ReflectionDocBlock
ReflectionDocBlock is a PHP library that parses PHPDoc comment blocks above functions and classes into queryable objects, making it easy to read summaries, descriptions, and tags like parameter types from code comments.
ReflectionDocBlock is a PHP library that reads and interprets DocBlocks, which are the structured comment blocks PHP developers place above functions, classes, and properties in their code. These comments follow a format called the PHPDoc standard, and they typically begin with a slash and two asterisks. The library parses those comment blocks and converts them into objects that code can inspect and query.
If you are building a tool that needs to understand what a PHP function is supposed to do based on its comments, or if you want to support annotations in your own library, this component handles the parsing work for you. It is part of the phpDocumentor project, which is the standard documentation generator for PHP.
Using it is fairly direct. You create a factory object and call its create method with either a raw comment string or a PHP reflection object that has a getDocComment method. The factory returns a DocBlock object. From that object you can retrieve the summary (the opening line of the comment), the full description, and any tags embedded in the comment such as types, parameters, or return values.
The library is installed via Composer, the standard PHP package manager, with a single command. It carries an MIT license, which means it can be used freely in commercial and open-source projects alike.
The README is short and covers only the basics of instantiation and querying. Additional examples are available in the repository's docs folder for anyone who needs to explore more advanced usage.
Where it fits
- Parse PHPDoc comments in your own PHP library to support custom annotations or extract type information at runtime.
- Build a PHP documentation generator that reads structured code comments and exports them as structured data.
- Inspect function parameter types and return values from DocBlocks without writing a custom comment parser.