Using Composer to Manage WordPress

Talk given at Manchester WordCamp October ’15

Transcript

1. Using Composer to
   manage WP
   Tom de Bruin
   @deadlyhifi
   

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2. “Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP. It
   allows you to declare the libraries your project depends on and it
   will manage (install/update) them for you.”
   https://getcomposer.org/
   https://packagist.org/
   

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3. https://packagist.org/packages/guzzlehttp/guzzle
   

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4. https://getcomposer.org/doc/articles/versions.md#caret
   http://semver.org/
   

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6. composer.json and composer.lock and composer
   install and composer update
   • composer install
   • installs everything if .lock file doesn’t exist, writes .lock file.
   • subsequently, brings everything up to date with what’s in the .lock
   file.
   • composer update
   • brings everything in your .json up to date, and updates the .lock file.
   • Always run composer install on the server.
   • Composer sees that .json and .lock match, installs everything.
   • This can be confusing. Read all about it on http://daylerees.com/
   composer-primer/ and https://adamcod.es/2013/03/07/composer-
   install-vs-composer-update.html
   

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7. packagist for WP
   http://wpackagist.org/
   

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8. WP’s file structure
   You can’t put your plugins in the vendor folder.
   https://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php#Moving_wp-content_folder
   

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9. https://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php#Moving_wp-content_folder
   ‛ Change the location, and name, of wp-config with a setting in
   your wp-config.php file.
   define('WP_CONTENT_DIR', $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/app');
   define('WP_CONTENT_URL', 'http://' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . '/app');
   

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10. https://github.com/composer/installers#custom-install-paths
    

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12. Composer has many powers
    • require-dev
    • Register other repos (e.g. GitHub, BitBucket, …)
    • Post install scripts
    • And many more…
    

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13. https://github.com/deadlyhifi/wp-gate8
    https://roots.io/bedrock/
    

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14. https://roots.io/bedrock/docs/environment-variables/
    

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15. .gitignore
    You don’t commit your dependencies.
    https://getcomposer.org/doc/faqs/should-i-commit-the-dependencies-in-my-vendor-directory.md
    

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16. Deployment
    At deployment you run composer install on the server.
    http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21721495/how-to-deploy-correctly-when-using-composers-develop-production-switch
    

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17. Keeping in Sync
    same as it ever was…
    https://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php#Disable_Plugin_and_Theme_Update_and_Installation
    Pic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericbegin/1281728810
    

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18. Questions?
    Tom de Bruin @deadlyhifi
    Read this…

    https://roots.io/using-composer-with-wordpress/
    http://composer.rarst.net/
    http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/03/better-dependency-
    management-team-based-wordpress-projects-composer/
    Use this…
    https://roots.io/bedrock/
    https://github.com/deadlyhifi/wp-gate8
    

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