My colleague Mike Zaschka and I talking about how tools like PHP Mess Detection, Copy & Paste Detection and CodeSniffer can help you gaining better software quality in TYPO3 extensions. 2nd October 2010, TYPO3 Conference Frankfurt

1. How to improve
the quality of your
TYPO3 extensions
Christian Trabold
Mike Zaschka
2nd October 2010, TYPO3 Conference Frankfurt

2. Agenda
What‘s the problem?
High speed code reviews
Tools that help you
Questions & Answers

3. Dowloads & Feedback
We provide links and further information on
http://bit.ly/t3con10-qatalk
We are listening to you on twitter
#t3con10-qatalk
Ask!
It‘s okay to ask after each chapter and after the talk :)
The installation instructions are available in our
paper

4. Who are we?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevenlaw/2684465429/

5. About us
Christian Trabold
Senior Developer
Web since 1999
TYPO3 since 2004
dkd since 2006
Focus on quality assurance
Author of TYPO3 Kochbuch, O‘Reilly
E-Mail christian.trabold@dkd.de
Twitter @ctrabold

6. About us
Mike Zaschka
Senior Developer
TYPO3 since 2005
Ruby/Rails since 2007
dkd since 2008
eMail mike.zaschka@dkd.de
Twitter @mike_zaschka

7. What is our
problem?

8. We all want a perfect extension
TYPO3 API
TYPO3
Security cookbook coding standards

9. We all want a perfect extension
BUT

10. High complexity
Nobody wants to touch it.

11. No documentation
Nobody understands it.

12. Different standard
Nobody can read it.

13. How do you
monitor the quality
of many extensions?

14. Doing high speed
reviews
Code Reviews
PHP Mess Detection
Copy & Paste Detection
CodeSniffer

15. Code Reviews
Quality assurance with talking.

16. C ODE REVIEWS
SUCK

17. "Most of the time you sit
next to a hairy, unfriendly
colleage and argue about
line indentions..."
Mike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/octopushat/403730001/

18. And after a while
you don't see code anymore!
class Example {{
class Example {
class Example
private static $ID == 1;
private static $ID = 1;
private $title ==$ID
private static "t3con";
1;
private $title = "t3con";
private $title "t3con";
/*
/*
/*
// Some code II don't want to delete
// Some code I don't want to delete
// Some code don't want to delete
public function addNothing($content) {{
public function addNothing($content) {
public function addNothing($content)
$content == "";
$content = "";
$content "";
return $content;
return $content;
}} return $content;
*/}
*/
*/
public function addYear($year) {{
public function addYear($year) {
public function addYear($year)
return $this->title .. "" 2010";
return $this->title . " 2010";
return $this->title 2010";
}}
}} }
}

19. Downsides of code reviews
You have to search for errors
You have no time
Most of the time you discuss less important
things
No sharing of knowledge
I hate my colleagues syndrome
Do code reviews really ensure quality?

20. Manual code reviews can cause serious
damage to your nerves!
You might nd your colleagues
dead in front of the computer!
None of our developers was harmed for this presentation!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakub_hlavaty/2164581030/

21. Wouldn‘t it be nice...
If a code review could be automated?
If I could see the aws before I review?
Is it a dream or could it be reality?

22. PHP Mess
Checks your code
against errors and aws.

23. PHP Mess Detection Rules
Code size Unused
code
Complexity
Code length
Naming Design
Methods Eval
Variables Inheritance

24. Use PHP Mess Detector
Use it on your console like this:
$ phpmd . text codesize,unusedcode,naming
Report
format Rulesets
Source
path

25. Example code
class Example {
private static $ID = 1;
private $title = "t3con";
/* An unused method */
private function addNothing($content) {
$content = "";
return $content;
}
public function addYear($year) {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
public function add_year_2010($year) {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

26. Detecting the mess
$ phpmd example.php text codesize,unusedcode,naming
example.php:4 Avoid unused private fields such as '$ID'.
example.php:4 Avoid variables with short names like $ID
example.php:8 Avoid unused private methods such as 'addNothing'.
example.php:13 Avoid unused parameters such as '$year'.
example.php:17 Avoid unused parameters such as '$year'.

27. Fixing the code
class Example {
private static $ID = 1; // Not used / too short
private $title = "t3con";
/* An unused method */
private function addNothing($content) { // Not used
$content = "";
return $content;
}
public function addYear($year) { // Not used
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
public function add_year_2010($year) { // Not used
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

28. Fixing the code
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
public function addYear() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
public function add_year_2010() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

29. Copy Paste
Checks your code
for duplicate code.

30. Duplicate code is not
a little something!
Unnecessary complexity
Issues in architecture
Hard maintainable code
Multiple changes
Error prone

31. Back to the example code
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
public function addYear() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
public function add_year_2010() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

32. Detecting duplicate code
You use it on your console like this:
$ phpcpd example.php
Found 1 exact clones with 2 duplicated
lines in 1 files:
- example.php:5-6
example.php:9-10

33. Fixing the code
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
public function addYear() {
return $this->title . " 2010"; // Duplicate code
}
public function add_year_2010() {
return $this->title . " 2010"; // Duplicate code
}
}

34. Fixing the code
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
public function addYear() {
return $this->add_year_2010();
}
public function add_year_2010() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

35. CodeSniffer
Checks your code
against a coding standard.

36. Why coding standards?
Readable code for you...
... and for others too!
Maintainable by others
Stop wasting time on reformating the code
No more arguing about line indentions

37. TYPO3 coding standards
http://forge.typo3.org/projects/team-
php_codesniffer
Standards for:
Naming
Documentation
Format
Control structures
and more...

38. Install CodeSniffer
The package can install like this:
$ pear install PHP_CodeSniffer-alpha
Then we register the TYPO3 PEAR Channel, to get
the TYPO3 Coding Standard:
$ pear channel-discover pear.typo3.org
After that you install the TYPO3 Coding Standard
like this:
$ pear install typo3/PHPCS_TYPO3_SniffPool
$ pear install typo3/PHPCS_TYPO3v4_Standard

39. Set default Standard and use it!
Set the default standard and default Tab-With:
$ phpcs --config-set default_standard TYPO3v4
$ phpcs --config-set tab_width 4
Now you can use the CodeSniffer on the console
for your TYPO3-Extensions:
$ phpcs example.php

40. One more time our example code
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
public function addYear() {
return $this->add_year_2010();
}
public function add_year_2010() {
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

41. Run CodeSniffer
Use CodeSniffer on the console:
$ phpcs example.php
--------------------------------------------
FOUND 5 ERROR(S) AFFECTING 4 LINE(S)
--------------------------------------------
3 | ERROR | Missing class doc comment
4 | ERROR | Line indented incorrectly;…
6 | ERROR | Missing function doc comment
9 | ERROR | Missing function doc comment
9 | ERROR | Method name not camel caps

42. Fixing the code
// Missing comment
class Example {
private $title = "t3con"; // Wrong indention
// Missing comment
public function addYear() {
return $this->add_year_2010();
}
// Missing comment
public function add_year_2010() { // Wrong naming
return $this->title . " 2010";
}
}

43. Fixing the code
/**
* An example class.
*
* @author Jon Doe <john.doe@example.com>
*/
class Example {
private $title = "t3con";
/**
* Just an example function.
*
* @return string Some example string
*/
public function addYear() {
return $this->addYear2010();
}
…

44. What developers often think:
Torture and pain
http://www. ickr.com/photos/mhswde/2722217304/

45. What they really are:
Freedom and fun
http://www. ickr.com/photos/davidspinks/4453498888/

46. Other usage options
PHP Tool Integration - Plugin for eclipse
http://www.phpsrc.org/

47. Automate checking
Automate tasks you do often
Use CPU power to help you
On a regular basis or on each commit into your
version control management system
Get reports instead of creating them
Use a continuous integration server like Hudson
or CruiseControl

48. Get support from
the community
Register your extension at
http://forge.typo3.org/start/createProject

49. What is forge?
Integrated social development platform for
extension developers.
Tools to streamline communication on projects
SourceControl-Management
Issue tracker
Wiki
NEW an integrated continuous integration server
still in an early status but ready for some real
world tests!

50. We do quality tests for you
Providing reporting and code metrics
on ci.typo3.org
What is currently checked?
PHP Mess Detection
Copy Paste Detection
Making code reviews quicker and more fun!

51. How do we solve
the „red-light“-shock?

59. What's next
CodeSniffer
phpUnit-Tests
More slaves for Hudson for faster response
Your ideas?

60. Conclusion

61. Stop digging through code.
Start with an overview.
http://www. ickr.com/photos/69er/329057062/

62. Reports are a good start
for good quality.
http://www. ickr.com/photos/ uzo/97673183/

63. Tell everybody
how to use the tools
Most important: the youngsters!
http://www. ickr.com/photos/kevenlaw/2787879806/

64. Make it a movement
Inspiring people to share
even better with extensions of higher quality!

65. dkd
design
kommunikation
development
thank you.