PHP Call Hierarchy (VS Code Extension)

Extension Display Name: PHP Call Hierarchy Extension ID: php-call-hierarchy

A feature-rich VS Code extension built in TypeScript to analyze, construct, and present multi-level hierarchical call graphs (Incoming Calls and Outgoing Calls) for PHP projects in a native VS Code Tree View.

📥 Direct Download & Quick Install

Download the ready-to-use VS Code extension package:
👉 Download php-call-hierarchy-0.0.1.vsix

How to install in VS Code:

1. Open VS Code and press Ctrl+Shift+X (Extensions tab).
2. Click the ... (More Actions) menu in the top-right corner.
3. Select Install from VSIX... and choose the downloaded .vsix file.

Key Features

1. Hierarchical Call Graph

• Incoming Calls: Shows functions and methods that call the active symbol, up to a configurable depth.
• Outgoing Calls: Shows functions and methods called by the active symbol, up to a configurable depth.
• Expand / Collapse: Lazy-loads child hierarchy nodes on demand.
• Navigation: Select a node to navigate directly to its file and line number.

2. Full PHP Symbol and Call Support

Supports:

• Standard functions.

• Instance methods:

  • $this->method()
  • $object->method()

• Static methods:

  • ClassName::method()

• PHP keyword calls:

  • self::method()
  • static::method()
  • parent::method()

• Namespaces and import aliases:

  • use Namespace\ClassName as Alias;

• Class inheritance with extends.

• Interface contracts with implements.

• Traits with use TraitName;.

The extension also detects circular call relationships such as:

A → B → A

Recursive nodes are marked accordingly, and infinite tree expansion is prevented.

3. High-Performance Architecture

• Pure AST parsing using php-parser.
• No PHP binary is required on the host machine.
• Parallel AST parsing using Node.js Worker Threads.
• Keeps the VS Code Extension Host responsive during indexing.
• Incremental re-indexing when PHP files are changed or saved.
• File change handling is debounced to reduce unnecessary indexing.
• File modification-time caching skips unchanged files.
• Indexed incoming-call lookups.
• Memoized descendant resolution for inheritance hierarchies.

Default excluded directories include:

• vendor
• node_modules
• storage
• cache
• build
• dist

Commands and User Interface

Commands

UI Integration

• Editor Context Menu: Right-click inside a PHP function or method to display its incoming or outgoing calls.

• Activity Bar View Container: Dedicated PHP Call Hierarchy view in the VS Code sidebar.

• Explorer Container View: Call hierarchy panel embedded in the Explorer sidebar.

• View Action Toolbar:

  • Refresh hierarchy.
  • Switch between incoming and outgoing calls.
  • Search for PHP symbols.

Extension Settings

Installation and Build

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.0.0 or later.
• npm 9.0.0 or later.
• VS Code 1.75.0 or later.

Install Dependencies

npm install

Build Production Bundle

npm run build

Development Watch Mode

npm run watch

Packaging VSIX

To package the extension into a .vsix file:

npx vsce package

The generated .vsix file can be installed manually through VS Code.

Debugging in VS Code

1. Open the repository folder in VS Code.

2. Press F5 or select Run Extension from the Debug panel.

3. A new Extension Development Host window will open.

4. Open a PHP file.

5. Place the cursor inside a function or method.

6. Right-click and select:

   • PHP Call Hierarchy: Show Incoming Calls, or
   • PHP Call Hierarchy: Show Outgoing Calls.

Limitations

Dynamic Method Invocation

Runtime calls based on variable names cannot always be resolved through static AST analysis.

Examples:

$functionName();
$controller->$methodName();

Type hints or PHPDoc annotations may improve symbol resolution in some cases.

Magic Methods

Calls resolved through the following magic methods may not have a directly identifiable method definition:

__call()
__callStatic()

The extension may record these calls as call sites without resolving a concrete target definition.

Anonymous Classes and Closures

Calls inside closures are supported.

Anonymous classes do not always have a stable fully qualified class name, which may limit symbol resolution and hierarchy navigation.