What is phpDocumentor?
phpDocumentor 2 is a tool that makes it possible to generate documentation directly from your PHP source code. With this you can provide your consumers with more information regarding the functionality embedded within your source and not just what is usable to them from your user interface.
Documentation generated by phpDocumentor 2 does not aim to be a replacement for conventional documentation but is rather supplemental, or reference, documentation.This proves to be useful in the following example situations:
- Sets of libraries or applications providing an API, such as phpDocumentor 2 itself
- Frameworks, such as Zend Framework or Symfony
- Pluggable architectures, such as WordPress or PyroCMS
- Long-running, complex projects, to help you find the right function or method for the job
phpDocumentor 2 contains an incredibly flexible template system which enables you to alter your output in any way imaginable. This can range from simply applying your own branding for the HTML output by merely altering a couple of CSS files to determining which types of output are generated and where they are made available.
phpDocumentor 2 is capable of extracting interesting information and presenting it in the form of graphs and reports. The following are currently supported:
- An inheritance diagram showing all subclassing and implementing of interfaces.
- Reporting errors in your source code's inline documentation.
- Reporting which elements are marked as deprecated.
- Reporting where TODOs are placed in your code and what is to be done.
This list will only grow in the future to help you determine where to invest your resources in order to make your code more stable and maintainable.