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phpmampln

How to use MAMP's version of PHP instead of the default on OSX

I would like to use MAMP's version of PHP instead of the default installed on my mac. I tried using

ln -s /Applications/MAMP/bin/php5.3/bin/php php

but I get a "File exists" error. What's the best way to work around this so I can just type php instead of the full path?

Solution

  • I would not recommend trying to modify the default version of PHP that is called on the command line. Doing so may break other parts of your system as well as provide you with problems in the future, should you decide to upgrade your OS.

    There is an alternative that may meet your needs. You can create an alias to your copy of MAMP's php 5.3. In my case I named the alias phpmamp. Open your terminal and type:

    alias phpmamp='/Applications/MAMP/bin/php5.3/bin/php'

    Now, typing phpmamp at the command line will launch the MAMP php interperter. Verify this by typing:

    phpmamp --help

    You will most likely want to store this, and any other alias, in a ~/.bash_profile This will allow the aliases to persist across reboots. Otherwise, the alias should only last for the particular terminal session you are in. More information about creating a .bash_profile file can be found here:

    http://www.redfinsolutions.com/redfin-blog/creating-bashprofile-your-mac