WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI: The WPPB Generator on Your Terminal

WordPress developers often face the challenge of setting up new plugin projects quickly while adhering to best practices. That's why the WPPB generator site was created in the first place: to speed up this process.

Over time, terminal tooling has developed, expanded, and been widely adopted. The WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI addresses this need by providing a command-line tool that automates the creation of WordPress plugins based on the WordPress Plugin Boilerplate structure from our old friend wppb.me.

This CLI tool accelerates the process even more. With it, there's no need to download, unzip, and move the folder to the plugins directory. Just a single command, and you'll have your plugin ready to go.

What WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI Does

This CLI tool generates new WordPress plugins using a standardized structure. It allows developers to:

Create plugins based on the WordPress Plugin Boilerplate
Customize plugin details (name, description, author information)
Adhere to WordPress coding standards
Reduce initial plugin setup time

How to Use WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI

To start using the tool:

Install via Composer:

composer global require tmeister/wppb-cli

Ideally, from your wp-content/plugins directory, run the following command:
```
wppb new
```
Follow the prompts to input your plugin details

Benefits of Using WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI

Consistency: All plugins follow the same structure
Time-Saving: Reduces setup time for each new plugin project
Standards Compliance: Starts with a foundation that follows WordPress development standards
Customization: Allows tailoring of the generated plugin to specific needs

Technical Details

Requires Composer for installation
Compatible with PHP 8.1 and above
Uses Symfony Console and Laravel Prompts

Current Status and Future Development

I've currently tested the tool on Mac systems. I'm in the process of testing it on Linux and Windows. I welcome contributions and feedback from users on all platforms to help improve the tool's compatibility and functionality across different operating systems.

How to Contribute

Developers interested in improving WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI can submit Pull Requests for enhancements or bug fixes. The project is open-source and licensed under GPL v2 or later, as always.

Origins and Acknowledgments

This project builds upon the work of Enrique Chavez (@Tmeister), who created the original WordPress Plugin Boilerplate Generator. It aims to bring the convenience of that web-based tool to the command line.

By streamlining the initial setup process, I've designed WordPress Plugin Boilerplate CLI to allow developers like myself to focus more on creating plugin functionality and less on boilerplate code. Whether you're an experienced WordPress developer like me or just starting out, I believe this tool can help make your plugin development process more efficient.

Photo by Berat Bozkurt on Unsplash