Laminas Coding Standard Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing via Composer: composer require --dev laminas/laminas-coding-standard. Once installed, PHPCS will automatically register the Laminas standard (no manual config needed). Run ./vendor/bin/phpcs on your codebase to see violations. The first use case is typically running a one-time check on an existing project to identify style violations, then adding phpcs to local pre-commit hooks or CI (e.g., GitHub Actions) for automated enforcement. Check vendor/laminas/laminas-coding-standard/Laminas/ruleset.xml for the default sniff list and configuration.

Implementation Patterns

• Base configuration: Create a phpcs.xml in your project root to extend Laminas and customize rules (e.g., exclude vendor, set paths, adjust severity).

  <?xml version="1.0"?>
  <ruleset name="MyProject">
    <rule ref="Laminas"/>
    <file>src</file>
    <exclude-pattern>*/migrations/*</exclude-pattern>
  </ruleset>
  

• CI integration: Add a step like ./vendor/bin/phpcs --error-severity=5 --warning-severity=5 in your pipeline to fail on errors/warnings.
• IDE integration: Configure PHP_CodeSniffer in PhpStorm/VS Code to use the Laminas standard for live feedback.
• Custom sniffs: Extend Laminas_Sniffs_* classes to add project-specific rules (e.g., enforcing database query conventions).
• Merging standards: Combine with other standards (e.g., PSR12) using <rule ref="PSR12"/> and <exclude name="Laminas..."/> where needed.

Gotchas and Tips

• PHPCS version compatibility: Ensure squizlabs/php_codesniffer ≥3.7. Use phpcs --version and composer show laminas/laminas-coding-standard to verify. Older PHPCS versions may misinterpret rule exclusions.
• False positives in PHP 8+: Some sniffs may not yet fully support PHP 8 features like union types or named arguments—use <exclude name="..."/> selectively or override with custom sniffs.
• Rule hierarchy matters: Avoid duplicating rules (e.g., Laminas includes PSR12), which can cause conflicting messages. Use phpcs -i to list installed standards and confirm Laminas is registered.
• Performance: Large codebases benefit from running phpcs --parallel=8 or splitting into chunks. Monitor CI time—add caching for PHPCS (e.g., vendor/ cache key).
• Migration tip: Start with --report-diff to auto-fix what’s safe, then manually fix remaining issues. Use --report-summary to quantify violations before/after.