WordPress Plugin Starterkit - DEV

Are you looking to streamline your WordPress plugin development process? This starterkit is crafted from years of professional plugin development experience, ensuring your code is both maintainable and developer-friendly.

In short and sweet

• plugin/ contains the final WordPress plugin source code
• src/ contains all raw style and script files that will be transpiled into the plugin/dist/
• src-blocks/ contains all custom gutenberg blocks
• bin/ contains scripts for a release build
• .wp-env.json configuration for wp-env
• plugin.php if you want to clone this repo into your running project, this file will help

Getting started

Variant 1: In project

cd your-wordpress-project/wp-content/plugins

# create starterkit code directory
npx create-wordpress-plugin-starterkit
# or
pnpm create wordpress-plugin-starterkit
# or
bunx create-wordpress-plugin-starterkit

# change directory into your plugin
cd name-of-your-plugin-directory

# if you do not have a local php and composer installation
nix-shell

# build the vendor directory for psr-4 autoloading
# this needs to be executed after every root namespace change
cd plugin
composer dump-autoload
cd ..

# If you need transpiled TypeScript or JavaScript files.
pnpm install
pnpm build

Variant 2: Isolated

# create starterkit code directory
npx create-wordpress-plugin-starterkit
# or
pnpm create wordpress-plugin-starterkit
# or
bunx create-wordpress-plugin-starterkit

# change directory into your plugin
cd name-of-your-plugin-directory

# if you do not have a local php and composer installation
nix-shell

# build the vendor directory for psr-4 autoloading
# this needs to be executed after every root namespace change
cd plugin
composer dump-autoload
cd ..

# Startup the wordpress docker environment.
npm run wp-env start

# If you need transpiled TypeScript or JavaScript files.
pnpm install
pnpm build

Goto localhost:8888 and start modifying the code in the plugin directory. Default login credentials are username: admin password: password.

• admin
• password

Use the pack.sh script to pack a production ready version of the plugin into a zip file.

./bin/pack.sh

Requirements

• Docker or Podman
• Nix or a composer installation

Why choose this starterkit?

• Maintainable Code: Focus on creating long-term, maintainable code that is easy to understand and manage.
• Enhanced Developer Experience: Designed to provide an excellent experience not just for you, but also for third-party plugin and theme developers.

Beyond standard guidelines

While this starterkit does not adhere to the traditional WordPress Coding Guidelines, this is a deliberate choice. Instead, it follows the recommendations from Write Better WordPress Code publications.

Key features

• Professional-Grade Code Structure: Benefit from a codebase that has been refined through extensive professional use.
• Future-Proof Your Development: Ensure your plugins are built to last and easy to update.
• Community and Third-Party Friendly: Create plugins and themes that are easy for others to understand and extend.

Key technical features

• PSR-4 Autoloading: Optimize your code organization and loading times with PSR-4 autoloading, ensuring efficient and standardized file management.
• Scheduled Tasks: Automate and manage recurring tasks seamlessly with built-in scheduling capabilities, enhancing your plugin's efficiency.
• REST API Integration: Leverage the power of the WordPress REST API to create dynamic and interactive applications with ease.
• Gutenberg Block Extensions: Extend and customize the Gutenberg editor to enhance the editing experience and create rich, dynamic content.
• WP Scripts Integration: Simplify your development process with WP Scripts, a powerful toolset for modern JavaScript development in WordPress.
• Automatic Plugin API Documentation: Ensure your plugin is well-documented with implicit API documentation, making it easier for other developers to understand and extend your code.

Harness the power of these features to create robust, maintainable, and high-performing WordPress plugins and themes. Get started with our starter kit today and transform your development experience!

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