WordPress Development Rules

Code Style

• PHP 7.4+ with declare(strict_types=1);
• WordPress PHP Coding Standards
• OOP where it improves modularity
• Lowercase hyphenated directories: wp-content/themes/my-theme
• Minimal comments—only for non-obvious logic

Core Principles

• Never modify core files—use hooks exclusively
• Use core functions before custom solutions
• Child themes for all customizations
• $wpdb->prepare() for all dynamic queries
• Nonce verification on all form submissions
• Escape output, sanitize input—no exceptions

Database

• $wpdb abstraction layer only
• dbDelta() for schema changes
• Transients API for caching

Assets & AJAX

• wp_enqueue_script() / wp_enqueue_style() exclusively
• REST API preferred over admin-ajax.php

Output Expectations

• Working code, not explanations
• Production-ready security practices baked in
• No boilerplate comments or placeholder text
• If something is unclear, ask—don't assume