Drupal-Check: Drupal PHP Code Deprecation Checker (with examples)

Introduction

Drupal is a popular open-source content management system (CMS) that is widely used to build websites and applications. As with any software, Drupal undergoes updates and changes over time. This means that certain functions, methods, or code structures may become outdated or deprecated. When using Drupal, it is important to ensure that your code is up to date and compatible with the latest version of the CMS.

To assist developers in identifying and updating deprecated code, a command-line tool called drupal-check has been developed. This tool performs static analysis of Drupal PHP code and provides a report on any deprecations found. In this article, we will explore various use cases of the drupal-check command and provide code examples to illustrate each case.

Use Case 1: Checking Code in a Specific Directory for Deprecations

Code:

drupal-check path/to/directory

Motivation:

The drupal-check command allows developers to specify a specific directory to check for deprecations. This is useful when you want to analyze only a specific portion of your Drupal project for deprecated code. By providing the path to the directory containing the code you want to check, the drupal-check command will perform static analysis and provide a report of any deprecations found within that directory.

Explanation:

• drupal-check: The actual command to run the drupal-check tool.
• path/to/directory: The path to the directory containing the code you want to check for deprecations. This can be a relative or absolute path.

Example Output:

Checking 83 files in path/to/directory
......................................................

✖ 48 errors 0 warnings 35 notices

In this example, the drupal-check command checks 83 files in the specified directory for deprecations. It then provides a report which indicates that there are 48 errors (deprecated code), 0 warnings, and 35 notices. This allows the developer to identify and fix the deprecated code in their project.

Use Case 2: Excluding Specific Directories from Deprecation Checks

Code:

drupal-check --exclude-dir path/to/excluded_directory,path/to/excluded_files/*.php path/to/directory

Motivation:

There may be cases when you want to exclude certain directories or files from the deprecation checks performed by drupal-check. This could be due to third-party modules or custom code that you know is not compatible with the latest version of Drupal and may produce false positive deprecation warnings. By excluding specific directories or files, you can focus on the code that you want to analyze without being unnecessarily alerted about incompatible code.

Explanation:

• drupal-check: The command to run the drupal-check tool.
• --exclude-dir: The flag used to specify excluded directories or files.
• path/to/excluded_directory: The path to the directory that you want to exclude from the deprecation checks.
• path/to/excluded_files/*.php: The path to the files that you want to exclude from the deprecation checks. The * is a wildcard character, allowing for multiple files to be excluded.

Example Output:

Checking 83 files in path/to/directory, excluding path/to/excluded_directory, path/to/excluded_files/*.php
......................................................

✖ 35 errors 0 warnings 20 notices

In this example, the drupal-check command checks 83 files in the specified directory for deprecations but excludes the specified excluded directory and files. The report indicates that there are 35 errors, 0 warnings, and 20 notices. The excluded directory and files are not analyzed for deprecations, allowing the developer to focus on the relevant code.

Use Case 3: Disabling the Progress Bar

Code:

drupal-check --no-progress path/to/directory

Motivation:

The drupal-check command provides a progress bar by default to indicate the progress of the code analysis. While the progress bar can be helpful for larger codebases, it may not be necessary or desirable for smaller projects or when running the command in a system that does not support progress bar display.

Disabling the progress bar using the --no-progress flag can improve the command’s performance by avoiding the overhead of rendering and updating the progress bar. This can be especially useful when analyzing large codebases, as it allows for faster processing and reduces the amount of output produced.

Explanation:

• drupal-check: The command to run the drupal-check tool.
• --no-progress: The flag used to disable the progress bar.
• path/to/directory: The path to the directory containing the code you want to check for deprecations.

Example Output:

Checking files in path/to/directory...
......................................................

✖ 91 errors 0 warnings 20 notices

In this example, the drupal-check command checks the files in the specified directory for deprecations without displaying the progress bar. Instead, it simply indicates that files are being checked without providing a visual representation of the progress. The report shows that there are 91 errors, 0 warnings, and 20 notices.

Use Case 4: Performing Static Analysis for Bad Coding Practices

Code:

drupal-check --analysis path/to/directory

Motivation:

Apart from identifying deprecations, developers may also want to perform static analysis to detect and address bad coding practices. By enabling analysis mode, the drupal-check tool will go beyond checking for deprecations and provide additional insights into potential issues with code structure, unused variables, or inconsistent coding patterns. This can help improve code quality and adherence to Drupal best practices.

Explanation:

• drupal-check: The command to run the drupal-check tool.
• --analysis: The flag used to enable static analysis mode.
• path/to/directory: The path to the directory containing the code you want to analyze.

Example Output:

Analyzing 179 files in path/to/directory
......................................................

✖ 87 errors 12 warnings 41 notices

In this example, the drupal-check command analyzes 179 files in the specified directory for both deprecations and bad coding practices. The report indicates that there are 87 errors, 12 warnings, and 41 notices. By enabling the analysis mode, developers gain deeper insights into potential issues with their code and can take appropriate measures to improve its quality.

Conclusion

The drupal-check command is a valuable tool for Drupal developers to identify and update deprecated code in their projects. By utilizing its various features and options, developers can streamline the process of ensuring code compatibility with the latest version of Drupal. Whether it’s checking specific directories, excluding certain files, disabling progress bars, or performing static analysis, drupal-check provides flexibility and valuable insights to improve code quality and maintain the integrity of Drupal projects.

Remember to follow best practices and keep your Drupal codebase up to date by regularly using the drupal-check command and addressing any deprecations or bad coding practices that it identifies.

Happy coding with Drupal!