Setting Up Eclipse PDT with UniServer for PHP Development (Part 1 of 2)

Eclipse PDT, HTML5, Javascript, jQuery, mySQL, PHP

General Observations

Not the most convenient or intuitive IDE in the world, Eclipse is still a convenient IDE to use if you are not into spending big money on other developers … but, would like some very useful tools for development. If set up correctly, Eclipse PDT can help develop PHP projects with very useful debug options.

Some of the problems with Eclipse PDT include:

  • Setup can be a pain, it is definitely not load and go
  • Extra effort my be needed if you are not using Zend Server
  • You define your projects, but, deleting projects is a nuisance to do

I should mention, I am not an Eclipse expert. Definitely, it was a massive effort to hunt and peck my way through the installation. This article is to help me remember the process the next time I need to go through the process. It has a bit of rambling side information for those of you that find this articles and are curious why I have elected to do some of the setup that I do to use Eclipse. I hope it helps you too.

Preparation to use Eclipse PDT

To use Eclipse PDT, you must have the ability to run PHP. This implies the availability of a Server environment. Preparation suggests you install an AMP environment. In the case of this article, I have a WAMP environment.

I am developing on a WAMP environment; Windows, Apache, MySql & PHP. To maintain the database, I like using phpMyAdmin. To meet my needs for Apache and mySQL, I have tried using Zend Server.

Zend Server is an interesting, having lots of bells and whistles, but, I find that it is a pain to install phpMyAdmin on Zend Server hosted on Windows. Zend Server has a “simple” button press “deployment” of phpMyAdmin on their Zend Server, but, it fails in Windows. Notes around the internet indicate it works in Unix and Linux but, phpMyAdmin does not deploy conveniently on Windows at this time … true.

Even more inconvenient, uninstall of Zend Server does not do a complete uninstall. Zend Server installs IBM DB2 Server, but, does not remove it in the uninstall. This incomplete uninstall leaves the IBM DB server blocking access to port 3306 for other WAMP package installs. If you want to use port 3306, for the database servers with some other WAMP package like Uniserver, Wampserver, UmAmp … you will need to be aware and uninstall the DB2 server separately. Failure to uninstall IBM DB2 results in the failure of other WAMP packages to install completely. In the future, I may try Zend Server again using a Linux environment, but, not on Windows … until they solve their Windows compatibility problem with phpMyAdmin.

On Windows, I find the Uniform Server (UniServer) extremely convenient to install. I have used UniServer for about 10 years and never have had problems with Uniserver. The installation is quick, simple, and always works. UniServer includes mySQL, PHP and phpMyAdmin and meets my development needs nicely. Load and go in a Windows development environment.

If you are looking to use Eclipse, I assume you have an AMP package installed. If you have a AMP package installed, you can skip to Installing Eclipse PDT. If you are using Windows and need a WAMP package, the following two short sections will help.

Find Uniform Server

Uniform Server can be found at http://www.uniformserver.com/. Go on over to the UniServer site and click Download to retrieve the latest version of UniServer.

Installation of UniServer

To install UniServer:

  • Choose a where you would like to install UniServer. Some would choose the “Windows File” directory, but, I prefer to place it elsewhere. Your development files will be placed in a subdirectory below this and I do not like my development files stored below the Windows/Program Files subdirectory.
  • run the unZip for the uniserver package into the chosen . A will be created, but, standard Windows install with registry is not used by the UniServer package. (The name of the server_subdirectory changes with version, so I will call that )
  • Create a shortcut on your desktop to /UniController.exe. This will be your access to the UniServer control panel.

You are now ready to move on to the hard part … installing and configuring Eclipse PDT.

Head on over to the next article to find details of the Eclipse PDT installation and configuration.

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