How can PHP Code Beautifier and Fixer improve your PHP code readability?

1 What is PHP CS Fixer?

PHP CS Fixer is a command-line tool that analyzes your PHP code and applies predefined rules to make it more readable and compliant with various coding standards. It can also fix common errors, such as syntax, indentation, whitespace, naming, and docblocks. You can use PHP CS Fixer to scan and fix your entire project, a single file, or a specific directory.

2 How to install and use PHP CS Fixer?

To install PHP CS Fixer, you need to have PHP 5.6 or higher and Composer, a dependency manager for PHP. You can install PHP CS Fixer globally or locally, depending on your preference. To install it globally, run the following command in your terminal: composer global require friendsofphp/php-cs-fixer To install it locally, create a composer.json file in your project root directory and add the following content:

{
    "require-dev": {
        "friendsofphp/php-cs-fixer": "^3.0"
    }
}        

Then run the following command to install the dependencies: composer install To use PHP CS Fixer, you need to specify the rules you want to apply to your code. You can use the built-in rulesets, such as PSR-12, Symfony, or Laravel, or create your own custom ruleset. You can also configure the rules using a .php-cs-fixer.php file in your project root directory. For example, to use the PSR-12 ruleset, you can create a .php-cs-fixer.php file with the following content:

<?php
$finder = PhpCsFixer\Finder::create()
    ->in(__DIR__);
$config = new PhpCsFixer\Config();
return $config->setRules([
    '@PSR12' => true,
])
    ->setFinder($finder);        

To run PHP CS Fixer on your code, use the following command in your terminal: php-cs-fixer fix This will scan and fix your code according to the rules you specified. You can also add options to the command, such as --dry-run to see the changes without applying them, or --diff to see the differences between the original and fixed code.

3 What are the benefits of PHP CS Fixer?

Using PHP CS Fixer can improve your PHP code readability in several ways, such as making your code more consistent and uniform, following the best practices and standards of the PHP community, and saving you time and effort by automating the formatting and fixing process. Additionally, it facilitates the collaboration and integration of your code with other developers and tools, such as version control, code review, and testing. This can help you enhance the quality and performance of your code while allowing you to focus on the logic and functionality of your code.

4 What are the limitations of PHP CS Fixer?

PHP CS Fixer is a powerful and versatile tool, but it has some limitations to be aware of. It cannot fix all errors and issues in your code, such as logic, security, or performance problems. You may also need to adjust or customize the rules to fit your needs and expectations. Additionally, it may introduce unwanted or unexpected changes to your code if used without reviewing the results or backing up your code. Therefore, you should always check the changes before applying them and use version control to track and revert them if needed.

5 How to learn more about PHP CS Fixer?

If you want to learn more about PHP CS Fixer, you can visit its official website, where you can find the documentation, the source code, the issues, and the contributors. You can also join the PHP CS Fixer community on GitHub, where you can ask questions, report bugs, suggest features, and contribute to the project. You can also check out some online tutorials and articles that explain how to use and configure PHP CS Fixer for different purposes and scenarios.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?