merkushin / wpplugin

v1.0.0 2026-10-09 10:59 UTC

Requires

• php: >=7.4
• merkushin/wpal: ^0.8

Requires (Dev)

• phpcompatibility/phpcompatibility-wp: ^2.1
• phpstan/extension-installer: ^1.4
• phpstan/phpstan: ^2.1
• phpunit/phpunit: ^9.6
• szepeviktor/phpstan-wordpress: ^2.0
• veronalabs/wp-scoper: ^1.4
• wp-coding-standards/wpcs: ^3.4

GPL-2.0-or-later

• Dmitry Merkushin

Published on Packagist.org on 2026-10-09 11:05 UTC

README

merkushin/wpplugin

A template for WordPress plugins that are ready to submit to WordPress.org from the first commit: tests, coding standards, static analysis, i18n, a JavaScript and CSS build, CI with the official Plugin Check, a release workflow and instructions for coding agents.

composer create-project merkushin/wpplugin acme-widgets

The directory name becomes the plugin slug (acme-widgets), text domain and file name (acme-widgets.php). The setup script asks for the plugin name, author and namespace, replaces the template's placeholders and removes itself. Without a terminal it uses defaults, or the WPPLUGIN_* environment variables listed in scripts/post-create-project.php.

The rest of this README becomes the new plugin's README.

WP Plugin

Template for a new WordPress plugin

Development

Requirements: PHP 7.4+, Composer, Node.js 22.22+, WP-CLI for translations and Docker for running Plugin Check locally.

make install     # composer install && npm ci
make check       # coding standards, PHPStan, PHP and JS tests, POT and version checks
make playground  # WordPress in the browser with this plugin active
npm start        # rebuild JavaScript and CSS on change

Where	What
wpplugin.php	Plugin header and bootstrap
src/	PHP code, PSR-4 namespace Wpplugin\
tests/unit/	PHPUnit tests; WordPress calls are mocked through WPAL
assets/src/admin/, assets/src/frontend/	JavaScript and CSS entry points, built to assets/build/
languages/	Translation template, make i18n
uninstall.php	Cleanup when the plugin is deleted
readme.txt	The WordPress.org plugin page
.wordpress-org/	WordPress.org banners, icons, screenshots and Live Preview blueprint

WordPress functions are called through WPAL services, so the code can be unit-tested without WordPress. AGENTS.md has the conventions.

Release

make dist          # builds wpplugin.zip
make smoke         # loads the built plugin and runs its hooks
make plugin-check  # WordPress.org's Plugin Check on the build

The first release goes through WordPress.org review: see docs/FIRST-RELEASE.md. After approval, pushing a version tag publishes the plugin: see .github/workflows/release.yml.