Day 1: Introduction to WP-CLI

What is WP-CLI and its Benefits

WP-CLI is a command-line interface for managing WordPress installations. It allows you to perform various tasks and manage your WordPress site more efficiently than using the WordPress admin dashboard. Some benefits of using WP-CLI include:

Automating repetitive tasks
Managing multiple WordPress sites from a single interface
Performing complex operations that are difficult or impossible through the WordPress admin
Integrating WordPress with other command-line tools and scripts

Installation and Setup

To use WP-CLI, you’ll need to have PHP and a command-line interface on your computer. Here’s how to install WP-CLI:

Download the WP-CLI phar file from the official website.
Move the file to a directory in your system’s PATH, such as /usr/local/bin/.
Make the file executable by running chmod +x /usr/local/bin/wp.

Once installed, you can verify the installation by running wp --info in your terminal.

Basic Commands

Let’s explore some basic WP-CLI commands to get you started:

wp help: Displays a list of available commands and their descriptions.
wp version: Shows the current version of WP-CLI and WordPress.

Here’s an example of using the wp help command:

$ wp help
usage: wp [--path=<path>] [--url=<url>] [--user=<id>|<login>|<email>] [--skip-plugins] [--skip-themes] [--skip-packages] [--require=<path>] [--exec=<php-code>] [--<field>=<value>] <command> [<subcommand>] [<args>] [--<assoc>=<value>]

Global parameters:
  --path=<path>           Path to WordPress files.
  --url=<url>             Pretend request came from given URL. In multisite, this argument is how the target site is specified.
  --user=<id>|<login>|<email>
                          Set the WordPress user.
  --skip-plugins         Skip loading all plugins.
  --skip-themes          Skip loading all themes.
  --skip-packages        Skip loading all must-use plugins.
  --require=<path>        Load PHP file before running the command (may be used more than once).
  --exec=<php-code>       Execute PHP code before running the command (may be used more than once).
  --<field>=<value>       Set arbitrary value to predefined constant or WordPress option.
  --<assoc>=<value>       Set arbitrary value to command argument.

Available commands:
  cache                  Manage the object cache.
  cap                    Manage user capabilities.
  cli                    Manage WP-CLI itself.
  comment                Manage comments.
  config                 Generate and read WordPress config files.
  core                   Download, install, update, and manage a WordPress installation.
  cron                   Manage WP-Cron events and schedules.
  db                     Perform database operations.
  embed                  Manage oEmbed caches.
  eval                   Execute arbitrary PHP code.
  export                 Export content to a WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR) file.
  find                   Loop over posts and execute PHP on each of them.
  import                 Import content from a WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR) file.
  media                  Manage attachments.
  menu                   Manage menus.
  network                Manage multisite networks.
  option                 Manage WordPress options.
  package                Manage WordPress packages.
  plugin                 Manage plugins.
  post                   Manage posts.
  rewrite                Manage rewrite rules.
  role                   Manage user roles.
  scaffold               Generate code for common WordPress development tasks.
  search-replace         Search/replace strings in the database.
  server                 Launch PHP's built-in web server.
  shell                  Open an interactive PHP console for running WP-CLI commands.
  site                   Manage multisite sites.
  super-admin            Manage super admins.
  term                   Manage terms.
  theme                 Manage themes.
  transient              Manage transients.
  user                   Manage users.
  widget                Manage widgets.

See 'wp help <command>' for more information on a specific command.

This output shows you the available commands and their brief descriptions. You can use wp help <command> to get more detailed information about a specific command.

For example, to learn more about the wp core command, you would run:

$ wp help core
usage: wp core <command>

Manage WordPress core.

See 'wp help core <command>' for information on a specific command.

Available commands:
  core download          Download WordPress core.
  core install           Install WordPress core.
  core update            Update WordPress core.
  core update-db         Update the WordPress database.
  core verify-checksums Verify WordPress files against WordPress.org's checksums.
  core version           Display the WordPress version.

Now that you have a basic understanding of WP-CLI and its installation, you’re ready to dive deeper into its capabilities in the coming days. Stay tuned for more lessons on managing WordPress core, content, users, and more using WP-CLI!