How to use the command phpdox (with examples)
PHPDox is a PHP documentation generator that allows developers to generate documentation for their PHP projects. It is a command-line tool that can be used to easily generate API documentation in HTML format. This article will illustrate each of five different use cases of the phpdox command.
Use case 1: Display an annotated skeleton configuration XML file
Code:
phpdox --skel
Motivation:
The --skel option allows developers to display an annotated skeleton configuration XML file. This is useful when developers want to see an example configuration file that can be used as a starting point for their own documentation generation.
Explanation:
phpdox: The command used to run the PHPDox tool.--skel: The option used to display an annotated skeleton configuration XML file.
Example output:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<phpdox xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://xml.phpdox.net/config.xsd">
<!--
phpDox Configuration File
For detailed information on the available configuration options,
please see the documentation at https://phpdox.net.
Remember to remove this comment block before using the generated
configuration file.
-->
</phpdox>
Use case 2: Generate documentation for the current working directory
Code:
phpdox
Motivation:
The phpdox command without any options allows developers to generate documentation for the current working directory. This is useful when developers want to generate documentation for their entire PHP project without specifying a specific configuration file.
Explanation:
phpdox: The command used to run the PHPDox tool.
Example output:
Generating documentation in 'output/html'
...
Documentation generated successfully.
Use case 3: Generate documentation using a specific configuration file
Code:
phpdox --file path/to/phpdox.xml
Motivation:
The --file option allows developers to specify a specific configuration file to use for generating documentation. This is useful when developers have a custom configuration file that they want to use for generating documentation instead of the default configuration.
Explanation:
phpdox: The command used to run the PHPDox tool.--file: The option used to specify a specific configuration file.path/to/phpdox.xml: The path to the specific configuration file to use.
Example output:
Generating documentation in 'output/html'
...
Documentation generated successfully.
Use case 4: Only run the metadata collection process
Code:
phpdox --collector
Motivation:
The --collector option allows developers to only run the metadata collection process. This is useful when developers want to collect metadata about their PHP code without generating the full documentation.
Explanation:
phpdox: The command used to run the PHPDox tool.--collector: The option used to only run the metadata collection process.
Example output:
Collecting metadata...
Metadata collection completed successfully.
Use case 5: Only run the documentation generator process
Code:
phpdox --generator
Motivation:
The --generator option allows developers to only run the documentation generator process. This is useful when developers want to generate documentation using existing metadata without collecting new metadata.
Explanation:
phpdox: The command used to run the PHPDox tool.--generator: The option used to only run the documentation generator process.
Example output:
Generating documentation...
Documentation generated successfully.
Conclusion:
The phpdox command is a powerful tool for generating documentation for PHP projects. By using different options, developers can customize the documentation generation process to suit their specific needs. Whether it’s displaying an annotated skeleton configuration file, generating documentation for the current working directory, or running specific processes like metadata collection or documentation generation, the phpdox command provides developers with the flexibility they need to easily generate high-quality documentation for their PHP projects.
