Slides from 2015 WordCamp Miami talk on Writing WordPress Plugins with Standards

1. Writing WordPress
Plugins with Standards
Developer at Range
http://ran.ge
Devin Vinson
@devinvinson

2. –WordPress Core Handbook
“Coding standards help avoid common coding
errors, improve the readability of code, and
simplify modification. They ensure that files within
the project appear as if they were created by a
single person.”

3. There are quirks,
deal with it.

4. CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP
https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/coding-standards

5. Set WordPress code
formatting settings in your
code editor and move on
Quick and Easy

6. Super Condensed
Overview
• HTML - It should be valid and readable
• CSS - Make it easy to follow and then comment
more, then even more.
• JS - Tough. Things are changing quickly here, not
sure how up to date it is.

7. PHP Coding Standards
Get excited

8. Naming Conventions
• Functions, variables, actions should be lowercase
• Separate words with an _
• No camelCase
• Self-documenting - prefix_get_the_data();
• Class names should use capitalized words
separated by underscores. Any acronyms should
be all upper case.
• Prefix everything

9. Seriously, prefix
everything
http://nacin.com/2010/05/11/in-wordpress-prefix-everything/
http://justintadlock.com/archives/2010/12/30/wordpress-
theme-function-files

10. Clever isn’t better
You don’t need to impress anyone.

11. Alternative syntax
Don’t get tripped up when you see a colon instead of a brace.
This can help keep your HTML readable while intermixing php.

12. DocBlocks
Not just for making your code look cool

13. All the things
• Functions and class methods
• Classes
• Class properties
• Requires and includes
• Hooks (actions and filters)
• Inline comments
• File headers
• Constants

14. /**
* Summary.
*
* Description.
*
* @since x.x.x
* @access (for functions: only use if private)
*
* @see Function/method/class relied on
* @link URL
* @global type $varname Description.
* @global type $varname Description.
*
* @param type $var Description.
* @param type $var Optional. Description.
* @return type Description.
*/
DocBlock for functions

16. Bonus Round
Using DocBlocks means
your code can be auto built
into basic documentation

17. #doingitright is
hard…
Take a shortcut

20. WPPB
• Organized file structure
• Standards compliant code, file headers, inline
documentation
• Updated to keep inline with best practices
• Translation ready

21. Plugin Structure
• admin is used for all
dashboard-specific
functionality
• includes is used for all
shared functionality either as
part of the core of the plugin
or for a third-party library
• languages are where the
i18n files are kept
• public is where all public-
facing functionality is kept

24. You don’t have to
use every part
But you can

25. Make the extra
effort, we will all
thank you for it