php-modern

Modern PHP 8.x Development

Before writing code

Fetch live docs: Web-search site:php.net manual migration for the latest PHP migration guide and new features. Check https://www.php.net/releases/ for current supported versions.

PHP 8.0 Features

Constructor Property Promotion

Declare and assign properties directly in the constructor signature — eliminates boilerplate. Heavily used in Magento service classes.

Named Arguments

Call functions with parameter names: array_slice(array: $arr, offset: 2). Improves readability for functions with many parameters.

Match Expressions

Type-safe switch replacement that returns a value. No fall-through, strict comparison. Better than switch for value mapping.

Union Types

int|string in parameter and return types. Allows multiple type declarations.

Nullsafe Operator

$obj?->method()?->property — short-circuits to null if any part is null. Replaces nested null checks.

Attributes

Native metadata annotations: #[Route('/path')], #[Override]. Replace docblock annotations with first-class language support.

PHP 8.1 Features

Enums

First-class enumerations — backed (string/int) and unit enums. Perfect for status codes, types, categories. Use backed enums for database/API values.

Readonly Properties

public readonly string $name — can only be set once (usually in constructor). Enforces immutability.

Fibers

Lightweight concurrency primitives — PHP-level coroutines. Foundation for async frameworks. Limited direct usage in Magento.

Intersection Types

TypeA&TypeB — value must satisfy ALL types. Useful for ensuring a parameter implements multiple interfaces.

First-class Callable Syntax

strlen(...) creates a Closure from a function. Cleaner than Closure::fromCallable('strlen').

PHP 8.2 Features

Readonly Classes

readonly class Dto { ... } — all properties are implicitly readonly. Perfect for Data Transfer Objects and value objects.

Deprecated: Dynamic Properties