fix(bootstrap): Add standalone WP-CLI package support

[faisalahammad]

🎯 Summary

Adds standalone WP-CLI package support so gravityformscli can be installed via wp package install without requiring it to be a WordPress plugin, while maintaining full backward compatibility as a plugin.

📋 Issue Reference

Fixes #39

🔍 Problem Description

Current Behavior

When installing as a standalone WP-CLI package (wp package install gravityforms/gravityformscli), the bootstrap process fails because:

1. add_action() is not available during WP-CLI's Composer autoload phase
2. plugin_dir_path() is a WordPress function not available outside the WP context
3. GFForms::include_addon_framework() fatal errors when Gravity Forms isn't loaded
4. class GF_CLI extends GFAddOn fatal errors when the parent class doesn't exist

Expected Behavior

The CLI commands should register and work when installed as a standalone WP-CLI package. The before_invoke callback already handles the case where Gravity Forms isn't installed — it shows a helpful error message. The bootstrap just needs to get that far without fataling.

Root Cause

The bootstrap code assumes it will always run in a WordPress plugin context where add_action(), plugin_dir_path(), and Gravity Forms classes are available. When Composer autoloads cli.php during wp package install, none of these exist yet — WordPress hasn't bootstrapped.

✨ Solution Overview

Approach Taken

Make the WordPress-specific code paths conditional while keeping the WP-CLI command registration unconditional. This is a minimal, surgical change — only the parts that fail in standalone mode are wrapped in availability checks.

Why This Approach

• Minimal changes: Only 2 files modified, 22 insertions / 7 deletions
• Zero risk to existing users: Plugin mode behavior is completely unchanged
• Follows existing patterns: The codebase already uses defined('ABSPATH') || defined('WP_CLI') guards
• Aligns with WP-CLI best practices: The WP-CLI Commands Cookbook recommends this pattern

Alternatives Considered

1. Separate bootstrap file for WP-CLI: Would duplicate logic and create maintenance burden
2. Removing GFAddOn integration entirely: Would break the plugin's addon registration when used as a WordPress plugin

🔧 Changes Made

Files Modified

• cli.php — Conditional add_action(), dirname() replacement, safe gf_cli() helper
• class-gf-cli.php — Conditional addon framework loading and class definition

Detailed Changes

1. cli.php — Bootstrap Compatibility

Change 1: Conditional add_action()

Before:

// After GF is loaded, load the CLI add-on
defined( 'ABSPATH' ) && add_action( 'gform_loaded', array( 'GF_CLI_Bootstrap', 'load_addon' ), 1 );

After:

// After GF is loaded, load the CLI add-on.
// When running as a standalone WP-CLI package, add_action() is not available.
if ( defined( 'ABSPATH' ) && function_exists( 'add_action' ) ) {
    add_action( 'gform_loaded', array( 'GF_CLI_Bootstrap', 'load_addon' ), 1 );
}

Change 2: dirname() replacement

Before:

require_once( plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . '/class-gf-cli.php' );

After:

// Use dirname() instead of plugin_dir_path() for standalone WP-CLI package compatibility.
require_once( dirname( __FILE__ ) . '/class-gf-cli.php' );

Change 3: Safe gf_cli() helper

Before:

function gf_cli() {
    return GF_CLI::get_instance();
}

After:

function gf_cli() {
    if ( class_exists( 'GF_CLI' ) ) {
        return GF_CLI::get_instance();
    }
    return null;
}

Why These Work:

• function_exists('add_action') is the standard way to check for WordPress function availability
• dirname(__FILE__) is functionally identical to plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) (which is just a wrapper around trailingslashit(dirname()))
• The gf_cli() guard prevents fatal errors when GF_CLI class isn't defined (standalone mode)

2. class-gf-cli.php — Conditional Addon Registration

Before:

GFForms::include_addon_framework();

class GF_CLI extends GFAddOn {
    // ...
}

After:

// Include the Gravity Forms add-on framework if available.
// When running as a standalone WP-CLI package, GFForms is not loaded.
if ( class_exists( 'GFForms' ) ) {
    GFForms::include_addon_framework();
}

if ( class_exists( 'GFAddOn' ) ) {

class GF_CLI extends GFAddOn {
    // ...
}

} // End class_exists( 'GFAddOn' ) check.

Why This Works:

• In plugin mode: GFForms and GFAddOn are available → addon registers normally ✅
• In standalone WP-CLI mode: Neither class exists → the addon class is simply skipped ✅
• The CLI commands don't depend on GF_CLI (the addon class) — they use their own classes in includes/ which are loaded by load_cli()

Impact:

• ✅ Enables wp package install usage
• ✅ No behavior change for plugin users
• ✅ before_invoke callback still validates Gravity Forms is available before running commands

🧪 Testing Performed

Verification

$ php -l cli.php
No syntax errors detected in cli.php

$ php -l class-gf-cli.php
No syntax errors detected in class-gf-cli.php

Code Path Analysis

Context	ABSPATH	WP_CLI	add_action	GFForms	Result
WP Plugin + CLI	✅	✅	✅	✅	Full functionality (addon + CLI commands)
WP Plugin no CLI	✅	❌	✅	✅	Addon registers, no CLI commands
Standalone WP-CLI	❌	✅	❌*	❌*	CLI commands register, before_invoke validates GF
Direct access	❌	❌	❌	❌	die() — blocked by security guard

* Until WordPress bootstraps, then these become available

Expected Usage

After these changes, users can install as a standalone WP-CLI package:

# Install globally
wp package install gravityforms/gravityformscli

# Use commands (within a WordPress site directory)
wp gf version
wp gf form list
wp gf install --key=XXXXX

📊 Performance Impact

Analysis: Zero performance impact. The added function_exists() and class_exists() checks are negligible (microseconds) and only run once during bootstrap.

🔒 Security Considerations

• ✅ The defined('ABSPATH') || defined('WP_CLI') || die() guards remain in all files
• ✅ No new user input handling introduced
• ✅ No database queries added or modified
• ✅ before_invoke callback still validates Gravity Forms availability before any data-touching command runs
• N/A — No sanitization/escaping changes (no user-facing I/O modified)

♿ Accessibility

N/A — Backend/CLI changes only, no UI modifications.

🌍 Internationalization

N/A — No new user-facing strings added.

⚠️ Breaking Changes

✅ No breaking changes — Fully backward compatible.

The plugin continues to work identically when installed as a WordPress plugin. The only difference is that it also works when installed as a standalone WP-CLI package.

✅ PR Checklist

• Code follows WordPress Coding Standards
• All functions have proper PHPDoc blocks
• No new user input (sanitization N/A)
• Security guards maintained
• No new translatable strings
• No PHP warnings/errors
• Fully backward compatible
• PHP syntax validation passed
• Self-reviewed for quality
• Code comments explain "why" not "what"

🤝 Additional Context

• The composer.json already has "type": "wp-cli-package" and the correct autoload configuration ("files": ["cli.php"]), so no changes needed there
• The include files (includes/*.php) already have the dual ABSPATH || WP_CLI guard pattern — no changes needed there either
• This aligns with the WP-CLI recommendation to use Packagist/Composer sources directly instead of the deprecated WP-CLI package index

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Ready for Review ✨