Extract/Introduce variable

If you come across an expression that is hard to understand, or it is duplicated in several places throughout your code, the Extract Variable refactoring Ctrl+Alt+V can help you deal with those problems by placing the result of such expression or its part into a separate variable that is less complex and easier to understand. Plus, it reduces the code duplication.

In the editor, select an expression or its part that you want to extract . You can also place the caret within the expression, in this case PhpStorm offers you a list of potential code selections.
Press Ctrl+Alt+V or go to Refactor | Extract/Introduce | Variable in the main menu.
Alternatively, on the toolbar that appears, click Extract and select Variable.
If PhpStorm finds more than one occurrence, it lets you specify a scope and extract just a part of the found occurrences and not just all of them.
Select a name suggested in the popup or type your own and press Enter.

By default, this extract refactoring will be applied in the editor via in-line controls. To change your settings to apply the refactoring via a modal, open the Settings dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S) , go to Editor | Code Editing, and in the Refactorings area select In modal dialogs.

PHP Example

                    public function getFeedObject($title, $description)
                        {
                          global $wgSitename, $wgContLanguageCode, $wgFeedClasses, $wgTitle;
                          if (!isset($wgFeedClasses[$this->format]))
                            return false;
                          return new $wgFeedClasses[$this->format]
                          ("$wgSitename - {$title} [$wgContLanguageCode]", htmlspecialchars());
                        }
                    

                    public function getFeedObject($title, $description)
                        {
                          global $wgSitename, $wgContLanguageCode, $wgFeedClasses, $wgTitle;
                          $feedTitle = "$wgSitename - {$title} [$wgContLanguageCode]";
                          if (!isset($wgFeedClasses[$this->format]))
                            return false;
                          return new $wgFeedClasses[$this->format]
                          ($feedTitle, htmlspecialchars());
                        }
                    

24 July 2025