WP Classmap: Lightning-Fast WordPress Autoloading

Stop wasting CPU cycles searching for PHP files.

WP Classmap is a lightweight VS Code extension built specifically for WordPress developers.
It automatically generates a high-performance PHP classmap, replacing expensive recursive autoloading with instant $O(1)$ lookups.

Think of it as Composer-style optimized autoloading, without requiring Composer.

✨ Features

• ⚡ Lightning-Fast Autoloading
  Replace file_exists() loops and recursive scans with direct array lookups.

• 🧠 Zero-Configuration Runtime
  Your PHP autoloader only needs the generated classmap file.

• 🔄 Automatic Rebuilding
  Instantly updates when files are created, renamed, deleted, or saved.

• 📁 Multi-Directory Support
  Scan multiple folders simultaneously:

  • includes/
  • src/
  • api/
  • modules/
  • etc.

• 📊 Status Bar Integration

  • Total indexed classes
  • Rebuild progress indicator
  • One-click rebuild access

• 🚫 No Composer Required

🚀 Why Use WP Classmap?

Traditional WordPress autoloaders often do this:

foreach ($paths as $path) {
    if (file_exists($path . $class . '.php')) {
        require_once $path . $class . '.php';
    }
}

That means:

• Multiple disk scans
• Repeated filesystem checks
• Slower request execution
• More CPU usage

WP Classmap converts that into:

if (isset($classmap[$class])) {
    require_once $classmap[$class];
}

Result:

• Instant lookup
• Minimal filesystem access
• Faster plugin execution
• Cleaner architecture

📦 Installation

The extension is currently not published on the VS Code Marketplace yet.

For now, install it manually by cloning the repository and building the .vsix package locally.

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Compile & Package

This command compiles the TypeScript source and generates the .vsix extension package:

npm run package

3. Local Installation

Install the generated .vsix file into VS Code.

Via VS Code UI

Extensions View → ... → Install from VSIX...

Via CLI

code --install-extension wp-classmap-x.x.x.vsix

💡 Pro Tip

For safer production builds, use a clean packaging script to avoid stale build artifacts:

"package": "rm -rf out && npm run compile && vsce package"

This ensures old compiled files are removed before packaging the extension.

🚀 You're Ready

You now have:

• ⚡ High-performance PHP autoloading
• 🔄 Automated VS Code classmap rebuilding
• 📦 Professional .vsix packaging workflow
• 🧠 Composer-style optimization without Composer

Run:

npm run package

⚙️ Configuration

Add the following to your .vscode/settings.json:

{
    "wpClassmap.directories": [
        {
            "includesDir": "includes",
            "outputFile": "includes/classmap.php"
        }
    ]
}

🛠 Example Generated Classmap

<?php

return [
    'project_NAMESPACE\\Core\\Loader' => 'Core/Loader.php',
    'project_NAMESPACE\\Admin\\Settings' => 'Admin/Settings.php',
    'project_NAMESPACE\\API\\Routes' => 'API/Routes.php',
];

🧩 Optimized PHP Autoloader

Add this to your main plugin bootstrap file:

<?php
/**
 * Optimized Classmap Autoloader
 *
 * @param string $class Fully-qualified class name.
 */
function project_autoload_class(string $class): void
{
    static $classmap = null;

    if (null === $classmap) {
        $file = PROJECT_DIR . 'includes/classmap.php';

        $classmap = file_exists($file)
            ? require $file
            : [];
    }

    if (isset($classmap[$class])) {
        require_once PROJECT_DIR . 'includes/' . $classmap[$class];
    }
}

spl_autoload_register('project_autoload_class');

🔄 Automatic Watching

WP Classmap can automatically rebuild mappings whenever files change.

Enable watch-on-save:

{
    "wpClassmap.watchOnSave": true
}

⌨️ Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P) and search for:

⚙️ Settings Reference

📊 Status Bar Integration

WP Classmap adds a lightweight status indicator to the VS Code status bar.

Features

• 📦 Total indexed class count
• 🔄 Spinning rebuild indicator
• 🧾 Hover details for scanned directories
• 🖱 Click to manually rebuild

📁 Recommended Project Structure

my-plugin/
├── includes/
│   ├── Core/
│   ├── Admin/
│   ├── API/
│   └── classmap.php
├── my-plugin.php
└── .vscode/
    └── settings.json

✅ Requirements

• VS Code
• PHP 7.4+ or PHP 8+
• WordPress plugin or theme project

Supported platforms:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

🚫 No External Dependencies

WP Classmap does not require:

• Composer
• PSR-4 setup
• Vendor directories
• Third-party libraries

Just install the extension and start indexing classes.

📄 License

Released under the MIT License.

❤️ Built for WordPress Developers

WP Classmap was created to make WordPress plugin development faster, cleaner, and more scalable.

If you find it useful, consider leaving a review on the VS Code Marketplace.

…and ship it 🚀