Feature request: Support running PHPUnit tests by @group / #[Group] in Test Explorer UI

[Jhuntenburg]

Hi! Thanks for maintaining this extension — it’s been really useful for running PHPUnit tests from the UI.

I’m running into a limitation that I wanted to ask about / propose a feature for.

PHPUnit supports grouping tests using @group annotations or PHP 8 attributes like:

#[Group('plaid')]
public function test_plaid_flow() { ... }

However, the extension currently:
• does not surface PHPUnit groups in the Test Explorer
• does not allow running tests by group from the UI
• only allows group filtering via phpunit.args, which applies globally and isn’t discoverable or ergonomic

For UI-driven workflows (especially when not running PHPUnit manually via CLI), this makes it difficult to run targeted subsets of tests.

Expected / Desired Behavior

Ideally, one (or more) of the following:
• Discover PHPUnit @group / #[Group] metadata
• Expose groups as nodes or tags in the Test Explorer
• Allow running all tests in a group via right-click / context menu / command
• Or provide a UI prompt to run tests with a selected group

Why this matters
• PHPUnit groups are commonly used to separate domains (API, integrations, slow tests, etc.)
• Many developers rely entirely on the Test Explorer UI and do not invoke PHPUnit via CLI

I wanted to ask:
• Is this something that fits the scope of this extension?
• Would a PR adding group discovery / execution be welcome?

Happy to help test or contribute if this is something you’re open to.

[recca0120]

Thanks for the detailed explanation and the thoughtful feature proposal.

Support for PHPUnit groups is definitely something that can be extended in the future. It’s a reasonable use case, especially for UI-driven workflows, and it aligns well with how many teams organize their test suites.

This project is happy to accept PRs, including ones that explore group discovery and execution, as long as they fit cleanly within the existing architecture and maintain the current user experience.

If you decide to work on this, feel free to open a draft PR or start with a discussion around the proposed approach. I’m also happy to help review or provide feedback along the way.

Thanks again for taking the time to share this idea and for offering to contribute.