lib

Gutenberg PHP

This documentation is intended for developers who are contributing to the PHP code in the Gutenberg plugin, and pertains to files in the lib directory.

The Gutenberg plugin is continuously enhancing existing features and creating new ones. Some features, once considered stable and useful, are merged into Core (the WordPress source code) during a WordPress release. Others remain in the plugin forever or are eventually removed as the minimum supported WordPress version changes.

During a WordPress release, new features, bugfixes and other changes are "synced" between the Gutenberg plugin and WordPress Core. Consistent naming and directory structures make this process easier by preventing naming conflicts and compartmentalizing release-specific code.

The following documentation is intended to act as a guide only. If you're unsure about naming or where to place new PHP files, please don't hesitate to ping other contributors on Github or ask in the #core-editor channel on WordPress Slack.

File structure

To make it easier for contributors to identify features that should be merged into Core and those that can be deleted, Gutenberg uses the following file structure for its PHP code:

• lib/experimental - Experimental features that exist only in the plugin. They should not be merged into Core.
• lib/compat/wordpress-X.Y - Stable features that are intended to be merged into Core in a future X.Y release, or that were previously merged to Core in the X.Y release and remain in the plugin for backwards compatibility when running the plugin on older versions of WordPress.
• lib/compat/plugin - Features for backwards compatibility for the plugin consumers. These files don't need to be merged into Core and should have a timeline for when they should be removed from the plugin.

Files at the root of /lib are generally considered to contain "evergreen" code. Such code is both fundamental to the proper functioning of the plugin, and also so often updated that versioning it between WordPress releases is not practical. Changes to these files are merged into Core as required.

Best practices

There are a few best practices that should be observed when adding new files to the Gutenberg plugin.

Using gutenberg suffixes/prefixes vs. wp prefixes

To avoid naming conflicts with WordPress Core and other plugins, the Gutenberg plugin uses the gutenberg identifier in many of its PHP classes and function names, e.g., WP_Theme_JSON_Gutenberg and gutenberg_get_block_editor_settings.

This is especially so for classes and functions whose functionality is ubiquitous and constantly being updated — so-called "evergreen" code. Anything related to WP_Theme_JSON_Gutenberg is a good example of this: this class controls the way Gutenberg processes and outputs global styles and much more, and its methods are called in many places. In every aspect of plugin functionality, we want plugin users to have access to the latest versions of these files, even if they are running an older version of WordPress.

/**
* Returns something useful.
*
* @since 6.2.0 Updates to something even more useful.
* @since 6.3.0 Now more useful than ever.
*
* @return string Something useful.
*/
function gutenberg_get_something_useful() {
	// ...
}

When porting new functions into Core, the function must be renamed to use the wp_ prefix for functions or a WP_ prefix for classes.

/**
* Returns something useful.
*
* @since 6.2.0 Updates to something even more useful.
* @since 6.3.0 Now more useful than ever.
*
* @return string Something useful.
*/
function wp_get_something_useful() {
	// ...
}

Plugin code that is stable and expected to be merged "as-is" into Core in the near future can use the wp_ prefix for functions or a WP_ prefix for classes.

When doing so, care must be taken to ensure that no duplicate declarations to create functions or classes exist between Gutenberg and WordPress core code. A quick codebase search will also help you know if your new names are unique.

Wrapping such code in class_exists() and function_exists() checks should be used to ensure it executes in the plugin up until it is merged to Core, or when running the plugin on older versions of WordPress.

if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_a_new_and_stable_feature' ) ) {
	/**
	* A very new and stable feature.
	*
	* @return string Something useful.
	*/
	function wp_a_new_and_stable_feature() {
		// ...
	}
}

Or for classes:

/**
 * WP_A_Stable_Class class
 *
 * @package WordPress
 * @since 6.3.0
 */
if ( class_exists( 'WP_A_Stable_Class' ) ) {
	return;
}

/**
 * A very stable class that does something.
 *
 * @since 6.3.0
 */
class WP_A_Stable_Class { ... }

Wrapping code in class_exists() and function_exists() is usually inappropriate for evergreen code, or any plugin code that we expect to undergo constant change between WordPress releases, because it would prevent the latest versions of the code from being used. For example, the statement class_exists( 'WP_Theme_JSON' ) would return true because the class already exists in Core.

When to use which prefix is a judgement call, but the general rule is that if you're unsure, use the gutenberg prefix because it will less likely give rise to naming conflicts.

When not to use plugin-specific prefixes/suffixes

The above recommendations in relation to plugin-specific prefixes/suffixes are relevant only to files in the lib directory and only in the Gutenberg plugin.

Gutenberg prefixes/suffixes should not be used in Core PHP code. When syncing /lib files to Core, plugin-specific prefixes/suffixes are generally replaced with their WP_ or wp_ equivalents manually.

Accordingly, unless required to run plugin-only code, you should avoid using plugin-specific prefixes/suffixes in any block PHP code. Core blocks in the plugin are published as NPM packages, which Core consumes as NPM dependencies.

See block naming conventions for more information on block naming conventions.

As always, get in touch with your fellow contributors if you're unsure.

Documentation and annotations

For every class, method and function in the plugin, refer to the WordPress PHP documentation standards when documenting your code.

It's particularly important to observe annotation standards, and @since descriptions that specify the target WordPress version, so that all contributors can easily identify what needs to be (or what already has been) merged to Core and when.

Developers should also write a brief note about how their feature should be merged to Core, for example, which Core file or function should be patched.

Notes can be included in the doc comment.

This helps future developers know what to do when merging Gutenberg features into Core.

/**
 * Returns a navigation object for the given slug.
 *
 * Should live in `wp-includes/navigation.php` when merged to Core.
 *
 * @since 6.3.0
 *
 * @param string $slug
 * @return WP_Navigation
 */
function wp_get_navigation( $slug ) { ... }

Group PHP code by feature

Developers should organize PHP into files or folders by feature, not by component.

When defining a function that will be hooked, developers should call add_action and add_filter immediately after the function declaration.

These two practices make it easier for PHP code to start in one folder (e.g., lib/experimental) and eventually move to another using a simple git mv.

Good

// lib/experimental/navigation.php

function wp_get_navigation( $slug ) { ... }

function wp_register_navigation_cpt() { ... }

add_action( 'init', 'wp_register_navigation_cpt' );

Not so good

// lib/experimental/functions.php

function wp_get_navigation( $slug ) { ... }

// lib/experimental/post-types.php

function wp_register_navigation_cpt() { ... }

// lib/experimental/init.php
add_action( 'init', 'wp_register_navigation_cpt' );

Requiring files in lib/load.php

Should the load order allow it, try to group imports according to WordPress release, then feature. It'll help everyone to quickly recognise the files that belong to specific WordPress releases.

Existing comments in lib/load.php should act as a guide.

When to sync changes to Gutenberg PHP with Core and vice versa

If you've changed or added PHP files to the Gutenberg plugin, you'll need to confirm whether the changes are to be synced to WordPress Core, and therefore featured in the next release of WordPress.

The Gutenberg Github pull request in question should be labeled with the Needs PHP backport label if the changes are to be synced to Core.

If so, it is recommended to create a new Trac ticket and submit a pull request to the WordPress Core Github repository soon after your pull request is merged.

So too, if you've made changes in WordPress Core to code that also lives in the Gutenberg plugin, these changes will need to be synced (often called "backporting") to Gutenberg. The relevant Gutenberg Github pull request should be labeled with the Backport from WordPress Core label.

If you're unsure, you can always ask for help in the #core-editor channel in WordPress Slack.