PHP Use Helper

PHP Use Helper helps you add, complete, sort, and clean PHP use statements in Visual Studio Code.

It discovers classes in your current project, prioritizes non-vendor project classes in completion results, and includes practical presets for Symfony, Laravel, Doctrine, and common PHP classes.

Features

Complete use Statements

When you type use <ClassName> in a PHP file, completion results include classes discovered from the current workspace. Classes from your project are shown before preset framework classes, and files inside vendor, node_modules, .git, cache, and storage folders are skipped.

Add a use Statement

Place your cursor on a class name and run PHP: Add use statement from the context menu or Command Palette.

The extension opens a VS Code Quick Pick filtered by the word under your cursor. Choose a class and the use statement is inserted near the top of the PHP file, after the namespace or existing imports.

Shortcut:

Sort use Statements

Run PHP: Sort use statements to sort imports alphabetically.

Shortcut:

Remove Unused use Statements

Run PHP: Remove unused use statements from the editor context menu. The extension detects imports that are no longer referenced in the file and removes them after confirmation.

Hover for Fully Qualified Class Names

Hover over an imported class name to see the fully qualified namespace from the matching use statement.

Framework Support

Symfony

PHP Use Helper includes presets for common Symfony classes such as controllers, HTTP foundation classes, routing attributes and annotations, forms, validators, security interfaces, serializer classes, and event subscribers.

Laravel

Laravel projects are supported through project class discovery and presets for frequently used Laravel classes, including HTTP requests and responses, controllers, facades, Eloquent models and builders, migrations, schema helpers, console commands, queues, notifications, mailables, and form requests.

Doctrine

Doctrine presets include ORM, repositories, persistence registry, pagination, and mapping attributes commonly used in Symfony and Laravel-adjacent PHP projects.

Supported Presets

Symfony

• AbstractController, Request, Response, JsonResponse, RedirectResponse
• Route attributes and annotations
• AbstractType, FormBuilderInterface, OptionsResolver
• TextType, EmailType, PasswordType, IntegerType, DateTimeType, SubmitType, ChoiceType, TextareaType
• ValidatorInterface, NotBlank, Length, Email
• UserInterface, PasswordAuthenticatedUserInterface, UserPasswordHasherInterface
• SerializerInterface, Groups, EventSubscriberInterface

Laravel

• Request, Response, JsonResponse, Controller, Redirector
• Route, Auth, Cache, DB, Log, Storage, Validator, Schema facades
• Collection, Model, Builder, HasFactory
• Migration, Blueprint, Command, ShouldQueue, FormRequest, Notification, Mailable

Doctrine ORM

• EntityManagerInterface, EntityRepository, ServiceEntityRepository
• ManagerRegistry, Paginator
• Mapping: Entity, Column, Id, GeneratedValue, ManyToOne, OneToMany, ManyToMany, JoinColumn, Table

PHP Standard

• DateTime, DateTimeImmutable, DateTimeInterface
• Exception, RuntimeException, InvalidArgumentException, LogicException

Installation

From the VS Code Marketplace

Install from the Marketplace:

ext install colscenery.php-use-helper

From a VSIX File

code --install-extension php-use-helper-1.0.3.vsix

Or open VS Code, run Extensions: Install from VSIX..., and select the VSIX file.

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code ^1.85.0
• A PHP workspace

Repository

Source repository:

https://github.com/TakashiHishiki/php-use-helper

Changelog

1.0.3

• Added project class discovery for use statement completion, excluding vendor and common generated folders.
• Prioritized local project classes above framework presets.
• Added Laravel presets and README documentation.
• Updated Marketplace metadata for version 1.0.3.

1.0.2

• Updated the extension icon.

1.0.1

• Initial public release.

License

MIT