Question 1

How to use Rector to upgrade from PHP 7.4 to 8.2?

Accepted Answer

Rector provides rule sets for PHP version upgrades; create a rector.php config file with the appropriate PHP upgrade set, run a dry-run to preview changes, then apply them. Always test thoroughly in a staging environment first.

Question 2

Rector vs PHP-CS-Fixer for code refactoring?

Accepted Answer

Rector focuses on semantic changes like PHP version upgrades and framework migrations, while PHP-CS-Fixer handles code style and formatting. They are often used together—Rector for upgrades and PHP-CS-Fixer for cleanup—as Rector's output may need formatting.

Question 3

Does Rector work with WordPress plugins?

Accepted Answer

Rector primarily targets PHP code and frameworks; while there's no official WordPress rule set, community extensions might exist. For WordPress-specific upgrades, check for custom sets or consider creating rules based on Rector's extensible system.

Question 4

How to create a custom rule in Rector?

Accepted Answer

To create a custom rule, learn Rector's AST node system via documentation or the recommended book, define a rule class that modifies nodes, and register it in your rector.php config. Testing is crucial to ensure it works as expected.

Question 5

Rector dry run shows errors, how to debug?

Accepted Answer

Use the --debug or --xdebug options when running Rector to get detailed output and stack traces. Inspect AST nodes with helper functions like print_node() to identify issues in your code or rule configurations.

Question 6

How to integrate Rector into a Jenkins pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Install Rector via Composer in your Jenkins setup, configure a rector.php file with desired rules, and run it as a build step. Use --dry-run in CI to fail the pipeline if changes are needed, ensuring code quality enforcement.

Question 7

Rector performance on large legacy codebases?

Accepted Answer

Rector can handle large projects but may slow down with many rules or files; use parallel mode for speed on compatible systems, and consider running it incrementally or with caching to manage resource usage effectively.

Rector

What is Rector?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions