autojanet/skills/understand/languages/php.md

PHP Language Prompt Snippet

Key Concepts

• Namespaces: Organize code and prevent naming collisions using backslash-delimited paths
• Traits: Horizontal code reuse mechanism for sharing methods across unrelated classes
• Type Declarations: Parameter, return, and property types (scalar, union, intersection types)
• Attributes (PHP 8+): Native metadata annotations replacing docblock-based configuration
• Enums (PHP 8.1+): First-class enumeration types with methods and interface implementation
• Fibers: Lightweight cooperative concurrency primitives for non-blocking I/O
• Closures/Anonymous Functions: First-class functions with explicit use for variable capture
• Magic Methods: Special methods like __construct, __get, __set, __call for object behavior
• Dependency Injection: Constructor injection managed by PSR-11 compatible containers
• Middleware: Request/response pipeline pattern central to modern PHP frameworks

Import Patterns

• use Namespace\ClassName — import a class by its fully qualified name
• use Namespace\ClassName as Alias — import with an alias to avoid conflicts
• namespace App\Http\Controllers — declare the current file's namespace
• use function Namespace\functionName — import a namespaced function

File Patterns

• composer.json — dependency management and PSR-4 autoloading configuration
• index.php — web application entry point (front controller)
• artisan — Laravel CLI entry point for commands and migrations
• routes/ — route definition files (web.php, api.php in Laravel)
• PSR-4 autoloading maps namespace prefixes to directory paths

Common Frameworks

• Laravel — Full-featured framework with Eloquent ORM, Blade templates, and queues
• Symfony — Component-based framework powering many PHP projects and libraries
• WordPress — CMS platform with hook-based plugin architecture
• Slim — Micro-framework for APIs and small applications
• CodeIgniter — Lightweight MVC framework with minimal configuration

Example Language Notes

Uses PHP 8 attributes #[Route('/api/users')] for declarative route mapping on controller methods. Attributes replace the older docblock annotation pattern, providing native language support for metadata that tools can reflect upon.

PSR-4 autoloading in composer.json maps App\ to src/, so the class App\Http\Controllers\UserController loads from src/Http/Controllers/UserController.php.