Pint This - Installation & Usage Guide

A VS Code extension that adds a convenient right-click option to run Laravel Pint on your PHP files with just two simple steps.

Prerequisites

• PHP 8.2+: Check your version with php -v
• Composer: Verify installation with composer --version

Step 1: Install Laravel Pint Globally

Laravel Pint is a PHP code style fixer that needs to be available globally on your system for this extension to work.

Option A: Global Installation (Recommended)

Install Laravel Pint globally using Composer:

composer global require laravel/pint

Option B: Project-based Installation

If you prefer project-based installation:

# In your PHP/Laravel project directory
composer require laravel/pint --dev

Note: With project-based installation, the extension will only work within projects that have Pint installed.

Verify Installation

Test that Pint is available from the command line:

pint --version

If you get a "command not found" error, ensure Composer's global bin directory is in your PATH:

• Windows: Add %APPDATA%\Composer\vendor\bin to your PATH
• macOS/Linux: Add ~/.composer/vendor/bin or ~/.config/composer/vendor/bin to your PATH

Step 2: Install the VS Code Extension

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac)
3. Search for "Pint This" by ShyamkumarAshokGarud
4. Click "Install"

Step 3: Using the Extension

Quick Start

1. Open any PHP file in VS Code
2. Right-click on the file tab (the tab at the top, not in the editor)
3. Click "Pint this" from the context menu
4. Done! Your file will be automatically formatted according to Laravel's coding standards

You'll see a notification when Pint finishes processing the file.

Configuration (Optional)

Laravel Pint works perfectly with default settings, but you can customize it by creating a pint.json file in your project root:

{
    "preset": "laravel",
    "rules": {
        "simplified_null_return": true,
        "array_indentation": false
    }
}

Troubleshooting

"pint command not found"

Solution: Ensure Laravel Pint is installed globally and in your PATH:

# Check if globally installed
composer global show laravel/pint

# If not installed, install it
composer global require laravel/pint

If still not working, add Composer's bin directory to your PATH:

• Windows: Add %APPDATA%\Composer\vendor\bin to your PATH
• macOS/Linux: Add ~/.composer/vendor/bin to your PATH

Extension Not Appearing

Solution:

1. Restart VS Code
2. Make sure you're right-clicking on the file tab, not in the editor
3. Check that the extension is enabled in the Extensions panel

About Laravel Pint

Laravel Pint is a PHP code style fixer that ensures your code follows Laravel's coding standards. It automatically fixes indentation, spacing, and other style issues to keep your code clean and consistent.