Coding Standard Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the package via Composer:

   composer require --dev symplify/coding-standard
   

2. Create a config file (e.g., phpcs.xml or ecs.php) and extend the provided config:

   <config name="Symplify\CodingStandard\CodeQuality\Symfony\PhpCsFixerConfig">
       <rule set="symplify" />
   </config>
   

   Or, for ECS (recommended for newer setups):

   use Symplify\CodingStandard\Symfony\EasyCodingStandardConfig;
   
   return EasyCodingStandardConfig::configure()->withPaths(['src', 'tests']);
   

3. Run the checker locally:

   vendor/bin/ecs check src tests
   # or
   vendor/bin/php-cs-fixer fix --diff
   

4. Automate in CI: Add ecs check or php-cs-fixer fix --dry-run to your pipeline.

Implementation Patterns

• Unified formatting across Laravel apps: Apply consistently in app, tests, and config directories. Especially useful for large monorepos or multi-package organizations.
• CI enforcement: Use GitHub Actions or GitLab CI with ecs check --no-progress to fail builds on style issues.
• Pre-commit hooks: Integrate with lint-staged or Husky to auto-fix PHP files on stage/commit:

  {
    "lint-staged": {
      "*.php": ["vendor/bin/ecs fix --no-progress", "git add"]
    }
  }
  

• Laravel-specific tweaks: Override rules for framework conventions (e.g., disable blank_line_after_opening_tag for cleaner controller files). Use symplify/coding-standard as the base and layer project-specific rules.
• Gradual adoption: Start with --fix in CI using --dry-run first, then gradually relax or lock down rules per service or team.

Gotchas and Tips

• ECS vs PHPCS: Prefer ecs (EasyCodingStandard) over php-cs-fixer CLI directly—ecs provides better Laravel integration, more actionable output, and simpler config.
• Version drift: Ensure PHP version compatibility—some rules require PHP 8.0+ features. Check symplify/coding-standard’s composer.json for minimum PHP requirements.
• False positives: Disable strict rules selectively via config if they conflict with Laravel idioms (e.g., disable no_superfluous_elseif if you rely on explicit conditions for readability).
• Config caching: Use ecs check --debug to inspect which rules applied—and why—helpful when debugging misfires.
• Custom rules: Extend with your own rulesets by extending Symplify\EasyCodingStandard\Contract\ConfigInterface or using withConfiguredRules() in your ECS config.
• IDE integration: Install PHPStan or PHP-CS-Fixer plugins in VS Code/PHPStorm to mirror ecs behavior in-editor—config sharing helps here.
• Big repos: For legacy codebases, start with --fix-dry-run + --severity flags to surface low-impact violations first, then ramp up enforcement incrementally.