PHP - 3.2

Extension ID

com.castsoftware.php

What’s new?

Please see PHP 3.2 - Release Notes for more information.

Description

This extension provides support for applications written using the PHP language.

Supported versions

Although this extension is officially supported by CAST, please note that it has been developed within the technical constraints of the CAST Universal Analyzer technology and to some extent adapted to meet specific customer needs. Therefore the extension may not address all of the coding techniques and patterns that exist for the target technology and may not produce the same level of analysis and precision regarding e.g. quality measurement and/or function point counts that are typically produced by other CAST AIP analyzers.

This version of the extension provides support for:

Function Point, Quality and Sizing support

This extension provides the following support:

• Function Points (transactions): a green tick indicates that OMG Function Point counting and Transaction Risk Index are supported
• Quality and Sizing: a green tick indicates that CAST can measure size and that a minimum set of Quality Rules exist

Function Points (transactions)
Quality and Sizing

Compatibility

Download and installation instructions

The extension will be automatically downloaded and installed in CAST Imaging Console when you deliver PHP code. You can also manually install the extension using the Application - Extensions interface.  Once the extension is downloaded and installed, you can now package your source code and run an analysis.

Prepare and deliver the source code

Source code preparation

• Only files with the following extensions will be analyzed *.php; *.php4; *.php5; *.inc; *.phtml; *.ini. The *.yml and *.yaml extensions are also supported for Symfony framework.
• The analysis of XML and XSL files contained in the PHP application is not supported. 
• The analysis of any HTML and JavaScript source code delivered with the PHP code is managed by the HTML and JavaScript extension / .NET analyzer, to be configured in addition to the PHP analysis.

Source code preprocessing

PHP source code needs to be preprocessed so that CAST can understand it and analyze it correctly. This code preprocessing is actioned automatically when an analysis is launched or a snapshot is generated (the code is preprocessed before the analysis starts). In other words you only need to package, deliver and launch an analysis/generate a snapshot for the preprocessing to be completed. The PHP Preprocessor log file is stored in the following location:

%PROGRAMDATA%\CAST\CAST\Logs\<application_name>\Execute_Analysis_<guid>\com.castsoftware.php.<_extension_version>.prepro_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.log

Note that the LISA folder will be used to analyze the preprocessed files.

Short tags

PHP short tags \<? and \<?= in the delivered source code cannot be handled as is. Therefore, the analyzer will automatically convert them to \<? /*php short tag*/ and \<? /*php short echo tag*/ respectively.

What results can you expect?

PHP Objects

Symfony Framework objects

All Symfony objects will appear under their respective folders as shown below :

PHP Symfony Controller Class

• Supported scenario: If the Class name ends with Controller, we will create PHP Symfony Controller Class objects
• Links:
  • PHP Symfony Controller Class — Refer Link —> PHP Class
• Limitations: Alternate syntax where you can give the class name that does not have suffix “Controller” is not supported

PHP Symfony Controller 

• Supported scenario: If the method or function ends with suffix “Action”, then PHP Symfony Controller Object will be created

• Links:

  • PHP Symfony Controller — Refer Link —> PHP Symfony Route
  • PHP Symfony Controller — Refer Link —> PHP Method\Function

PHP Symfony Route

• Supported scenario:
  • If a route has been declared in the yml file, a route object will be created
  • If a route has been declared in PHP file an annotation route object will be created as follows:
    • Default naming convention for route annotation when declared without name above class “<classname>_Class_Annotation_<number>”
    • Default naming convention for route annotation when declared without name above method “<methodname>_Method_Annotation_<number>”
• Links:
  • PHP Symfony Route — Call Link —> PHP Symfony Controller

PHP Symfony Service

• Supported scenario: If a service has been declared in the yml configuration files, PHP Symfony Service Object will be created
• Links:

• • PHP Symfony Service — Call Link —> PHP Method
  • PHP Symfony Service — Call Link —> PHP Property
  • PHP Symfony Service — Call Link —> PHP Class constructor

• Limitation: Inheritance is not supported while determining property setter or constructor injection - they need to be defined in the same class which is being referred to in the service

Structural Rules

The following structural rules are provided:

You can also find a global list here:

https://technologies.castsoftware.com/rules?sec=t_1017000&ref=||

Logging mechanism

Analysis log files

Analysis logs are stored in the default locations.

PHP Preprocessor

PHP Preprocessor log file name (the preprocessor is launched automatically during an analysis) would be in format com.castsoftware.php.prepro_<ExtensionVersion>_<YYYYMMDDHHMMSS>.log

Errors and Warnings

The PHP configuration included in the extension uses external plugins. During the analysis, the Universal Analyzer or the plugin can throw errors or warnings. The table below list the most significant errors/warnings and lists a suggested remediation action:

Known limitations

Autowiring

This extension does not support PHP autowiring (see https://php-di.org/doc/autowiring.html).

LISA path length limited to 256 characters

If the LISA (Large Intermediate Storage Area) path for a specific file exceeds 256 characters the following occurs:

• violation calculation for this file will fail with message “<filepath> does not exist”.
• the analysis may fail with the error “Error while executing C:\php\phpmd.bat:The given file “<filepath>” does not exist.

This warning will appear in com.castsoftware.plugin*.log file. This is a limitation of PHP itself and not the PHP extension. To remediate this issue reduce path to the LISA folder where possible.

Name matching links - Universal Analyzer limitation

Due to a limitation in the Universal Analyzer (the “engine” used for PHP analyses), links will be created from any name to any matching name. At a minimum the following rules may be impacted and give erroneous results:

Analysis of XML and XSL files contained in the PHP application

The analysis of XML and XSL files contained in the PHP application is not supported. Any links between these files and any other file in the application will not be detected. This will impact the results of all the Quality Rules using these files.

Support of JavaScript source code

The PHP extension does not support JavaScript and as such, any JavaScript source code located in PHP or JavaScript  files will not be analyzed. CAST recommends using the HTML5 and JavaScript extension to analyze JavaScript files in the source code.

Support of PHTML files

PHTML files are supported with some limitations. If the files contain calls to functions or methods defined in other files and these other files are not specifically included, then these links will be lost.

Missing objects

Several properties on the same line

If a php class has properties declared on the same line, only the first property will be detected. For example:

class Test {

    public $first, $second, $third;

}

After analysis only object for $first will be created.

Property declared on several lines

If a php class has a property declared on several lines, no corresponding object will be created. For example:

class Test {

    public
    $first;

}

Method headers declared on several lines

If a php class has a method with a signature declared on several lines, no corresponding object will be created. For example:

class Test {

    public function
    $my_function{
        /* Body of the function */
    }

}

Limitations specific to rules

Avoid artifacts having recursive calls

“Avoid artifacts having recursive calls” (7388 - a standard CAST rule) - in some cases, a false positive may be detected: a call to a parent function can be detected as a recursive call

Note that an equivalent rule specific to the PHP extension (Avoid artifacts having recursive calls (PHP) - 1007242) was added in PHP 1.2.0. This replacement rule now produces accurate results and the results of 7388 should be ignored.

Avoid using break or continue statements in loops with high cyclomatic complexity

“Avoid using break or continue statements in loops with high cyclomatic complexity” (1007176) - if the break statement is located in JavaScript functions, no violations will be detected. JavaScript source code located in .PHP or JavaScript files is not analyzed (see limitation listed above).

Avoid unreferenced PHP Files

The rule “Avoid unreferenced PHP Files” (1007052) will return a false positive violation when a PHP file is referenced only from other technologies, for example from only within html/javascript source code.

Third-party components

PHP_CodeSniffer

This extension redistributes the source code of PHP_CodeSniffer version 3.9.0

phpcs-security-audit

This extension redistributes the source code of phpcs-security-audit version 2.0.1

symfony-coding-standard

This extension redistributes the source code of symfony-coding-standard version 3.13.0

PHP Mess Detector

This extension redistributes the binary of PHP Mess Detector version 2.14.1