Coding Standard Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install: Run composer require --dev webimpress/coding-standard in any PHP project.
2. Basic Setup: Create a phpcs.xml (or phpcs.dist.xml) file in your project root with:

   <?xml version="1.0"?>
   <ruleset name="CustomStandard">
       <rule ref="Webimpress"/>
   </ruleset>
   

3. First Run: Execute vendor/bin/phpcs to scan your codebase. You’ll see violations matching the standard’s rules (e.g., PSR-12 deviations, internal naming conventions, strict type usage, etc.).
4. Fix Automatically: Use vendor/bin/phpcbf to auto-fix many formatting issues (e.g., indentation, spacing, use statement order).

Start by scanning a small module or legacy file to gauge impact—this standard is stricter than PSR-12 in areas like method visibility, property typing, and docblock syntax.

Implementation Patterns

• Centralized Config: In monorepos, define phpcs.xml in the root and include it via <configValue name="installed_paths" value="vendor/webimpress/coding-standard"/> to reference the standard without duplicating config.
• CI Integration: Add to GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or local pre-commit hooks:

  - name: Run PHPCS
    run: vendor/bin/phpcs --standard=Webimpress
  

• IDE Integration: Configure PHP Intelephense or PhpStorm to use PHPCS via phpcs.xml, or install VS Code extensions that support custom standards.
• Per-Project Overrides: Extend the standard for edge cases:

  <rule ref="Webimpress">
      <exclude name="Webimpress.Arrays.ArrayDeclaration.SpaceAfterComma"/>
      <property name="tabIndent" value="true"/>
  </rule>
  

• Teams: Share the standard across repositories by requiring webimpress/coding-standard as a dev dependency—no custom ruleset needed unless exceptions apply.

Gotchas and Tips

• Strict declare(strict_types=1); Enforcement: The standard requires strict types in all files. Legacy files may fail until updated—use phpcbf or target exclusions carefully.
• PHP Version Compatibility: The latest version targets PHP 8.0+ and may flag issues on older codebases (e.g., typed properties, union types). Verify your PHP version matches the target environment.
• webimpress/phpcs-compat Dependency: Ensure squizlabs/php_codesniffer is ≥3.7—older versions may not support newer sniffs.
• False Positives on Traits: Some traits with self type hints may trigger SelfUsage.Found errors. Use <exclude-pattern> in phpcs.xml for non-applicable files, or suppress selectively with // @codingStandardsIgnore.
• Custom Extensions: Extend rules by creating your own sniffs in app/Sniffs/ and registering them via <rule ref="YourOwnStandard">, but prefer patching upstream if rules conflict meaningfully.
• Debugging: Use phpcs -s to see which sniff caused a violation, or --report=checkstyle for CI-friendly output. Log verbose errors with --runtime-set testVersion 8.2.