Pint Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Steps

1. Installation:

   composer require --dev laravel/pint
   

   Pint is automatically registered as a dev command (pint).

2. First Run:

   php artisan pint
   

   This applies the default Laravel preset to all PHP files in the project.

3. Key Files:

   • pint.json (auto-generated config file)
   • .pint.json (optional custom config)

First Use Case

Run Pint as a pre-commit hook to ensure consistent code style before merging:

php artisan pint --test  # Dry run to check for changes
git add .
git commit -m "Fixed code style with Pint"

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflows

1. Daily Code Formatting:

   php artisan pint  # Auto-fixes files in-place
   

   • Integrate into IDE (e.g., VS Code) via tasks.json:

     {
       "label": "Run Pint",
       "type": "shell",
       "command": "php artisan pint",
       "group": {
         "kind": "build",
         "isDefault": true
       }
     }
     

2. Custom Presets: Extend the default preset in .pint.json:

   {
     "preset": "laravel",
     "rules": {
       "@PHPUnit": true,
       "yoda_style": ["always"]
     }
   }
   

   • Run with:

     php artisan pint --preset=custom
     

3. CI/CD Integration:

   # .github/workflows/pint.yml
   jobs:
     lint:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         - run: composer install
         - run: php artisan pint --test
           # Fails if changes detected
   

Advanced Patterns

• Parallel Execution (for large codebases):

  php artisan pint --parallel
  

• Target Specific Files/Directories:

  php artisan pint app/Http/Controllers  # Format only controllers
  php artisan pint --path=tests/Unit    # Format unit tests
  

• Cache Optimization:

  php artisan pint --cache-file=/tmp/pint.cache
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. False Positives in --test Mode:

   • Pint may flag intentional style deviations (e.g., legacy code).
   • Fix: Exclude files in .pint.json:

     {
       "ignore": ["legacy/**"]
     }
     

2. Performance with Large Projects:

   • Disable parallel mode for small projects:

     php artisan pint --no-parallel
     

3. Config Overrides:

   • Command-line flags override pint.json:

     php artisan pint --preset=psr12 --rules=@Symfony  # Overrides preset
     

Debugging

• Verbose Output:

  php artisan pint -v  # Shows applied rules
  

• Dry Run with Diff:

  php artisan pint --test --diff  # Shows changes without applying
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Rules: Extend the Laravel preset in .pint.json:

   {
     "preset": "laravel",
     "rules": {
       "no_unused_imports": true,
       "ordered_imports": ["sort_algorithm" => "alpha"]
     }
   }
   

2. Preset Management:

   • List available presets:

     php artisan pint --list-presets
     

   • Use built-in presets:

     php artisan pint --preset=psr12
     

3. IDE Integration:

   • PHPStorm: Add php artisan pint to "Before Commit" hooks.
   • VS Code: Use the PHP CS Fixer extension with Pint’s config.

Pro Tips

• Atomic Commits: Run Pint before committing to avoid noisy diffs:

  git add .
  php artisan pint
  git commit -m "feat: implement X" --no-verify
  

• Team Onboarding: Add Pint to composer.json scripts:

  "scripts": {
    "post-install-cmd": [
      "@php artisan pint --no-interaction"
    ]
  }
  

• Windows Paths: Use --dirty with caution on Windows:

  php artisan pint --dirty --ignore="C:\\path\\to\\exclude"