Category: wordpress

Tailwind CSS v4 introduces significant changes, notably removing the Command Line Interface (CLI) binary from its main npm package. While this streamlines integration with bundlers like Vite, it breaks the classic npx tailwindcss init setup essential for WordPress theme and plugin development.

This guide provides the robust, step-by-step method for installing and running Tailwind CSS v4 inside your WordPress plugin directory on a Linux environment, solving the common issues of the missing CLI and the “unknown utility class” error.

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Phase 1: Environment Setup and CLI Acquisition

Since the standard npm install tailwindcss no longer provides the executable, we must download the official Standalone CLI binary.

Step 1: Initialize NPM and Install Dependencies

Navigate to your plugin’s root directory (where your main PHP file resides) and set up the Node environment.

# Navigate to your plugin root
cd /path/to/wp-content/plugins/your-plugin-name

# Initialize project
npm init -y

# Install PostCSS and Autoprefixer (still required)
npm install -D tailwindcss@4 postcss autoprefixer

Step 2: Acquire the Standalone CLI Binary

1. Create a local directory for the binary:

mkdir -p tailwind-cli
cd tailwind-cli

2. Download the Linux x64 Executable: (Verify the URL for the exact version if needed.)

curl -sLO https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/releases/download/v4.1.16/tailwindcss-linux-x64

3. Rename and Grant Execute Permissions (Critical): This step prevents the Exec format error.

mv tailwindcss-linux-x64 tailwindcss
chmod +x tailwindcss
cd .. # Return to plugin root

Step 3: Create Core Directories

mkdir -p src dist

Phase 2: Configuration and Scripts

Since the init command is removed in v4, we manually create all necessary files.

Continue reading “Tailwind CSS v4 in a WordPress Plugin: The Standalone CLI Guide” →

When you’re working with PHP locally, in an environment such as XAMPP on a Linux operating system, you might need to install Composer. Composer is a tool for dependency management in PHP, allowing you to declare and manage the libraries your project depends on.

The Quick Installation Method

Typically, the quickest way to install Composer on a Linux operating system is through the command line as follows:

sudo apt install composer

This approach might not be appropriate for those who already have XAMPP installed. This is because the command would install PHP system-wide, which is unnecessary here since XAMPP already bundles PHP with its package, making this method redundant in such cases.

Continue reading “Installing Composer in a XAMPP Environment on Linux” →