My PHP Syntax Highlighter for Visual Studio

/ Coding, From the Developers

Introducing the PHP Enhanced Syntax Highlighter Extension by MYETV

We are thrilled to announce the release of our brand-new PHP Enhanced Syntax Highlighter extension, designed to boost your productivity and improve our coding experience in the new Visual Studio 2026 (and lower)! Available now on GitHub and published on the official Visual Studio Marketplace, this extension is completely free and open-source.

Why This Extension?

We looked for a way to work with PHP code through Visual Studio without having to install extensions that slow down the system; in fact, we wanted to focus on speed rather than quantity, so we could use our favorite IDE without interruptions.

Writing and maintaining PHP code can be challenging, especially when working with complex control structures and nested blocks. Our extension is crafted to help developers by providing smart syntax highlighting combined with real-time syntax validation that makes errors easier to catch and blocks easier to understand at a glance.

Using PHP? You’ll know how useful it is to quickly spot where your if, else, endif blocks or your try, catch, finally blocks begin and end or how to visualize matching braces and conditional blocks instantly. This extension brings you exactly that and much more! Easy and colored way to highlight code blocks to easy have them in your hands.

Where to Find It

We’ve published the source code and the latest releases on GitHub at https://github.com/MYETV/My-PHP-Syntax-Highlighter. Feel free to clone, contribute, raise issues, or fork the repo!

In addition, we have launched the extension officially on the Visual Studio Marketplace. This will allow you to easily install and update it directly from inside Visual Studio with just a couple of clicks.

To achieve maximum speed, we relied on a parser written exclusively by our developers. The extension will be tested every day and updated every month to improve the php parser and the compatible blocks.

Screenshot

Key Features

1. Smart Highlighting of PHP Control Blocks

  • Try-Catch-Finally: Highlight all related keywords together so you immediately see the full exception handling structure.
  • If-ElseIf-Else-EndIf: Quickly recognize the full conditional branching it’s part of.
  • Foreach-EndForeach: Easily spot the start and end of loops.
  • Brace Matching: Precise matching for {}, [], and () braces helps you keep track of nested code sections effortlessly.

2. Real-Time Syntax Validation

  • Recognizes unclosed blocks and unmatched braces before you compile.
  • Warns if try blocks lack the necessary catch or finally sections.
  • Offers instant feedback so you can fix mistakes early while coding.

3. Comprehensive Multi-Format Support

  • Perfect for pure PHP .php files or PHP blocks embedded in HTML.
  • Supports complex layouts including inline and multiline PHP syntax.
  • Works seamlessly with Visual Studio 2019 and later versions.

Why is This Useful?

  • Debugging Made Easier: Quickly highlight related control keywords to understand flow and scope.
  • Reduce Syntax Errors: Catch mismatched or unclosed blocks visually and with warnings before runtime.
  • Boost Productivity: Fastest extension for php, spend less time reading through code and more time writing or fixing bugs.
  • Enjoy a Clean, Consistent Visual Experience: Automatic adaption to your Visual Studio theme keeps the UI consistent and pleasant.

Completely Free and Open Source

We believe in supporting the developer community. You can use and share the PHP Enhanced Syntax Highlighter for free, modify it, and even contribute improvements on GitHub.

How to Get Started

  1. Download, unzip and install the extension My PHP Syntax Highlighter for Visual Studio from here: https://github.com/MYETV/My-PHP-Syntax-Highlighter/archive/refs/heads/main.zip (double click on the installer)
  2. Or install directly from the Visual Studio Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MYETV.mpsh
  3. Visit our GitHub repository for more informations and source code: https://github.com/MYETV/My-PHP-Syntax-Highlighter
  4. Start coding with enhanced clarity and insight!

We are excited for you to try this extension and welcome feedback and contributions. Stay tuned for the Visual Studio Marketplace release announcement!

For updates, examples, and support, follow MYETV on our blog and social channels.

Happy coding!

This post is brought to you by MYETV, always innovating for better developer tools.

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