipe for 'ready' message passing
  http://my.opera.com/zomg/blog/2007/08/29/php-and-named-pipes
- Maybe phpsh_check_syntax shouldn't actually be installed as a script, and
  just be a pkg_resource?  Didn't want to worry about zip file overhead, and
  installing didn't seem like a big deal.
- Similarly, php_manual.db should probably go in share/ not etc/ but similarly
  was worried about b.s. with setuptools..
- Paging for long php> d ..  results?  Or is terminal scroll fine..
- Thread loading ctags and starting php?  Would speed start but not restart.
- Command-line apc for faster php startup for large codebases.
- Note on php start error to start from codebase place?
- Make tab to show function signature work with multiline func sigs.

About (A: breakpoints):
jlindamood has suggested adding
a very basic debugging facility in which phpsh.php would define some
function called like phpsh_breakpoint() which you would be able to put
in your code that would cause the php> to re-happen at that breakpoint
so that you can investigate whatever state until you issue like a
phpsh_resume() (or whatever it would be called).

My suspicion is that that can be done pretty easily be having a new
message type from phpsh.php to phpsh.py.  (Currently there is only the
'ready' message when phpsh.php is ready to receive a new line of codes
from phpsh.py.)

About (B: fatal-undoing):
brent suggested adding
some kind of katamari-esque memory snapshotting, so that on fatals like
calling a nonexistent function (which are not catchable in php-land,
sadly) can be magically recovered from.  I think dweatherford or larry
would be good to ask about this kind of black magic.