Phel Lang for VS Code

The complete editor for Phel, a functional Lisp that compiles to PHP: highlighting, completion, navigation, REPL, tests, debugger, all in one extension, tracking Phel 0.54.

Quick start

1. Install from the Marketplace (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+X → Phel Lang), or code --install-extension Phel-Lang.phel-lang.
2. Open a project that has Phel installed (composer require phel-lang/phel-lang). The CLI is expected at vendor/bin/phel; for another layout set one setting:

   // .vscode/settings.json
   { "phel.executablePath": "bin/phel" }
   

3. Open a .phel file. Everything below is on by default; run Help: Get Started → Phel for a guided tour, or Phel: Doctor to check the setup.

Requires VS Code 1.88+ and the PHP your Phel needs (8.5+ for Phel 0.54) on PATH. Works on macOS, Linux and Windows.

What you get

Writing code

• Syntax highlighting for every reader form, incl. the Clojure-style PHP interop ((.method obj), Class/CONST, (Class. args)), plus semantic tokens
• Completion for special forms, macros, core and workspace symbols with docs and call snippets — and in PHP-interop positions the compiler answers with the classes, methods and functions your project can load
• Indentation as you type that matches phel format, structural editing (paredit: slurp, barf, raise, wrap, drag, splice, kill), 66 snippets
• Format on save via phel format; unused locals, unused :requires and Phel migration hints, each with a quick fix

Understanding code

• Go to definition, find references, rename, hover, signature help — all scope-aware (a local never rewrites a same-named global) and namespace-aware across files
• Outline, workspace symbols, folding, N references code lenses, optional parameter inlay hints
• Live diagnostics while typing (via phel api-daemon) and phel lint findings on save
• Searchable docs panel for the whole standard library; php/… hovers with the real PHP signature

Running & testing

• Test Explorer for deftest with per-test results, diffs, locations and coverage; a Benchmarks tree for defbench
• ▶ Run / Debug code lenses, run-on-save, and everything reachable from the right-click menu, editor title bar or Explorer
• Tasks for test, test --watch, lint, build, format, bench with problem matchers into the Problems panel

REPL & debugging

• Integrated REPL and nREPL client: eval form/selection/file, inline => result, evaluate-to-comment, evaluate-and-replace, hover evaluation, history — attaches to a running phel nrepl via .nrepl-port or starts its own
• Tests run through the live nREPL when connected (no PHP boot per run)
• Xdebug debugger with breakpoints in .phel files, conditional and hit-count breakpoints, logpoints, watch, and Debug test from a lens
• One status bar item shows daemon / nREPL / LSP state, with actions one click away

Configuration

Everything works with zero configuration when Phel lives at vendor/bin/phel. When it does not, phel.executablePath (per workspace folder) is the only setting that matters. Per-subsystem overrides exist for lint, format, tests and REPL, and Phel's own language server (phel lsp) can be switched on for compiler-backed intelligence. Full reference: docs/settings.md.

Documentation

Contributing: docs/CONTRIBUTING.md · Release history: CHANGELOG.md