Getting started

TestHelper adds a browseable developer backend at /test-helper for your CakePHP app, collecting several day-to-day tools in one place.

TIP

These tools run application tests and can generate files. Keep them behind your development access gate. See Configuration for the authorization and back-link options.

Tools

Tool	What it does
Association vs DB Audit	Compare declared associations against the real database foreign keys, with copy-paste fixes
SQL to Query Builder	Convert raw SQL into CakePHP Query Builder code
Test Runner	Run tests and view results/coverage in the backend; bake missing test files
Fixture Check	Compare fixtures against the live DB schema
URL Tools	Generate URL arrays from string URLs (reverse lookup)
Plugin Info	Inspect plugins, their hooks, and suggested improvements
Custom Linter Tasks	Project-specific code-quality checks via bin/cake linter

Try the backend

Complete Installation first, then open /test-helper in your local application. The dashboard lists available class types and links to the tools.

Start with the Reverse URL Lookup form on the dashboard: enter the path of an existing application route, such as /test-helper, and submit it. The result shows the route parameters that CakePHP matched. This checks routing without running tests or modifying database tables.

For a first CLI check, run:

bin/cake linter --help

Review Custom Linter Tasks before selecting tasks. Some tasks can update files; inspect their options and use a disposable checkout for the first run.

Access and optional tools

The backend uses its own controller base, so it does not inherit your application's AppController authentication callbacks. Application middleware still applies. Debug-only loading limits where the routes exist; it does not authenticate visitors to a publicly reachable development server.

Keep the backend on a private development instance or behind your application middleware access gate. With the Authorization plugin, TestHelper automatically skips authorization checks while debug is enabled; TestHelper.ignoreAuthorization also skips them. See Configuration for these settings.

The dashboard and URL tools do not require Bake or a coverage extension. Generating tests needs Bake; browser test execution needs PHPUnit and permission to launch PHP processes. Database tools need the relevant database connection. See Installation for the optional packages.

See Troubleshooting if the backend does not render.