Phploc Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install via Composer: composer require --dev cmgmyr/phploc
2. Run the Artisan command: php artisan phploc — this outputs key metrics (LOC, classes, methods, functions, files) for your current Laravel project.
3. For a quick first look, check the output summary — it defaults to the app/, routes/, and database/ directories, which covers most Laravel code.
4. Review the phploc documentation for full metric definitions (e.g., LLOC, CCR, WMC) — this package uses those internally and surfaces them directly.

Implementation Patterns

• Ad-hoc analysis: Use php artisan phploc during development to get immediate feedback on code growth — e.g., after adding a big feature or refactoring.
• CI integration: Add the command to your CI pipeline (php artisan phploc --ci) to capture metrics over time. Use the --log-csv or --log-json options to export results (e.g., php artisan phploc --log-json=phploc-report.json) for reporting or trend dashboards.
• Baseline tracking: Save output to version control (e.g., phploc-summary.txt) and compare across branches or commits with git diff.
• Customize scope: Override default paths via config (php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Cmgmyr\Phploc\PhplocServiceProvider") to exclude tests (tests/) or include config/ or database/ more explicitly.

Gotchas and Tips

• phploc CLI dependency: The package requires the phploc CLI to be installed globally (e.g., via PHAR or Composer) — ensure it’s on $PATH. The Artisan command fails if not found; check via phploc --version outside Laravel.
• Working directory sensitivity: The tool resolves paths relative to the project root (where artisan runs). If you use php artisan phploc from a subdirectory (e.g., app/Console), use cd .. && php artisan phploc or configure paths explicitly in config.
• Excluding logs/cache: Add storage/ and bootstrap/cache/ to your phploc.php config (or pass --exclude) to avoid counting auto-generated files and logs — those bloat LOC without meaningful metrics.
• CI-friendly flags: Use --min-coverage=0 (or omit coverage-related flags) — Laravel apps rarely track test coverage in pure LOC analysis; leaving defaults may cause phploc to fail if no coverage data exists.
• Long-term trends: Record daily metrics in a time-series DB (e.g., InfluxDB) or log to CSV and plot with tools like Grafana. Example: php artisan phploc --log-csv=phploc-latest.csv --exclude=tests → append to a rolling log for trend analysis.