Line breaks in functions.php

you actually shouldn’t be opening and closing php like that at all in functions.php…..

just continue on the code….. introducing whitespace between functions will break WP but really there is no need to close and open

<?php
function .... code
?>
<?php
function .... code
?>

should just be

<?php
function .... code

function .... code

There should really just be the opening php tag at the top of functions.php, and then all of your functions added in.

The only time to close out php is to break out into html if necessary, and then reopen php….

Well, yea. I realize that now. I was just doing that for cleanliness for my own sanity.

Some plugins that modify the functions.php file will do something like the following

<?php
function some_function(){
    if(){...
    }
?>
<?php }
function something_else(){...

It’s a mess, really.

You have plugins that modify your functions.php file? I’ve never run into one of those before, crazy….

for code clenliness, I usually use spacing and commenting in my functions.php, whitespace is fine inside of php… so to use your example….

<?php
// I ADDED THIS TO DO SOMETHING REALLY COOL
function some_function(){
    if(){...
    }
}

// THIS DOES SOMETHING EVEN COOLER!
function something_else(){...

But, if you have plugins adding things to your functions.php, that would be unpredictable for sure!

Yea, embarrassing eh? One is a feedburner plugin and it looks like the other is a WP Related Posts plugin. Those two combined make up for over 1k lines of coded in functions.php.