A project is a group of source files and the settings with which you run and debug those source files. In the IDE, PHP development takes place within a project, though you can also edit, run and debug a PHP file that is not in a project.
To create a project, click Ctrl-Shift-N, or click the New Project icon . You can create an empty
PHP project or you can convert an existing PHP application to a NetBeans project.
You can also create a project with sources on a remote server, over FTP or SFTP.
However, it is preferable to use version control with remote projects and use
the version control system to commit your changes to the remote server.
By default, NetBeans IDE places all project files in your web server's public folder (such as /htdocs). The IDE reads the location of your web server from your PHP environment. However, you have other options for file locations. These options appear in the New Project wizard:
Every NetBeans PHP project has at least one run configuration. You set this default configuration when you create the project. You can add as many additional run configurations as you want. In the Projects window, right-click on the project's node and select Set Configuration to switch between run configurations or add a run configuration. In a run configuration, you set whether the project runs:
NetBeans IDE supports some PHP frameworks. Add a framework to a project when you create the project, by selecting the framework in the last page of the New PHP Project wizard. If a project includes framework support, that framework's commands are available in the project's context menu in the Projects window.
To open an existing project, click Ctrl-Shift-O or go to File > Open Project. A dialog opens in which you browse for the project.
To close a project, go to File > Close Project, or right-click the project's node in the Projects Window and select Close.
Your open PHP projects appear in the Projects Window. To open the projects window, click Ctrl-1 or go to Window > Projects.
If you right-click on a project's node or a file's node, a context menu appears. For information about the functionality you can access in the Projects window, select any item in the Projects window and press F1. The Projects Window help opens.
To add a file to a project, go to the Projects window and select the project's node or the node for the folder in which you want to place the file. Then open the New File wizard, either by pressing Ctrl-N or the New Files icon, or through the node's context menu.