How to find deprecated usages in PHPStorm?

As a developer, it’s essential to keep your code up to date and ensure that you’re using the latest best practices. One of the most critical aspects of maintaining modern code is avoiding the use of deprecated functions, classes, and methods. Deprecated usages can lead to reduced performance, compatibility issues, and potential security vulnerabilities. So, finding and fixing deprecated usages in the codebase becomes crucial and important for the overall health and maintenance of the codebase.

PHPStorm, a popular Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for PHP development, comes with powerful features to help you find and deal with deprecated usages. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to find deprecated usages in PHPStorm effectively and provide guidance on updating your code to utilize the latest alternatives. But, before that, let’s understand what a deprecated usage is?

What is Deprecated Usage?

Deprecated usage refers to the use of functions, methods, classes, or features in a programming language or library that are considered outdated, discouraged, or no longer maintained. These deprecated elements are often marked for removal in future releases, which means that continuing to use them can lead to compatibility issues, reduced performance, or potential security vulnerabilities.

When a language or library evolves, developers might introduce new features or improve existing ones to address performance, security, or other concerns. As a result, some older elements become less relevant or less efficient, and the developers may decide to mark them as deprecated to encourage users to migrate to the newer, better alternatives. This process helps maintain the overall quality, maintainability, and forward compatibility of the codebase.

In the context of PHP, for example, deprecated usages might include functions or methods that are no longer recommended for use due to the introduction of more efficient alternatives, or features that have been superseded by new language constructs or design patterns. It’s important for developers to regularly update their code and replace deprecated usages with the recommended alternatives to ensure their applications remain secure, efficient, and compatible with future releases.

How to Find Deprecated Usage with PHPStorm?

I have curated a list of steps using which you can find all the deprecated usages and fix them all together using PHPStorm.

Step 1: Enable Deprecated Inspection

By default, PHPStorm highlights deprecated usages in your code with a strikethrough. However, you need to ensure that the Deprecated inspection is enabled in your IDE settings. Follow these steps to enable it:

1. Go to File > Settings (or PHPStorm > Preferences on macOS).
2. In the Settings window, navigate to Editor > Inspections.
3. In the Inspections panel, expand the “PHP” section.
4. Locate the “Deprecated” inspection and ensure that it’s enabled (checked).

Step 2: Customize Inspection Severity

You can customize the severity of deprecated usages to make them more visible in your code. To do this:

1. In the Inspections panel (from Step 1), click on “Deprecated.”
2. In the right pane, you’ll see the “Severity” dropdown.
3. Choose a severity level based on your preference (e.g., Warning, Error, or a custom level).

Step 3: Run the Deprecated Inspection

Now that you’ve enabled and customized the Deprecated inspection, you can run it across your entire project or specific directories or files. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on your project root, a directory, or a file in the Project view.
2. In the context menu, select “Analyze” > “Inspect Code.”
3. In the “Inspect Code” dialog, choose the appropriate scope (e.g., Whole project, Uncommitted files, or a custom scope).
4. Click “OK” to run the inspection.

Step 4: Analyze Inspection Results

Once the inspection is complete, PHPStorm will display the results in the “Inspection Results” tool window. The results will show deprecated usages organized by category (e.g., Deprecated Functions, Deprecated Classes).

1. Click on a category to expand it and reveal the deprecated usages.
2. Click on an individual usage to navigate to the corresponding code in the editor.
3. Review the deprecated usage and replace it with the recommended alternative, as suggested by the official PHP documentation or a third-party library’s documentation.

Step 5: Utilize Quick Fixes

PHPStorm often provides “Quick Fixes” to automatically replace deprecated usages with their recommended alternatives. To use a Quick Fix:

1. Place your cursor on a deprecated usage in the editor.
2. Press “Alt + Enter” (or “Option + Enter” on macOS) to open the context menu with available Quick Fixes.
3. Choose the appropriate Quick Fix and press “Enter” to apply it.

Conclusion

Finding and addressing deprecated usages in PHPStorm is crucial to maintain up-to-date, secure, and high-performance code. By enabling and customizing the Deprecated inspection, running it across your project, and analyzing the results, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle deprecated usages and replace them with their recommended alternatives. Remember to always consult the official PHP documentation or a third-party library’s documentation for guidance on the most appropriate replacements for deprecated usages