Soft Aware Workbench

Soft Aware is a comprehensive VS Code extension that transforms your editor into a complete local development environment for PHP, MySQL, and Apache. Manage runtimes, databases, websites, and development tools—all without leaving VS Code.

Supports Windows and macOS — works with your existing PHP, MySQL, and Apache installations or MAMP/XAMPP setups.

Feature Highlights

🖥️ Modern Dashboard

• Tabbed Workbench UI – Dashboard, Services, Sites, and Tools tabs for organized workflow
• Real-time Status – Visual status indicators for Apache and MySQL services
• Quick Actions – One-click access to common tasks

🔧 Runtime Management

• Multi-version Support – Register and switch between multiple PHP, MySQL, and Apache versions
• Configuration Access – Jump directly to php.ini, my.ini, httpd.conf from the sidebar
• Service Control – Start/stop Apache and MySQL from the status bar or command palette

🌐 Website Provisioning

• Local Domains – Create local development sites with automatic hosts file entries
• SSL Automation – One-click self-signed SSL certificate generation
• Virtual Hosts – Automatic Apache vhost configuration with SSL support
• Quick Access – Open sites in browser, terminal, or file explorer

💾 Database Tools

• Database Browser – TreeView for exploring databases, tables, and columns
• SQL Query Runner – Execute queries and view results in output panel
• Import/Export – Backup and restore databases with mysqldump integration
• Database Management – Create and drop databases from the sidebar

📦 Composer Integration

• Package Browser – View installed dependencies in the sidebar
• Package Management – Install, update, and remove packages
• Autoloader – Regenerate optimized autoloader
• Validation – Check for outdated packages and validate composer.json

🧩 PHP Extension Manager

• Extension List – View loaded and available PHP extensions
• Toggle Extensions – Enable/disable extensions by modifying php.ini
• PHP Info – View full phpinfo() in a webview panel
• Quick Access – Open php.ini directly for manual editing

🐛 Xdebug Configurator

• Setup Wizard – Interactive wizard for configuring Xdebug
• Mode Selection – Debug, develop, coverage, profile, or trace modes
• Launch.json – Automatic VS Code debug configuration generation
• Quick Toggle – Enable/disable debugging with one command

📄 .htaccess Generator

• Template Library – 15+ ready-to-use templates for common configurations
• Categories – Rewrite, security, caching, optimization, and redirect templates
• Project Presets – WordPress, Laravel, SPA, or custom PHP setups
• Smart Insert – Insert templates at cursor or create new .htaccess file

Default Layout

Soft Aware pre-fills directories when it detects the standard layout:

Windows

macOS (Homebrew)

On Intel Macs the Homebrew prefix is /usr/local instead of /opt/homebrew.

Services are managed via brew services start/stop on macOS. SSL certificates are generated with mkcert (installable via brew install mkcert).

Getting Started

1. Install: npm install
2. Build: npm run compile
3. Launch: Press F5 to open Extension Development Host
4. Open Workbench: Run Soft Aware: Open Workbench from command palette

Sidebar Views

Soft Aware adds four views to the activity bar:

• Stack Overview – Runtime versions, services, and websites
• Databases – MySQL database browser with context actions
• Composer – Package dependencies from composer.json
• PHP Extensions – Loaded and available PHP extensions

Commands

Core Commands

Database Commands

Composer Commands

PHP Commands

Apache Commands

Quick Actions

Configuration

Settings are stored in VS Code's global configuration:

Windows

{
  "softaware.php": {
    "baseDirectory": "C:\\softaware\\bin\\php",
    "selectedVersion": "php-8.3.16"
  },
  "softaware.websites": {
    "documentRoot": "C:\\softaware\\www",
    "sites": [{ "domain": "myapp.local", "sslEnabled": true }]
  }
}

macOS (Homebrew)

{
  "softaware.php": {
    "baseDirectory": "/opt/homebrew/opt/php@8.3",
    "selectedVersion": "8.3.30"
  },
  "softaware.websites": {
    "documentRoot": "/Users/you/Sites",
    "sites": [{ "domain": "myapp.local", "sslEnabled": true }]
  }
}

Development

npm run watch       # Incremental webpack build
npm run compile     # Single production build
npm run test        # Run integration tests
npm run lint        # ESLint check
npm run package     # Create .vsix package

Debugging

• Run Extension: Start development host for manual testing
• Debug Extension Tests: Run tests with breakpoint support

Release Notes

0.0.1

• Complete PHP/MySQL/Apache workbench with modern tabbed UI
• Database browser with query runner and import/export
• Composer package manager integration
• PHP extension manager with toggle support
• Xdebug configurator with launch.json generation
• .htaccess template generator with 15+ templates
• Service control via status bar and commands
• SSL certificate automation for local sites
• Quick actions for common development tasks

Requirements

• VS Code 1.106.0 or later
• Windows — portable PHP/MySQL/Apache or existing installations
• macOS — Homebrew (brew install php mysql httpd)

License

MIT