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PHPStan

PHPStan analyses PHP code without running it. It catches bugs like undefined methods, wrong types, and logic errors.

What It Catches​

// Method doesn't exist
$order->getTotel();
// Error: Method getTotel() not found. Did you mean getTotal()?

// Undefined variable
return $price * $taxRate;
// Error: Variable $taxRate might not be defined

// Wrong comparison
if ($status = 'active') {
// Error: Assignment in condition. Did you mean ==?

Configuration​

The config lives in phpstan.neon:

  • Level 5 over the PHP source directories (templates, layouts and language files are excluded).
  • Resolves Joomla against the latest release. CI downloads the latest Joomla into ./joomla each run, and scanDirectories: [joomla] makes PHPStan aware of the Joomla\CMS\* / Joomla\* framework classes the component extends (the repo has no Composer dependencies). A small bootstrapFiles stub declares _JEXEC / the JPATH_* constants.
  • Curated ignoreErrors for Joomla's interface→concrete typing — methods that exist on the concrete runtime class (SiteApplication, ListModel, DatabaseDriver, …) but not on the interface the type-hint declares. These are false positives, not bugs.
  • A baseline (phpstan-baseline.neon) snapshots the genuine pre-existing findings so CI stays green and only new regressions get flagged. Chip away at it and regenerate over time.

Docblock @since tags are normalised to 1.0.0 project-wide (the earlier mixed values were copy-paste artefacts).

Running Locally​

PHPStan needs a Joomla tree to resolve framework classes, so fetch one first:

# 1. Populate ./joomla (CI does this automatically)
scripts/phpstan-fetch-joomla.sh

# 2. Run analysis
phpstan analyse --configuration=phpstan.neon --memory-limit=1G

On GitHub​

PHPStan errors appear as inline annotations on the PR's Files Changed tab. Each annotation shows:

  • The line number
  • What the problem is
  • Sometimes a fix suggestion

PHPStan does not auto-fix — you must fix issues manually and push again.