How to resolve SQL table with prefix in PhpStorm? - phpstorm

Question

I'm working on PhpStorm to develop my Prestashop websites and I can't resolve this issue. I work on localhost and successfully connected PhpStorm to my MySQL Server.
Now PhpStorm throws warnings like "unable to resolve table '${_DB_PREFIX_}cms'". Prestashop uses prefixes for table names and it seems PhpStorm can't resolve those tables with prefixes.
Is there a workaround for this ?
Here is a code exemple from Prestashop-1.6 sources :
$sql = 'SELECT c.`id_cms`, cl.`meta_title`, cl.`link_rewrite`
FROM `'._DB_PREFIX_.'cms` c
INNER JOIN `'._DB_PREFIX_.'cms_shop` cs
ON (c.`id_cms` = cs.`id_cms`)
INNER JOIN `'._DB_PREFIX_.'cms_lang` cl
ON (c.`id_cms` = cl.`id_cms`)
WHERE c.`id_cms_category` = '.(int)$id_cms_category.'
AND cs.`id_shop` = '.(int)$id_shop.'
AND cl.`id_lang` = '.(int)$id_lang.
$where_shop.'
AND c.`active` = 1
ORDER BY `position`';

Answer 1

The reason why this isn't work is because you are most likely only loading one schema, you need to load the information_schema.*
To do this, go to the database tab in the top right and where you have added your MySQL database right click and select properties.
Now you'll have a screen called Data Sources and Drivers, it should open on a tab called General, click the third tab called Schemas and and add information_schema.* to this list of loaded Schemas.
Click apply and okay and then PhpStorm will now know your database structure and then be intelligently able to work with you, therefor removing all the errors.

Answer 2

Edit: As mentioned here, this has been fixed in PhpStorm 2018.2, but only for constants.
I have a solution that doesn't involve throwing your IDE away. :)
However, a word of caution: it's an ugly hack™ that comes without guarantees.
Assuming you already have a connection to the db in PhpStorm, generate the ddl for the desired db (Right Click on the connection -> SQL Scripts -> Generate DDL to Clipboard):
Paste the content into some sql file somewhere inside your project. You should probably gitignore this file.
Replace all the tables' prefix in this ddl file with the one from your code. Use the PhpStorm typehint as a guideline. For example '._DB_PREFIX_.'cms would become ${_DB_PREFIX_}cms:
Note that you may have to use backticks to avoid breaking sql syntax due to curly brackets.
Add the ddl to your phpstorm project:
Everything should now work:

Answer 3

Add this comment above the $sql query.
/** #noinspection SqlResolve */
This will suppress the warning only for this statement.

Answer 4

For future readers, this is now supported:
https://www.jetbrains.com/help/phpstorm/2021.1/ide-advanced-metadata.html#set-up-dynamic-prefixes-for-table-names-in-sql-language-injections
.phpstorm.meta.php
<?php
namespace PHPSTORM_META {
override(
// Virtual function to indicate that all SQL
// injections will have the following replacement rules.
sql_injection_subst(),
map([
'{' => "", // all `{` in injected SQL strings will be replaced with a prefix
'}' => '', // all `}` will be replaced with an empty string
]));
}

Answer 5

Edit: At time of writing (2016) there was no solution to this issue. But since 2018, as mentioned in Christian's answer, you can now use constants in SQL queries.
Actually there is no way to handle that. But you may disable inspection for such warning.
Open File > Settings > Editor > Inspections
Expand SQL
Uncheck Unresolved reference