Cowboy Coding to Professional Development

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From Cowboy Coding to Professional Developer Andy Brudtkuhl @abrudtkuhl YouMetAndy.com/wckc

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What Is Cowboy Coding? … and why it is a necessary evil

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TL;DR Don’t code live on your production server. Use version control. Be nice, use standards, and avoid shiny object syndrome.

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What makes a better developer?

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Be pragmatic.

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Be empathetic. (this is not easy)

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Use standards. (please)

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Tools Don’t Matter. Tools Mean Everything

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Be a good teammate.

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Avoid Shiny Objects

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Be verbose. (comment your code, describe your commits)

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Automate your busy work.

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Test your software (because someone else will)

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Don’t Repeat Yourself.

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Setup a local dev environment.

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Local Dev Environment • MAMP Pro • Desktop Server • VVV

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Use version control.

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What goes in Git? • Entire Site • Single Plugins and Themes • Never commit your wp-config.php file • Google “Git Ignore WordPress” for an example .gitignore file

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Sync your data.

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WP DB Migrate Pro • Use WP DB Migrate Pro • Migrate Data • Push / Pull Sync Data • Use WP_CLI addon to automate

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Deploy with sanity.

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Deploy with sanity • Dev / Test / Production environments • Stop doing things manually • Use WP-DB-MIGRATE to move data • Use WP-Pusher to deploy updates (no FTP, yay!) • Use Git on your server • Capistrano or Chef

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Being A Better WordPress Developer Tips and tools to be a better WordPress developer

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deﬁne( 'WP_DEBUG', true );

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Separate Concerns • Use Plugins for functionality and Themes for design • Don’t abuse functions.php • Use functionality plugins

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the loop.

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Follow WordPress Standards • Read the Codex • Follow WordPress developer standards for Themes, Plugins, and Core Contribution

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Use Core Features • Theme Customizer • Settings API • Options API • Image Thumbnails • Menu System • Widgets, Shortcodes • Custom Post Types & Taxonomies

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Enqueue All The Things • Include scripts and stylesheets in Themes and Plugins by enqueuing them • NEVER include your own version of jQuery

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Use Template Parts • Create reusable template parts • Build reusable loops • Reduce and Reuse code

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Validate, Sanitize, Escape • Validate = check user input • Sanitize = clean user input • Escape = securing user generated output

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Transients FTW • Simple Caching • Big Performance • Store data you expect to expire

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Use Starter Templates • WordPress Plugin Boilerplate • Theme templates like sage, roots, _s • GenerateWP.com

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Know variable scope • Don’t deﬁne your own Globals • Use namespaces and classes to properly scope your variables

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WP-CLI • A WordPress command line interface • Setup, install, conﬁgure sites from your terminal • Easily create scripts to spin up new sites • Automate Database migrations • Schedule Database Migrations

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Manage Dependencies • Use plugin_exists( ‘my-plugin’ ), class_exists( ‘MyClass’ ), or function_exists( ‘my_awesome_function’ ) • TGM Plugin Activation • Require / Recommend dependencies in your custom themes and plugins • Use composer • custom plugin or theme with third party dependencies

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My Workﬂow 1. Grab a task (Jira or Trello) 2. Pull latest version of project from Bitbucket 3. Pull latest version of data from Staging / Production 4. Code feature / ﬁx bug 5. Commit and push updated code with comment and link back to ticket in Jira/Trello 6. Deploy with WP Pusher or Git

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My Tools • Editor: Atom.io • Local Dev: MAMP Pro • Terminal: iTerm • Source Control: Git with Bitbucket • Data Management: WP DB Migrate Pro • Deployment: WP Pusher • Site Management: InﬁniteWP

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YouMetAndy.com/wckc @abrudtkuhl