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6.3.2 What is Tagging?

A "tag" is a PHP symbol (such as a class name, global function name, or constant variable) along with information such as which source file and line number the symbol was defined on.

When tagging is enabled, Roadsend Studio will collect this information for all project files and all files opened in the editor. This allows the IDE to automatic help while you code, such as parameter completion and class/method auto completion.

Tags are also used to generate the File Code Browsing and Project Code Browsing trees. These trees display an alphabetical list of the symbols used in your project so that you can easily navigate to the various parts of a project.

Searching For Tags

Navigating the source code of a large project can take a great deal of time, especially if you are unfamiliar with the code.

Roadsend Studio allows you to search for a PHP symbol and jump directly to the source file where the symbol was defined.

To search for a symbol, right click on it in the editor and select “Find <symbol>”. If there are multiple places in your project where the same symbol name is defined, you can jump to the next definition by again right clicking and selecting “Find Next <symbol>”.

Syntax Checking

In addition to maintaining a list of symbols, tagging can spot syntax errors in your code before you interpret or compile it. When tagging is enabled, if you save a file with a syntax error in it you will be notified of the line where the syntax error occurs. The line will be highlighted in red.