How to use the command phpcbf (with examples)

The phpcbf command is a tool that automatically fixes violations detected by phpcs (PHP CodeSniffer). It is a useful tool for enforcing coding standards and ensuring code quality in PHP projects.

Use case 1: Fix issues in the specified directory

Code:

phpcbf path/to/directory

Motivation: One of the common use cases of the phpcbf command is to automatically fix issues in a specified directory. This is particularly useful when you want to fix violations in your codebase without manually going through each file.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• path/to/directory is the path to the directory containing the files to be fixed. If not specified, it defaults to the PEAR standard.

Example output:

1 file fixed and 5 files unchanged

Use case 2: Display a list of installed coding standards

Code:

phpcbf -i

Motivation: Sometimes it is necessary to check which coding standards are installed in your development environment. The -i option allows you to quickly get a list of the installed coding standards.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• -i is the option to display the list of installed coding standards.

Example output:

The installed coding standards are PSR12, Squiz, Zend

Use case 3: Specify a coding standard to validate against

Code:

phpcbf path/to/directory --standard standard

Motivation: In some cases, you may want to specify a particular coding standard to validate your code against. This allows you to enforce a specific set of rules and guidelines for your project.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• path/to/directory is the path to the directory containing the files to be fixed.
• --standard is the option to specify the coding standard to validate against.
• standard is the name of the coding standard (e.g., PSR12, Squiz, Zend).

Example output:

1 file fixed and 5 files unchanged

Use case 4: Specify comma-separated file extensions to include when sniffing

Code:

phpcbf path/to/directory --extensions file_extension(s)

Motivation: Sometimes you may want to include only specific file types when sniffing for violations. This can be useful when you have multiple file types in your project, and you only want to fix issues in a particular file type.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• path/to/directory is the path to the directory containing the files to be fixed.
• --extensions is the option to specify comma-separated file extensions.
• file_extension(s) is the file extension(s) to include when sniffing for violations.

Example output:

1 file fixed and 5 files unchanged

Use case 5: A comma-separated list of files to load before processing

Code:

phpcbf path/to/directory --bootstrap file(s)

Motivation: Sometimes you may need to load specific files before processing the code. This can be useful when your code depends on certain files or when you want to include additional functionality during the fixing process.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• path/to/directory is the path to the directory containing the files to be fixed.
• --bootstrap is the option to specify a comma-separated list of files to load before processing.
• file(s) is the file(s) to load before processing.

Example output:

1 file fixed and 5 files unchanged

Use case 6: Don’t recurse into subdirectories

Code:

phpcbf path/to/directory -l

Motivation: By default, the phpcbf command will recurse into subdirectories of the specified directory. However, there may be cases where you want to avoid processing subdirectories to save time or to limit the scope of the fix.

Explanation:

• phpcbf is the command itself.
• path/to/directory is the path to the directory containing the files to be fixed.
• -l is the option to disable recursion into subdirectories.

Example output:

1 file fixed and 5 files unchanged

Conclusion:

In this article, we have explored various use cases of the phpcbf command. The command is a powerful tool for automatically fixing violations detected by phpcs, ensuring coding standards and improving code quality in PHP projects. By leveraging the features and options provided by phpcbf, developers can easily enforce coding standards, fix violations, and ensure consistent code throughout their projects.