How to setup Phalcon framework under Windows 8 for PHP 5.5 and Netbeans

Compiling PHP extension

1. Download and install Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012. Microsoft removed it from downloads - for the moment you can find it at Softpedia .
2. Create the folder C:\php-sdk
3. Unpack the binary-tools archive (php-sdk-binary-tools-20110915.zip) into this directory, there should be one sub-directory called bin and one called script
4. Open VS2012 x86 Native Tools Command Prompt (it's available from the start menu group)
5. Execute the following commands:

   cd c:\php-sdk\
   bin\phpsdk_setvars.bat
   bin\phpsdk_buildtree.bat php
   

6. Create C:\php-sdk\php\vc11 directory and copy content from vc9 one
7. Extract PHP source code for Windows (you can download it from http://windows.php.net/downloads/releases/) in C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86
8. Download  libraries required to build PHP and extract them in C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86\deps
9. Create directory C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86\php\ext\phalcon 
10. Download Phalcon source from Github
11. Copy files from Phalcon source build\32bits directory in C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86\php\ext\phalcon 
12. Run following commands:

    cd C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86\php
    buildconf
    configure --disable-all --enable-cli --enable-phalcon=shared
    nmake
    

13. The php_phalcon.dll after the compilation is located in C:\php-sdk\php\vc11\x86\Release_TS\

Note: Above steps are based on https://wiki.php.net/internals/windows/stepbystepbuild and http://internals.phalconphp.com/en/latest/reference/compilation.html . They are for building 32-bit version of extension . Precompiled version for PHP 5.5.5 is here .

Enable Phalcon extension

In php.ini add following:

extension=php_phalcon.dll

Configure code completion for Netbeans

1. Download Phalcon Developer Tools . How to setup them is described in documentation 
2. In ide directory there is gen-stubs.php script. You have to point 'CPHALCON_DIR' to where your extracted phalcon source is, then run:

   php ide/gen-stubs.php

   This will create ide subdirectory in which you will find directory with your Phalcon version as name. In latter there is Phalcon subdirectory - copy it in your Netbeans php\phpstubs\phpruntime directory. Now you will have code completion for Phalcon.