Easy Coding Standard Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing ECS via Composer: composer require --dev symplify/easy-coding-standard. Run vendor/bin/ecs check src to see current violations. Generate a baseline config with vendor/bin/ecs init—this creates ecs.php (or ecs.yaml) and pre-fills recommended sets like @PHP81 or @Symfony. The first use case is typically a one-time codebase cleanup: run vendor/bin/ecs check src --fix to auto-correct style issues across the project. Check the generated diff before committing—it’s safe for most formatting rules.

Implementation Patterns

• Project-level configuration: Use ecs.php (PHP config) for complex setups—define sets, directories, and custom rules. For example:

  use Symplify\EasyCodingStandard\Config\ECSConfig;
  
  return ECSConfig::configure()
      ->withPaths([__DIR__ . '/src', __DIR__ . '/tests'])
      ->withSets([__DIR__ . '/vendor/symplify/easy-coding-standard/config/set/php81.yaml'])
      ->withRules([SomeCustomRule::class]);
  

• CI integration: Add vendor/bin/ecs check --no-progress to GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Bitbucket Pipelines. Use --error-format=github to render inline comments in PRs.
• Git hooks: Hook ECS via pre-commit (using husky + lint-staged or custom pre-commit hook) to auto-fix only staged files: vendor/bin/ecs check --fix --diff.
• Module-specific tuning: Override config per subdirectory using ecs.php includes or environment-based configs (ecs.local.php excluded from VCS).
• Gradual onboarding: Start with loose rules (@Symfony set), then progressively enable stricter ones like @PhpCsFixer or custom DeadCode sets.

Gotchas and Tips

• Cache invalidation: ECS caches results in var/cache/ecs. If config changes, clear manually: rm -rf var/cache/ecs or use --clear-cache.
• Rule conflicts: Overlapping rules (e.g., @Symfony + @PHP-CS-Fixer) may cause fights—use withSkip() to disable conflicting fixers:

  $parameters->set(Option::SKIP, [
      SomeFixer::class, // avoid double-formatting
  ]);
  

• No auto-fix for all: Not all sniffs are auto-fixable (e.g., PHPCS errors about docblocks). Check --report output for manual remediation.
• Performance tuning: For large repos, use --debug to spot bottlenecks, or restrict paths with --paths. Consider --parallel in CI for speed.
• Custom rule sets: Create reusable rule groups by exporting your ecs.php config as a separate package (e.g., my-team/coding-standard) and require it as a Composer dependency.
• Diff preview: Always run vendor/bin/ecs check --diff --dry-run before --fix to review changes—especially after config updates.