Coding Standard Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the package as a dev dependency:

   composer require --dev lmc/coding-standard
   

   ⚠️ Critical note: This package is archived and deprecated. For new projects, use its official replacement: almacareer/coding-standard. Only use this legacy package if maintaining older codebases stuck on lmc/coding-standard.

2. Create ecs.php in your project root to load the standard:

   <?php declare(strict_types=1);
   
   use Symplify\EasyCodingStandard\Config\ECSConfig;
   
   return ECSConfig::configure()
       ->withPaths([__DIR__ . '/src', __DIR__ . '/tests'])
       ->withRootFiles()
       ->withSets([__DIR__ . '/vendor/lmc/coding-standard/ecs.php']);
   

3. Run checks immediately:

   vendor/bin/ecs check
   

Implementation Patterns

• Integrate into CI & Composer workflows:
  Add to composer.json scripts for consistent usage:

  "scripts": {
      "analyze": "vendor/bin/ecs check --ansi",
      "fix": "vendor/bin/ecs check --ansi --fix"
  }
  

  Run composer analyze before commits; composer fix for auto-correction.

• Extend with project-specific rules using withRules() and withConfiguredRule():

  ->withRules([
      SingleLineCommentSpacingFixer::class,
      PhpUnitAttributesFixer::class, // (for PHPUnit 10+)
  ])
  ->withConfiguredRule(LineLengthSniff::class, ['absoluteLineLimit' => 120]);
  

• Suppress rules selectively with withSkip() for edge cases:

  ->withSkip([
      ForbiddenFunctionsSniff::class => [__DIR__ . '/src-tests/bootstrap.php'],
      __DIR__ . '/legacy/*.php',
  ]);
  

• Leverage version-specific behavior:
  This package auto-loads rules appropriate for your runtime PHP version (e.g., PHP 8.1 features only run on PHP ≥8.1). Ensure CI and local dev use matching PHP versions.

Gotchas and Tips

• ⚠️ Deprecated & locked dependencies:

  • Version 4.1.2 restricts php-cs-fixer to <3.65.0 due to a critical bug in NullableTypeDeclarationFixer.
  • Avoid upgrading beyond lmc/coding-standard 4.x – the repo is abandoned. Migrate to almacareer/coding-standard ASAP.

• Configuration breaking changes in v4.0.0:

  • Replaced YAML config with PHP (ecs.php only).
  • Dropped ecs-7.4.php, ecs-8.0.php, etc. — use a single ecs.php.
  • Switched base standard from PSR-2 → PSR-12.

• PHPDoc alignment issues:
  Version 4.1.1 disabled PhpdocAlignFixer due to incorrect behavior. Avoid re-enabling it unless thoroughly tested.

• IDE integration pitfalls:
  PHPStorm will only pick up fixes if your ecs.php is in the root and correctly referenced. Use the IDE guide — but note this package uses older ECS versions (v9/v12) — ensure compatibility.

• Testing parity matters:
  Since v4.0.0, the project includes test suites for its own sniffs. If extending the standard, ensure your project also tests fixers to avoid regressions.

• Beware of PHP version drift:
  If your project supports multiple PHP versions (e.g., 8.0–8.3), lmc/coding-standard only applies applicable rules — but fixer behavior may differ across versions. Run checks with the lowest supported PHP version in CI to avoid false passes.