IDE Navigation Reference

TestLink's core purpose is enabling Cmd+Click navigation between tests and production code. This page covers IDE-specific details and troubleshooting.

How Navigation Works

TestLink uses @see tags that all major PHP IDEs recognize:

class UserService
{
    /**
     * @see \Tests\UserServiceTest::test_creates_user    ← Cmd+Click
     * @see \Tests\UserServiceTest::test_validates_email ← Cmd+Click
     */
    public function create(array $data): User
    {
        // Click any @see tag to jump to that test
    }
}

The same works from tests to production:

/**
 * @see \App\Services\UserService::create   ← Cmd+Click
 */
public function test_creates_user(): void
{
    // Click to jump to the production method
}

PhpStorm

PhpStorm supports @see navigation out of the box. No configuration needed.

Navigate

1. Hold Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows/Linux)
2. Click on the class or method reference in the @see tag
3. PhpStorm jumps to that location

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Navigate to definition	Cmd+Click or Cmd+B
Find usages	Cmd+Shift+F7
Navigate back	Cmd+[

Troubleshooting

@see links not clickable:

1. Ensure the class is fully qualified (\Tests\... with leading backslash)
2. Run composer dump-autoload to update autoloading
3. Invalidate caches: File → Invalidate Caches → Invalidate and Restart

Wrong file opens:

1. Check the namespace matches the file location
2. Verify the method name is spelled correctly

VS Code

VS Code requires the Intelephense extension for @see navigation.

Setup

1. Open Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search for "PHP Intelephense"
3. Click Install

Optional configuration in .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "intelephense.files.associations": ["*.php"],
  "intelephense.environment.includePaths": [
    "${workspaceFolder}/vendor"
  ]
}

Navigate

1. Hold Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows/Linux)
2. Click on the @see reference
3. VS Code jumps to the target

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Navigate to definition	Cmd+Click or F12
Navigate back	Cmd+-

Other IDEs

IDE	@see Support
Sublime Text	With LSP-intelephense plugin
Neovim	With nvim-lspconfig + intelephense
Eclipse PDT	Built-in

Generating @see Tags

TestLink's sync command generates @see tags automatically:

./vendor/bin/testlink sync

This scans your test declarations and adds corresponding @see tags to both sides, making your code navigable without manual work.

@see Tag Format

Fully Qualified Names Required

Always use fully qualified class names (FQCN) with a leading backslash:

// Good - navigable in all IDEs
/** @see \Tests\Unit\UserServiceTest::test_creates_user */

// Bad - may not work in some IDEs
/** @see UserServiceTest::test_creates_user */

Class References

/** @see \App\Services\UserService */

Method References

/** @see \App\Services\UserService::create */

Multiple References

/**
 * @see \Tests\UserServiceTest::test_creates_user
 * @see \Tests\UserServiceTest::test_validates_email
 * @see \Tests\UserFlowTest::test_registration_flow
 */
public function create(array $data): User

Keeping Links Accurate

Navigation only works if links point to real code. Run validation to catch broken links:

./vendor/bin/testlink validate

This catches:

• Misspelled class/method names
• References to deleted tests
• Missing FQCN prefixes

Run validation in CI/CD to ensure your navigation links stay accurate as code evolves.

See Also

• Bidirectional Linking - How the linking system works
• Sync Command - Auto-generate @see tags
• Validation in CI - Keep links accurate