Question 1

How do I parse a PHPDoc string with phpstan/phpdoc-parser?

Accepted Answer

You need to set up the Lexer, ParserConfig, TypeParser, and PhpDocParser as shown in the README's basic usage example. First, tokenize the string with the Lexer, then parse it using PhpDocParser to get a PhpDocNode AST that you can traverse or modify.

Question 2

What's the difference between phpstan/phpdoc-parser and other PHPDoc parsers?

Accepted Answer

phpstan/phpdoc-parser is more feature-rich, supporting modern PHPDoc syntax like conditional types and generics, and includes an AST for manipulation. Simpler parsers might only extract tags without type analysis or AST structure, making this better for static analysis tools.

Question 3

Can I modify PHPDoc comments without losing formatting?

Accepted Answer

Yes, using the format-preserving printer, you can clone the AST with CloningVisitor, make changes to nodes, and print it back while preserving the original layout, comments, and whitespace, as demonstrated in the README.

Question 4

Does phpstan/phpdoc-parser support Doctrine annotations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it includes dedicated AST nodes in the PHPStan\PhpDocParser\Ast\PhpDoc\Doctrine namespace for parsing Doctrine annotations alongside PHPDoc tags, making it suitable for projects using both documentation styles.

Question 5

How do I traverse and manipulate the AST nodes?

Accepted Answer

Use the NodeTraverser with custom visitors that extend AbstractNodeVisitor, allowing you to inspect or transform nodes with control constants like DONT_TRAVERSE_CHILDREN. The README provides an example with identifier type replacement.

Question 6

Is this parser suitable for building documentation generators?

Accepted Answer

It can be used for documentation generators due to its accurate type parsing and AST structure, but the complexity might be overkill if you only need simple tag extraction without advanced type analysis or modification features.

PHPDoc Parser

What is PHPDoc Parser?

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