Plugin Check (PCP) Plugin

Plugin Check is a tool for testing whether your plugin meets the required standards for the WordPress.org plugin directory. With this plugin you will be able to run most of the checks used for new submissions, and check if your plugin meets the requirements.

Additionally, the tool flags violations or concerns around plugin development best practices, from basic requirements like correct usage of internationalization functions to accessibility, performance, and security best practices.

The checks can be run either using the WP Admin user interface or WP-CLI:

• To check a plugin using WP Admin, please navigate to the Tools > Plugin Check menu. You need to be able to manage plugins on your site in order to access that screen.
• To check a plugin using WP-CLI, please use the wp plugin check command. For example, to check the “Hello Dolly” plugin: wp plugin check hello.php
  • Note that by default when using WP-CLI, only static checks can be executed. In order to also include runtime checks, a workaround is currently necessary using the --require argument of WP-CLI, to manually load the cli.php file within the plugin checker directory before WordPress is loaded. For example: wp plugin check hello.php --require=./wp-content/plugins/plugin-check/cli.php

The checks are grouped into several categories, so that you can customize which kinds of checks you would like to run on a plugin.

Keep in mind that this plugin is not a replacement for the manual review process, but it will help you speed up the process of getting your plugin approved for the WordPress.org plugin repository, and it will also help you avoid some common mistakes.

Even if you do not intend to host your plugin in the WordPress.org directory, you are encouraged to use Plugin Check so that your plugin follows the base requirements and best practices for WordPress plugins.

Installation from within WordPress

1. Visit Plugins > Add New.
2. Search for Plugin Check.
3. Install and activate the Plugin Check plugin.

Manual installation

1. Upload the entire plugin-check folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
2. Visit Plugins.
3. Activate the Plugin Check plugin.

1.0.2

• Feature – New Enqueued_Scripts_Scope_Check (enqueued_scripts_scope), Enqueued_Styles_Size_Check (enqueued_styles_size) and Enqueued_Resources_Check (enqueued_resources) performance checks.
• Enhancement – Improved readme check and added a new wp_plugin_check_ignored_readme_warnings filter.
• Enhancement – New wp_plugin_check_default_categories filter to change the categories which are selected by default.
• Enhancement – New wp_plugin_check_ignore_files filter to allow ignoring specific files.
• Fix – Correct detection of readme files in Windows by normalizing file paths.

1.0.1

• Fix – Add missing test-content folder needed for runtime checks.
• Fix – Do not send emails when setting up test environment.
• Fix – Prevent PHP warning when the argv variable isn’t set.

1.0.0

• Feature – Complete overhaul of the plugin, its architecture, and all checks.
• Feature – Added new WP-CLI commands for running checks and listing available options.
• Enhancement – Added option to only run checks for a specific category.

0.2.3

• Tweak – Use version 3.8.0 of the PHP_CodeSniffer library, moving away from squizlabs/PHP_CodeSniffer to use PHPCSStandards/PHP_CodeSniffer.
• Fix – Ensure the plugin works as expected on the WP playground environment to enable reviewers to use PCP. Props @tellyworth.
• Fix – Undefined array key “argv” when running the plugin check in certain environments. Props @afragen. #340

0.2.2

• Enhancement – Include support for Windows Servers.
• Enhancement – Avoid using PHP CLI directly, which enables plugin developers to use PCP in a variety of new environments.
• Fix – Remove dependency on shell_exec and exec functions, which enables plugin developers to use PCP in a variety of new environments.
• Fix – Prevent problems with Readme parser warning related to contributor_ignored for when running the check outside WP.org. Props @dev4press. #276
• Fix – Remove extra period on the end of the sentence for Phar warning. Props @pixolin. #275

0.2.1

• Added – ‘View in code editor’ link beneath each PHPCS error or warning. Props @EvanHerman, @westonruter, @felixarntz, @mukeshpanchal27 #262
• Fix – Ensure readme.txt has priority over readme.md when both are present. Props @bordoni, @afragen #258
• Fix – Ensure that the PHPCS check runs even when the PHPCS binary is not executable. Props @bordoni, @shawn-digitalpoint, @mrfoxtalbot #254
• Fix – Readme changes and typos. Props @aaronjorbin. #261
• Fix – Long lines of code with PHPCS check no longer expand over the size of the notice. Props @bordoni, @felixarntz. #263
• Fix – Ensure that we have PHP 7.2 compatibility remove trailing comma. Props @bordoni, @leoloso. #265
• Fix – Include all strings that were missed in the previous release. Props @bordoni, @pixolin. #270

0.2.0

• Feature – Enable modification of the PHP Binary path used by the plugin with PLUGIN_CHECK_PHP_BIN constant.
• Feature – Include a check for the usage of ALLOW_UNFILTERED_UPLOADS on any PHP files – Props EvanHerman at #45
• Feature – Include a check for the presence of the application files (.a, .bin, .bpk, .deploy, .dist, .distz, .dmg, .dms, .DS_Store, .dump, .elc, .exe, .iso, .lha, .lrf, .lzh, .o, .obj, .phar, .pkg, .sh, ‘.so`) – Props EvanHerman at #43
• Feature – Include a check for the presence of the readme.txt or readme.md file – Props EvanHerman at #42
• Fix – Ensure that Readme parsing is included properly when a readme.md or readme.txt file is present. Props Bordoni #52
• Tweak – Disallow functions move_uploaded_file, passthru, proc_open – Props alexsanford at #50
• Tweak – Change the message type for using functions WordPress already includes from Warning to Error. Props davidperezgar at #18
• Tweak – Change the message type for incorrect usage of Stable tag from Notice/Warning to Error. Props davidperezgar at #3

[0.1] 2011-09-04

Original version of the plugin check tool, not a released version of the plugin, this changelog is here for historical purposes only.