PHP Packages Defining and Installing Composer Dependencies

PHP Packages

Defining and Installing Composer Dependencies

Problem

You want to use Composer. This allows you to install new packages, upgrade, and get information about your existing packages.

Solution

Install Composer:

       % curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php

To execute a command, type the command name as the first argument on the command line:

       % php composer.phar command

Discussion

To install Composer, you download the installer file and send it to PHP. Composer uses PHP to ensure your system is set up as it requires, handle any configuration settings, and complete the installation process. When it’s done, you have a file called composer.phar in the current directory.

Composer is a PHP script, so you can ask PHP to run it:

       % php composer.phar command

Or, run it directly by putting composer.phar in the same location as PHP:

       % mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

       % composer command

If you have problems, make sure you have permission to write to that directory and that the file is executable:

       % sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

       % sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/composer

Your copy of PHP may be in a different place. To find it, run:

       % which php

       /usr/bin/php

With Composer up and running, pass it commands to execute. For example, to install a package:

       % composer install

For a list of all valid Composer commands, use list.

Composer has commands for both using and developing packages; as a result, there are some commands that you may not need. The archive command, for example, creates a new package. If you only run other people’s packages, you can safely ignore this command. 

Table  Common Composer commands

Command name    Description                                                                                                                                  

search                      Searches for packages

init                            Creates a basic composer.json file

install                       Installs the project dependencies

update                      Updates your dependencies to the latest version

self-update              Updates Composer to the latest version

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