A PHP Guide for Humans https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/ 2026-10-08T23:32:50+00:00 https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/ https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=wiki:dokuwiki.svg text/html 2026-04-05T00:53:06+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:arrays_and_collections&rev=1775350386&do=diff 2. Arrays & Collections — PHP’s Most Misunderstood Feature Why this matters PHP arrays are powerful — and confusing. We find them in: * ordered lists simple sequences of values * associative maps key–value structures with no enforced shape text/html 2026-04-05T00:50:26+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:attributes&rev=1775350226&do=diff 4. Attributes — Adding Meaning Without Adding Weight Modern PHP gives us a quiet, declarative way to attach structure and intent to our code. Attributes don’t change behavior by themselves. They describe behavior — and let tools, frameworks, and libraries respond to it. text/html 2026-04-05T00:40:25+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:constructor_property_promotion&rev=1775349625&do=diff 10. Constructor Property Promotion — Letting Objects Declare Themselves Constructor Property Promotion (CPP) is one of the quiet revolutions of PHP 8. It removes boilerplate and lets objects declare their shape directly in the constructor signature. text/html 2026-04-05T00:45:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:enum_keyword&rev=1775349919&do=diff 7. Enums — Giving Meaningful Shape to Known Values Enums solve one of the oldest problems in PHP: representing a closed set of meaningful values without magic strings or loose integers. Enums are one of the most expressive additions to modern PHP text/html 2026-04-05T00:39:19+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:first_class_callable_syntax&rev=1775349559&do=diff 11. First‑class Callables — Passing Behavior With Clarity Modern PHP gives us a clean, expressive way to reference methods as values. First‑class callables let us pass behavior around without strings, arrays, or older callable conventions. They reflect a broader shift in text/html 2026-04-05T00:32:58+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:intersection_types&rev=1775349178&do=diff 15. Intersection Types — Requiring Multiple Shapes at Once Intersection types let us declare that a value must satisfy all of several types at the same time. They are the opposite of union types: instead of “one of these”, intersection types text/html 2026-04-05T00:49:02+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:match_declarative_branching&rev=1775350142&do=diff 5. 'Match' — Declarative Branching With Shape and Intent Modern PHP gives us a more expressive way to handle branching logic. match is not a prettier switch. It’s a declarative expression that returns a value, enforces completeness, and makes intent explicit. text/html 2026-04-05T00:36:00+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:named_arguments&rev=1775349360&do=diff 13. Named Arguments — Making Calls Self‑Documenting This is another place where AI often gets things subtly wrong. Named arguments let us call functions and methods with clarity and intention. Instead of relying on parameter order or remembering what each value means, we can name the arguments directly at the call site. text/html 2026-04-05T00:47:01+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:nullsafe_operator&rev=1775350021&do=diff 6. Nullsafe — Navigating Uncertainty Without Noise Modern PHP gives us a gentle way to move through nested objects without defensive checks. This is one of the quietest but most expressive features in modern PHP. The nullsafe operator (?->) lets us express text/html 2026-04-05T00:52:16+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:objects_dtos&rev=1775350336&do=diff 3. Objects & Data Transfer Objects (DTOs) — Representing Data in Modern PHP Why this matters Modern PHP uses objects not just for behavior, but for clarity of data. In contrast, AI often generates arrays everywhere — associative arrays for input, output, configuration, responses, and even domain data (see DTO example text/html 2026-04-05T00:41:30+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:readonly_classes&rev=1775349690&do=diff 9. Readonly Classes — Declaring Immutable Objects With Intention Readonly classes extend the idea of immutability from individual properties to the entire object. They let us express that an object is a value — something defined entirely by its construction and never changed afterward. text/html 2026-04-05T00:42:57+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:readonly_property&rev=1775349777&do=diff 8. Readonly Properties — Making Intentional Immutability Visible Modern PHP gives us a simple, expressive way to declare that a property will never change after construction. readonly is not about restriction — it’s about clarity. It lets us express text/html 2026-04-05T00:37:58+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:short_closure_functions&rev=1775349478&do=diff 12. Short Closures (fn) — Small Functions With Clear Intent Short closures give us a concise way to express small, single‑expression functions. They reduce ceremony and make intent visible without the weight of full closure syntax. They reflect a broader shift in modern PHP: text/html 2026-04-05T00:30:42+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:spread_operator_in_arrays&rev=1775349042&do=diff 16. Spread Operator in Arrays — Composing Structure With Ease The spread operator (...) lets us merge arrays and unpack values with clarity and intention. It removes boilerplate and makes array composition feel natural and expressive. It reflects a broader shift in modern PHP: text/html 2026-04-03T18:46:32+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:start&rev=1775241992&do=diff Modern PHP Essentials Modern PHP’s core language features — the tools you use every day. These pages focus on clarity, shape, and the practical constructs that define PHP 8+. Please sort A-Z for intended reading sequence. text/html 2026-04-05T00:54:41+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:types_and_signatures&rev=1775350481&do=diff 1. Types & Signatures — The Shape of Modern PHP Why this matters Modern PHP is typed, but not statically like Rust or Go, and not loosely dynamic like early PHP. — it lives between the two: Modern PHP is a language where types clarify intent, reduce mistakes, and support architectural thinking. text/html 2026-04-05T00:34:12+00:00 Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) https://icontemp.com/wiki/phpprimer/doku.php?id=essentials:union_types&rev=1775349252&do=diff 14. Union Types — Expressing Multiple Valid Shapes With Clarity Union types let us declare that a value may take one of several specific types. Instead of relying on documentation, comments, or guesswork, the type system itself expresses the allowed shapes