PHP Git Status Check Action

Overview

The actions/php/gitStatusCheck action determines whether PHP-specific files have been modified by checking git status for PHP source files (*.php), Composer files (composer.json, composer.lock), and Node.js files (package.json, package-lock.json). This action is ideal for PHP projects that may also include frontend assets, enabling conditional workflow execution.

Language/Tool Support

• PHP: PHP source files and Composer dependency management
• Composer: composer.json and composer.lock files
• Node.js: package.json and package-lock.json files (for mixed PHP/JS projects)
• Git: Git repository status checking
• Shell Scripts: Bash-based implementation

Features

• Multi-Language Support: Monitors PHP, Composer, and Node.js files
• Branch-based Checking: Configurable branch for comparison
• Output Generation: Provides boolean output for workflow decisions
• Laravel-Friendly: Supports Laravel projects with mixed assets
• Modern PHP Projects: Handles composer and npm dependencies

Usage

- name: Check PHP File Changes
  id: php-check
  uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
  with:
    branch: main

- name: Run PHP Tests
  if: steps.php-check.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
  run: composer test

Inputs

Input	Type	Required	Default	Description
branch	string	❌	main	Branch to compare changes against

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
shouldRun	boolean	Whether PHP-related files were modified (true/false)

Monitored File Types

The action checks for changes in:

PHP Files

• *.php - All PHP source files
• Application code, configuration, migrations
• Test files and development tools

Composer Files

• composer.json - Package dependencies and project metadata
• composer.lock - Locked dependency versions

Node.js Files (for mixed projects)

• package.json - Frontend dependencies and scripts
• package-lock.json - Locked frontend dependency versions

File Examples

index.php
app/Models/User.php
config/app.php
database/migrations/create_users_table.php
tests/Feature/UserTest.php
composer.json
composer.lock
package.json (for frontend assets)
package-lock.json (for frontend assets)

Usage Examples

PHP Laravel Project

name: Laravel CI Pipeline
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  check-php-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      php-changed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check for PHP Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
        with:
          branch: main

  php-tests:
    needs: check-php-changes
    if: needs.check-php-changes.outputs.php-changed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'

      - name: Install Dependencies
        run: composer install

      - name: Run Tests
        run: composer test

  static-analysis:
    needs: check-php-changes
    if: needs.check-php-changes.outputs.php-changed == 'true'
    uses: ./.github/workflows/php_staticAnalysis.yml
    with:
      phpVersion: '8.3'

Composer Dependency Validation

name: Dependency Security Check
on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'composer.json'
      - 'composer.lock'

jobs:
  check-composer:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check Composer Changes
        id: composer-check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
        with:
          branch: ${{ github.base_ref }}

      - name: Security Audit
        if: steps.composer-check.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
        run: composer audit

      - name: Validate Dependencies
        if: steps.composer-check.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
        run: composer validate --strict

Mixed PHP/JavaScript Project

name: Full Stack Validation
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]

jobs:
  detect-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      backend-changed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check Backend Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  backend-pipeline:
    needs: detect-changes
    if: needs.detect-changes.outputs.backend-changed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Setup PHP Environment
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'

      - name: Run PHP Tests
        run: composer test

      - name: Build Assets (if package.json changed)
        run: |
          if [ -f package.json ]; then
            npm ci
            npm run build
          fi

WordPress Plugin Development

name: WordPress Plugin CI
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  check-plugin-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      plugin-changed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check Plugin Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  wordpress-tests:
    needs: check-plugin-changes
    if: needs.check-plugin-changes.outputs.plugin-changed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      mysql:
        image: mysql:5.7
        env:
          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
    steps:
      - name: Setup WordPress Test Environment
        run: |
          # WordPress test setup
          composer install
          npm install
          npm run build

      - name: Run Plugin Tests
        run: composer test

Integration Patterns

Performance-Optimized Pipeline

name: Optimized PHP Pipeline
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  quick-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      php-changed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check PHP Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  fast-validation:
    needs: quick-check
    if: needs.quick-check.outputs.php-changed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: PHP Syntax Check
        run: find . -name "*.php" -exec php -l {} \;

  comprehensive-testing:
    needs: [quick-check, fast-validation]
    if: needs.quick-check.outputs.php-changed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Full Test Suite
        run: |
          composer install
          composer test:unit
          composer test:integration

Multi-Environment Deployment

name: Multi-Environment PHP Deployment
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, staging, develop]

jobs:
  detect-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      deploy-needed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check Deployment Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  deploy-staging:
    needs: detect-changes
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/staging' && needs.detect-changes.outputs.deploy-needed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Deploy to Staging
        run: echo "Deploying to staging environment..."

  deploy-production:
    needs: detect-changes
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && needs.detect-changes.outputs.deploy-needed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Deploy to Production
        run: echo "Deploying to production environment..."

Code Quality Pipeline

name: PHP Code Quality
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  detect-php-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      quality-check-needed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check PHP Code Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  code-style:
    needs: detect-php-changes
    if: needs.detect-php-changes.outputs.quality-check-needed == 'true'
    uses: ./.github/workflows/php_dusterFix.yml

  static-analysis:
    needs: detect-php-changes
    if: needs.detect-php-changes.outputs.quality-check-needed == 'true'
    uses: ./.github/workflows/php_staticAnalysis.yml
    with:
      phpVersion: '8.3'

PHP-Specific Use Cases

Laravel Application Testing

name: Laravel Testing
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  check-laravel-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      test-needed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check Laravel Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  laravel-tests:
    needs: check-laravel-changes
    if: needs.check-laravel-changes.outputs.test-needed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      mysql:
        image: mysql:8.0
        env:
          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
          MYSQL_DATABASE: testing
    steps:
      - name: Setup Laravel Environment
        run: |
          cp .env.testing .env
          php artisan key:generate
          php artisan migrate

      - name: Run Feature Tests
        run: php artisan test

Composer Security Monitoring

name: Security Monitoring
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * 1'  # Weekly on Monday

jobs:
  check-dependencies:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check for Dependency Changes
        id: deps
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

      - name: Security Audit
        if: steps.deps.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
        run: |
          composer audit
          composer outdated --direct

Multi-Version PHP Testing

name: PHP Version Compatibility
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  check-php-changes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      test-needed: ${{ steps.check.outputs.shouldRun }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check PHP Changes
        id: check
        uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

  compatibility-test:
    needs: check-php-changes
    if: needs.check-php-changes.outputs.test-needed == 'true'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        php-version: ['8.1', '8.2', '8.3']
    steps:
      - name: Setup PHP ${{ matrix.php-version }}
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: ${{ matrix.php-version }}

      - name: Test Compatibility
        run: composer test

File Detection Patterns

Standard PHP Patterns

• Application files: app/**/*.php
• Configuration: config/**/*.php
• Database: database/**/*.php
• Tests: tests/**/*.php

Framework-Specific Patterns

Laravel

• Models: app/Models/*.php
• Controllers: app/Http/Controllers/*.php
• Migrations: database/migrations/*.php
• Seeders: database/seeders/*.php

Symfony

• Controllers: src/Controller/*.php
• Entities: src/Entity/*.php
• Services: src/Service/*.php

WordPress

• Plugin files: *.php
• Theme files: *.php
• Custom post types: inc/*.php

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Always Returns False

• Verify PHP files exist in repository
• Check that composer.json exists for PHP projects
• Ensure checkout action runs before this action

Missing Dependencies

• Verify composer.json and composer.lock are committed
• Check package.json exists if using Node.js assets
• Ensure proper project structure

File Detection Issues

• Test file patterns manually: find . -name "*.php"
• Check git status: git status --porcelain
• Verify branch comparison works

Debugging Commands

# Check PHP files
find . -name "*.php" -o -name "composer.json" -o -name "composer.lock"

# Check Node.js files
find . -name "package.json" -o -name "package-lock.json"

# Check git differences
git diff --name-only origin/main | grep -E '\.(php|json)$'

Best Practices

Project Structure

1. Standard Layout: Follow PHP framework conventions
2. Dependency Management: Keep composer.lock committed
3. Mixed Projects: Organize PHP and frontend code clearly

Workflow Design

1. Early Checking: Run checks early in pipeline
2. Conditional Logic: Use proper conditional execution

Migration Guide

From Path-Based Filters

Replace path-based workflow triggers:

# Before: Path-based filtering
on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - '**/*.php'
      - 'composer.json'
      - 'composer.lock'

# After: Dynamic checking
on:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  check:
    steps:
      - uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
        id: php-check

From Manual Commands

Replace manual file checking:

# Before: Manual commands
- name: Check PHP Changes
  run: |
    if git diff --name-only origin/main | grep -E '\.(php|json)$'; then
      echo "php_changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
    fi

# After: Use action
- name: Check PHP Changes
  id: check
  uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck

Framework-Specific Integration

Laravel Projects

- uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
  id: laravel-check

- name: Laravel Tests
  if: steps.laravel-check.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
  run: php artisan test

Symfony Projects

- uses: ./actions/php/gitStatusCheck
  id: symfony-check

- name: Symfony Tests
  if: steps.symfony-check.outputs.shouldRun == 'true'
  run: php bin/phpunit