Setting up a development environment on OSX

Setting up a development environment on OSX, with PHP, MySQL, Apache, Subversion and Eclipse.

Turn on Apache

Mac OSX comes with Apache, so all you need to do is turn it on:

  • Select Apple > System Preferences > Sharing.
  • Select the Personal Web Sharing option from the Services tab.
  • Click the Start button.

If you go to http://localhost, you should see the Apache start page.

Installing PHP

Download PHP5 package from entropy: http://www.entropy.ch/software/macosx/php/

You can't use stuffit, so unpack using command line: 

shell> gunzip entropy-php-5.2.4-1.tar.gz
shell> tar xf entropy-php-5.2.4-1.tar
Then run the installer.

Installing MYSQL5

Download package from: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.0.html#macosx-dmg

Run the two installer packages.

To add a MySQL path so you don't need to keep typing "usr/local/mysql/bin/" each time, edit the file: /etc/profile: 

sudo pico /etc/profile
and update the path by adding: usr/local/mysql/bin/ for example: 
PATH="/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/mysql/bin"

Installing SVN

Download SVN installer package from: http://metissian.com/projects/macosx/subversion/

We need to edit the /etc/profile file again to allow the SVN command.

PATH="/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/mysql/bin:/usr/local/bin"

Eclipse

Download Eclipse from: http://www.eclipse.org/

Install eclipse plugins, using

  • Help > Software Updates > Find and Install
  • Select 'Search for new features to install' and click Next
  • Select New Remote Site, and add the following:
    • Aptana - CSS, HTML, JavaScript editor
      http://update.aptana.com/install/3.2/
    • Subclipse - SVN plugin
      http://subclipse.tigris.org/update_1.2.x
    • PHPEclipse - PHP editor - optional as Aptana comes with a PHP editor, but I prefer this one.
      http://phpeclipse.sourceforge.net/update/releases
  • Select Finish
  • Tick the three plugins - if you get an error here about Mylar integration, just expand the subclipse > integrations tree and turn of the extra integrations.
  • Select Next
  • Accept the terms of the licence agreeement.
  • Select Finish and you're done - happy coding :)