oliverdavies.uk/content/node.01893784-8f45-4466-8586-17df23e7e4b5.json

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    "title": [
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            "value": "\n          <p>PHPStan is a static analysis tool for PHP.<\/p>\n\n<p>It finds potential issues in PHP code without needing to run it, so Developers can find and resolve potential issues sooner.<\/p>\n\n<p>I use it on all my projects including existing ones I've inherited.<\/p>\n\n<p>But how can you add a static analysis tool to a codebase without getting a lot of errors from the existing code?<\/p>\n\n<p>PHPStan has different levels of strictness.<\/p>\n\n<p>Level 0 is the least strict and each level adds more rules and strictness, resulting in more errors.<\/p>\n\n<p>Most of the time, people will start by running PHPStan on level 0, fixing any errors and committing the changes.<\/p>\n\n<p>Then repeat the process as many times as needed until you reach the level you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n<p>I don't think this is the right approach.<\/p>\n\n<p>This could mean that you need to edit the same files multiple times as you work through the levels.<\/p>\n\n<p>There's also a period of time where Developers can still write suboptimal code whilst you work your way up to your desired level.<\/p>\n\n<p>Another approach is to use a feature of PHPStan called the baseline.<\/p>\n\n<p>The baseline is a way of capturing and saving all the existing errors up to the selected level so they are no longer reported.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you did this for an existing project, it would return no errors as everything would be included in the baseline.<\/p>\n\n<p>Once you decide what level you want your project to run, you can start as soon as the baseline is generated and without needing to change files multiple times.<\/p>\n\n<p>Instead of spending time working through the levels one at a time, commit some time to pruning the baseline and reducing the errors in it.<\/p>\n\n<p>This I think is a better approach and how I add PHPStan to existing codebases.<\/p>\n\n<p>To learn more about static analysis and PHPStan, listen to <a href=\"/podcast\/22-dave-liddament\">episode 22 of the Beyond Blocks podcast<\/a> with Dave Liddament.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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            "processed": "\n          <p>PHPStan is a static analysis tool for PHP.<\/p>\n\n<p>It finds potential issues in PHP code without needing to run it, so Developers can find and resolve potential issues sooner.<\/p>\n\n<p>I use it on all my projects including existing ones I've inherited.<\/p>\n\n<p>But how can you add a static analysis tool to a codebase without getting a lot of errors from the existing code?<\/p>\n\n<p>PHPStan has different levels of strictness.<\/p>\n\n<p>Level 0 is the least strict and each level adds more rules and strictness, resulting in more errors.<\/p>\n\n<p>Most of the time, people will start by running PHPStan on level 0, fixing any errors and committing the changes.<\/p>\n\n<p>Then repeat the process as many times as needed until you reach the level you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n<p>I don't think this is the right approach.<\/p>\n\n<p>This could mean that you need to edit the same files multiple times as you work through the levels.<\/p>\n\n<p>There's also a period of time where Developers can still write suboptimal code whilst you work your way up to your desired level.<\/p>\n\n<p>Another approach is to use a feature of PHPStan called the baseline.<\/p>\n\n<p>The baseline is a way of capturing and saving all the existing errors up to the selected level so they are no longer reported.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you did this for an existing project, it would return no errors as everything would be included in the baseline.<\/p>\n\n<p>Once you decide what level you want your project to run, you can start as soon as the baseline is generated and without needing to change files multiple times.<\/p>\n\n<p>Instead of spending time working through the levels one at a time, commit some time to pruning the baseline and reducing the errors in it.<\/p>\n\n<p>This I think is a better approach and how I add PHPStan to existing codebases.<\/p>\n\n<p>To learn more about static analysis and PHPStan, listen to <a href=\"/podcast\/22-dave-liddament\">episode 22 of the Beyond Blocks podcast<\/a> with Dave Liddament.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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