Before you can begin contributing to the Blocks plugin there are several steps and tools required to setup your local development environment.
## Cloning the Git Repository
Before you can start modifying files you'll want to clone this repository locally, either via the command line, or using a Git client such as [GitHub Desktop](https://desktop.github.com/).
To do so from the command line, ensure you have [`git`](https://git-scm.com) installed on your machine, and run the clone command:
When developing this plugin, you'll must add the following to the `wp-config.php` file attached to the WordPress instance you are using to test the plugin against:
```php
define( 'JETPACK_AUTOLOAD_DEV', true );
```
The above constant definition ensures that classes in the cloned plugin are always overriding what's included with WooCommerce core via the Woo Blocks package.
It's also _recommended_ you add the following constant definitions to your `wp-config.php` file as well to make sure you are catching any PHP notices and/or errors introduced:
-`node` and `npm` via [NVM](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm#installing-and-updating): While you can always install Node or NPM through other means, we recommend using NVM to ensure you're aligned with the version used by our development teams. Our repository contains [an `.nvmrc` file](../../.nvmrc) which helps ensure you are using the correct version of Node.
- [PHP](https://www.php.net/manual/en/install.php): WooCommerce Blocks requires PHP. It is also needed to run Composer and various project build scripts.
- [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/doc/00-intro.md): We use Composer to manage all of the dependencies for PHP packages and plugins.
See [`package.json` `engines`](../../package.json) and [`readme.txt`](../../readme.txt#L6) for details on required versions.
NPM is used to trigger builds. Building is required for the plugin to functional.
- Run `$ npm run build` to build all assets for production.
- Run `$ npm start` to run the development build and watch for changes.
These scripts compile the code using `webpack` which is one of the installed dependencies from earlier.
You can also run `$ npx webpack` to run the development build and not keep watching for changes.
## Create a plugin package in ZIP format
Run `$ npm run package-plugin` to trigger install and build, and then create a zip file which you can use to install WooCommerce Blocks in WordPress admin.
Note; linters are also ran before commits via Git. If there are any violations, you will not be able to commit your changes until they are fixed, unless you add the `--no-verify` flag to your commit command.
## Running the Blocks plugin
To run the Blocks plugin you'll need a WordPress development environment - e.g. [`VVV`](https://varyingvagrantvagrants.org) or [`docker`](https://www.docker.com).
- Ensure the repo folder is in the `wp-content/plugins` folder of your WordPress environment.
- Activate the `WooCommerce Blocks` plugin (should be dev version, e.g. `2.6.0-dev`).
- Edit a page or post in block editor - you should see WooCommerce blocks in the block inserter!
## Developer Tools (Visual Studio Code)
We recommend configuring your editor to automatically check for syntax and lint errors. This will help you save time as you develop by automatically fixing minor formatting issues.
Here are some directions for setting up Visual Studio Code (most tools are also available for other editors).
### EditorConfig
[EditorConfig](https://editorconfig.org/) defines a standard configuration for setting up your editor, for example using tabs instead of spaces. You should install the [EditorConfig for VS Code extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=editorconfig.editorconfig) and it will automatically configure your editor to match the rules defined in the Blocks plugin repository `.editorconfig` file.
### ESLint
[ESLint](https://eslint.org/) statically analyzes the code to find problems. The lint rules are integrated in the continuous integration process and must pass to be able to commit. You should install the [ESLint Extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint) for Visual Studio Code (see [eslint docs](https://eslint.org/docs/user-guide/integrations) for more editor integrations).
With the extension installed, ESLint will use the `.eslintrc.js` file in the root of the Blocks plugin repository for formatting rules. It will highlight issues as you code.
### Prettier
[Prettier](https://prettier.io/) is a tool that allows you to define an opinionated format, and automate fixing the code to match that format. Prettier and ESlint are similar, Prettier is more about formatting and style, while ESlint is for detecting coding errors.
To use Prettier, you should install the [Prettier - Code formatter](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=esbenp.prettier-vscode) extension in Visual Studio Code. You can then configure it to be the default formatter and to automatically fix issues on save, by adding the following to your settings.
This will use the `.prettierrc.js` file in the root folder of the Blocks plugin repository and the version of Prettier that is installed in the root `node_modules` folder.
You’ll find a handful of scripts in `package.json` that performs the automated tests and linting. You can run the following commands to execute automated tests in your terminal:
🐞 Found a mistake, or have a suggestion? [Leave feedback about this document here.](https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce-blocks/issues/new?assignees=&labels=type%3A+documentation&template=--doc-feedback.md&title=Feedback%20on%20./docs/contributors/getting-started.md)
