Update workflow documentation for code quality checks

- Added new code-quality-checks.md workflow guide
- Updated release-process.md to include code quality checks
- Updated code-review.md to reference the new workflow
- Added detailed instructions for running local checks before pushing

.ai-workflows/code-quality-checks.md

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+# Code Quality Checks Workflow
+
+This document outlines the process for ensuring code quality before pushing changes to the repository. Following these steps will help catch issues early and save time in the review process.
+
+## Pre-Push Checklist
+
+Before pushing your changes to the repository, run through the following checks:
+
+1. **Run Unit Tests**
+   ```bash
+   composer test
+   ```
+   Ensure all tests pass. If any tests fail, fix the issues before proceeding.
+
+2. **Run PHP CodeSniffer**
+   ```bash
+   composer phpcs
+   ```
+   This will check your code against WordPress coding standards. Fix any issues before proceeding.
+
+3. **Run PHP Code Beautifier and Fixer**
+   ```bash
+   composer phpcbf
+   ```
+   This will automatically fix many coding standard issues.
+
+4. **Run PHPStan**
+   ```bash
+   composer phpstan
+   ```
+   This will perform static analysis on your code to find potential bugs and issues.
+
+5. **Run PHP Mess Detector**
+   ```bash
+   composer phpmd
+   ```
+   This will check for potential problems like unused variables, empty catch blocks, etc.
+
+## Common Issues and How to Fix Them
+
+### 1. Inline Comments
+
+All inline comments must end with proper punctuation (period, exclamation mark, or question mark).
+
+```php
+// Incorrect comment
+$var = true;
+
+// Correct comment.
+$var = true;
+```
+
+### 2. Superglobal Access
+
+Never access superglobals like `$_GET`, `$_POST`, etc. directly. Always use WordPress functions to sanitize and validate input.
+
+```php
+// Incorrect
+$page = $_GET['page'];
+
+// Correct
+$page = filter_input(INPUT_GET, 'page', FILTER_SANITIZE_FULL_SPECIAL_CHARS);
+
+// For testing environments
+if (defined('PHPUNIT_RUNNING') && PHPUNIT_RUNNING) {
+    // phpcs:ignore WordPress.Security.ValidatedSanitizedInput.InputNotSanitized
+    $page = isset($_GET['page']) ? wp_unslash($_GET['page']) : '';
+}
+```
+
+### 3. Avoid Unnecessary Else Clauses
+
+Simplify your code by avoiding unnecessary else clauses.
+
+```php
+// Less preferred
+if (condition) {
+    return true;
+} else {
+    return false;
+}
+
+// Preferred
+if (condition) {
+    return true;
+}
+return false;
+```
+
+### 4. Proper Function Spacing
+
+Ensure proper spacing in function calls and declarations.
+
+```php
+// Incorrect
+function_name($param1,$param2);
+
+// Correct
+function_name( $param1, $param2 );
+```
+
+### 5. Naming Conventions
+
+Follow WordPress naming conventions:
+
+- Functions and variables: snake_case
+- Classes: CamelCase
+- Constants: UPPERCASE_WITH_UNDERSCORES
+
+## Automated Checks in CI/CD
+
+Our CI/CD pipeline includes the following automated checks:
+
+1. **CodeFactor**: Analyzes code quality and style
+2. **Codacy**: Performs static code analysis
+3. **SonarCloud**: Checks for code smells, bugs, and security vulnerabilities
+4. **CodeRabbit**: Provides AI-powered code review
+
+Even though these checks run automatically, it's best to catch issues locally before pushing to save time and reduce the number of commits needed to fix issues.
+
+## Using AI to Help with Code Quality
+
+You can use AI assistants to help improve code quality:
+
+1. Run the code quality checks locally
+2. If issues are found, ask the AI assistant to help fix them
+3. Apply the suggested fixes
+4. Run the checks again to verify the issues are resolved
+
+Example prompt:
+```
+I ran PHPCS and got the following errors. Can you help me fix them?
+
+[Paste error output here]
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Following this workflow will help maintain high code quality and reduce the time spent on code reviews and fixing issues after pushing. Remember, it's always faster to fix issues locally than to go through multiple rounds of CI/CD and code review.

.ai-workflows/code-review.md

@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ When reviewing code, check for the following:
 
 This project uses several automated code review tools to maintain high code quality standards. These tools are free to use for public repositories and should be integrated into any new repositories based on this template.
 
+**Important**: Before pushing your code, run the local code quality checks as described in the [Code Quality Checks Workflow](./code-quality-checks.md) to catch issues early.
+
 ### 1. CodeRabbit
 
 [CodeRabbit](https://www.coderabbit.ai/) is an AI-powered code review tool that provides automated feedback on pull requests.

.ai-workflows/release-process.md

@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ This document outlines the process for preparing and publishing new releases of
 
 1. Create a version branch
 2. Update version numbers in all required files
-3. Build and test the plugin
-4. Commit version changes
-5. Create version tags
-6. Push to remote repositories
-7. Merge into main branch
+3. Run code quality checks
+4. Build and test the plugin
+5. Commit version changes
+6. Create version tags
+7. Push to remote repositories
+8. Merge into main branch
 
 ## Detailed Steps
 
@@ -48,7 +49,30 @@ Update version numbers in all required files:
 5. **languages/wp-plugin-starter-template.pot**:
    - Update the `Project-Id-Version` header
 
-### 3. Build and Test the Plugin
+### 3. Run Code Quality Checks
+
+Before building the plugin, run code quality checks to ensure the code meets standards:
+
+```bash
+# Run unit tests
+composer test
+
+# Run PHP CodeSniffer
+composer phpcs
+
+# Run PHP Code Beautifier and Fixer if needed
+composer phpcbf
+
+# Run PHPStan
+composer phpstan
+
+# Run PHP Mess Detector
+composer phpmd
+```
+
+Fix any issues found by these tools before proceeding. See the [Code Quality Checks Workflow](./code-quality-checks.md) for more details.
+
+### 4. Build and Test the Plugin
 
 Build the plugin with the new version:
 
@@ -69,7 +93,7 @@ Test the plugin thoroughly:
 - Test with PHP 7.0+ (minimum supported version)
 - Test all features and functionality
 
-### 4. Commit Version Changes
+### 5. Commit Version Changes
 
 Commit all version changes:
 
@@ -78,7 +102,7 @@ git add wp-plugin-starter-template.php readme.txt README.md CHANGELOG.md languag
 git commit -m "Version {MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH} - [brief description]"
 ```
 
-### 5. Create Version Tags
+### 6. Create Version Tags
 
 Create version tags:
 
@@ -89,7 +113,7 @@ git tag -a v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}-stable -m "Stable version {MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{P
 
 The `-stable` tag is used by Git Updater to identify the stable version.
 
-### 6. Push to Remote Repositories
+### 7. Push to Remote Repositories
 
 Push the version branch and tags to remote repositories:
 
@@ -121,7 +145,7 @@ git push gitea refs/heads/v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}:refs/heads/v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{
 git push gitea --tags
 ```
 
-### 7. Merge into Main Branch
+### 8. Merge into Main Branch
 
 Merge the version branch into the main branch: