Type Safety with Generics

Pipeline uses PHP's generic types (@template in PHPDocs) to provide robust type safety. This enhances static analysis (PHPStan, Psalm), leading to more reliable code.

How It Works

The Pipeline\Standard class uses generic types to inform static analysis tools about the types of keys (TKey) and values (TValue) in your pipeline.

Using Type-Safe Pipelines

Type Inference

Pipeline often infers types automatically when creating pipelines using functions like fromValues() or fromArray().

use function Pipeline\fromArray;
use function Pipeline\fromValues;

$strings = fromValues('hello', 'world'); // Inferred: Standard<int, string>
$numbers = fromArray(['a' => 1, 'b' => 2]); // Inferred: Standard<string, int>

Explicit PHPDoc type annotations can be added if needed:

/** @var Standard<int, string> $strings */
$strings = fromValues('hello', 'world');

Type Transformations

  • filter(): This method preserves the existing types of elements, only reducing their count. php $pipeline = fromValues('hello', 'world')->filter(fn($s) => strlen($s) > 4); // Result: list<string>
  • map() / cast(): These methods are used to transform values, potentially changing their types. Static analysis tools accurately track these type changes. php $pipeline = fromArray(['a' => 1])->map(fn($n) => "Number: $n"); // Result: array<string, string>
  • reduce() / fold(): Aggregation methods like reduce() and fold() also benefit from type checking, ensuring type safety for accumulators and elements.

Extracting Data

Terminal operations such as toList() and toAssoc() extract processed data into standard PHP arrays, with types correctly inferred by static analysis.

use function Pipeline\take;

$data = take($someIterable);
$list = $data->toList();   // Numerically indexed
$assoc = $data->toAssoc(); // Associative

Important Considerations

  • Mutability: Pipeline instances are mutable; methods like map() modify the same instance.
  • One-Time Use: As with PHP generators, pipelines are generally one-time use; after a terminal operation (e.g., toList()), the pipeline is exhausted.
  • Complex Transformations: Operations such as chunk(), flip(), values(), and keys() inherently alter the key/value relationships within the pipeline. Due to these complex transformations, explicit type hints may occasionally be necessary to assist static analysis tools. php use Pipeline\Standard; /** @var Standard<int, string> $pipeline */ $pipeline = fromArray(['a' => 1])->flip();
  • Backward Compatibility: All type improvements are implemented purely through PHPDoc comments, ensuring no runtime impact and 100% backward compatibility. This design principle is consistent across the library.

Tool Setup & Tips

  • PHPStan/Psalm: Include Pipeline in your project. Configure a high analysis level.
  • Tips:
    • Provide type hints when the source isn't obvious.
    • Prefer arrow functions for better type inference.
    • Integrate static analysis into your CI pipeline.

The Pipeline type system is designed to be a helpful tool, providing robust static analysis.