If you’re developing WordPress plugins or themes and using LocalWP for local development on Fedora, you might need to set up PHP_CodeSniffer (PHPCS) to ensure compliance with WordPress Coding Standards. This guide will walk you through the setup process step by step.

1. Open the LocalWP Site Shell

1. Open LocalWP and select your site.
2. Click on “Open Site Shell” to connect to the containerized environment via SSH.

2. Install PHP_CodeSniffer in LocalWP

Once inside the LocalWP environment, install PHP_CodeSniffer globally using Composer:

composer global require squizlabs/php_codesniffer

Verify the installation by checking the version:

~/.config/composer/vendor/bin/phpcs --version

3. Install WordPress Coding Standards

Next, install WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS):

composer global require wp-coding-standards/wpcs

Add the WPCS rules to PHPCS:

~/.config/composer/vendor/bin/phpcs --config-set installed_paths ~/.config/composer/vendor/wp-coding-standards/wpcs

Verify that the WordPress standards are installed:

~/.config/composer/vendor/bin/phpcs -i

You should see:

The installed coding standards are MySource, PEAR, PSR1, PSR2, Squiz, Zend, WordPress, WordPress-Extra, WordPress-Docs, WordPress-Core

4. Run PHPCS on Your Code

Navigate to your project directory within the LocalWP shell.

PHPCS and PHPCBF Commands for WordPress

1️⃣ Run PHPCS

Use the phpcs command to analyze your code:

phpcs --standard=WordPress ./path/to/your/file.php

2️⃣ Optional: Automatic Fixes with PHPCBF

To fix simple coding standard issues automatically, use:

phpcbf --standard=WordPress ./path/to/your/file.php

This will scan/repair your code for WordPress Coding Standards violations.

5. Set Up VS Code Integration (Optional)

For real-time feedback in Visual Studio Code, you can configure PHPCS:

1. Install the “PHP Sniffer & Beautifier” extension.
2. Open your settings.json file and add:

"phpcs.executablePath": "/home/user/.config/composer/vendor/bin/phpcs",
"phpcs.standard": "WordPress"

With this setup, coding standard violations will be highlighted in the editor.

Summary

By following these steps, you’ve successfully set up PHPCS with WordPress Coding Standards in LocalWP on Fedora. This ensures your code adheres to WordPress best practices and remains maintainable.

Happy debugging! 🚀