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2022.3
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Working with Diagrams

Last modified: 15 December 2022

Required plugin: Diagrams (bundled)

Toolbar reference and context menu: diagram editor or class diagrams.

PhpStorm lets you generate UML class diagrams to analyze PHP applications, view the structure of databases, tables, and queries, and review VCS local changes.

View UML class diagram

  1. In the Project tool window, right-click an item for which you want to create a diagram and select Diagrams | Show Diagram Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U or Diagrams | Show Diagram Popup (Ctrl+Alt+U).

  2. In the list that opens, select PHP Class Diagram. PhpStorm generates a UML diagram for classes and their dependencies.

Analyze class diagram

After you have generated a diagram, press E to expand the nodes and see classes and their connections. To collapse them, press C.

Note that expanding/collapsing nodes works on the class containing folder level: expanding a folder will display only its content, but not the content of its child folders. Similarly, if you collapse a class, all elements in the containing folder (but not the child folders) will be collapsed.

To see the list of methods, fields, and other code elements, select the appropriate icon on the diagram toolbar located on top of the diagram editor.

Diagram editor

The lists are displayed based on the selected visibility level, which you can change. For example, to view protected methods, click the Change Visibility Level button on the diagram toolbar and select protected from the list. PhpStorm displays members with visibility not less than protected, such as public, package local, and protected ones. The protected methods are displayed with modifier icons key next to them.

Visibility level

To save the diagram as a file, right-click the diagram editor and from the context menu, select Export Diagram | Export to File and then the file extension in which you want to save the diagram.

Manage class diagram

When working with diagrams, use the context menu in the diagram editor to perform different tasks. You can view members of the class, add new, delete the existing ones, see implementations, check parent classes, perform basic refactoring, add notes, and so on.

You can navigate to the underlying source code by selecting a diagram element and pressing F4).

Add an existing class to a diagram

  1. Press Space.

  2. In the search field that opens, start typing a name of the class you want to add. Then, select the desired class from the suggestion list.

    If you want to add a class that is out of the project scope, select the Include non-project items checkbox.

    Alternatively, select one or more elements in the Project tool window and drag them to the diagram.

Delete a node element from the diagram

  1. In the diagram editor, select a node element you want to delete.

  2. Right-click the element and from the context menu, select Delete N/A.

    Alternatively, select Refactor | Safe Delete Alt+Delete. In this case, PhpStorm checks for usages before applying the changes.

tip

You can quickly search for usages by pressing Alt+F7 on a code element.

Add new members to a class

You can perform some forward engineering while in the diagram editor.

  1. In the diagram editor, select a class to which you want to add a new member and from the context menu, select New or press Alt+Insert. Then select a code element (a field or a method) you want to create.

  2. Depending on your selection, PhpStorm opens the appropriate dialog where you specify the necessary information for creating the new element.

PhpStorm adds the item to your diagram and updates the source code accordingly.

View implementations and parent classes

You can view implementations and parent classes in your diagram. If PhpStorm finds more than one parent class or implementation, it displays a list of appropriate items. Select the one you need to see the connections between the parent and its children.

  1. In the diagram editor, select an item for which you want to see implementations or parent classes.

  2. Right-click the items and from the context menu, select the Show Implementations Ctrl+Alt+B or Show Parents Ctrl+Alt+P respectively.

  3. In the popup that opens, select items you need and press Enter. To extend your selection up or down while in the popup, press Shift + Up or Shift + Down respectively.

Configure diagram settings

You can configure the diagram settings so that you have certain options available by default when you create a diagram.

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the IDE settings and select Tools | Diagrams.

  2. In the right-hand pane, select the options that you want to see by default and click OK to apply your changes.

Analyze graph

The Analyze Graph action group lets you analyze the graph in various ways such as perform auto clusterization, measure the node centrality, search cycles, filter path between two nodes, and so on.

Filter paths between two nodes

Most of the time, generated diagrams are big and complicated. Typically, you want to concentrate only on the specific part of the diagram. PhpStorm lets you filter paths between two diagram elements.

  1. In the diagram editor, select two nodes on which you want to focus and right-click one of them to open the context menu.

  2. From the context menu, select Analyze Graph | Focus On Paths Between Two Nodes.

    note

    If you want to focus not only on just two nodes, but on how the selected node is connected with its neighbors, select the Focus on Node Neighborhood option from the context menu.

  3. In the dialog that opens, select additional options if needed and click Find.

    The Focus on Paths between Two Nodes dialog

    PhpStorm displays connections associated only with the selected nodes.

Measure diagram centrality

You can use this action to identify the important nodes in the graph.

  1. In the diagram editor, right-click anywhere in the editor to open the context menu.

  2. From the context menu, select Analyze Graph | Measure Centrality.

  3. In the dialog that opens, select additional options if needed and click Measure.

    Measure Centrality

    The node "importance" is expressed via fractional value from 0.0 to 1.0 measurement and the brightest node selection should be explored first.

tip

Press Ctrl+Z to cancel the actions.

Productivity tips

Enable the diagram preview

Open the Structure tool window Alt+7 and drag the shadow area to obtain the desired view. Select one or more nodes in the diagram to highlight the corresponding nodes in the preview area.

https://resources.jetbrains.com/help/img/idea/2022.3/ps_diagram_structure_view.png
Gif
Manage diagram layout

Right-click the diagram background, and choose Layout from the context menu. Then select the desired layout from the submenu. To apply the selected layout, click the Apply Current Layout button on the diagram toolbar.

Alternatively, drag entities in the diagram manually to achieve the desired layout.

Zoom in and out

Use any of the following techniques:

  • Click the Zoom In button and the Zoom Out button on the diagram editor toolbar.

  • Keeping Ctrl pressed, rotate your mouse wheel.

  • Press NumPad+ or NumPad-.

Use the magnifier tool

Keeping Alt pressed, hover your mouse pointer over diagram areas.

https://resources.jetbrains.com/help/img/idea/2022.3/ps_diagram_class_magnifier.png
Gif
View the structure of a database or table as a diagram

In the Database tool window, right-click a schema or a table and select Diagrams | Show Visualization Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U or Diagrams | Show Visualization Popup Ctrl+Alt+U from the context menu.

Database diagram
View SQL query plan as a diagram

In the editor, right-click an SQL statement and select Explain Plan. Then, in the Output pane, switch to the Plan tab. By default, the query is displayed as a tree. To see it as a diagram, click Show Visualization (the Show Visualization button) or press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U.

Viewing SQL Query map