data-model

Zerotoprod\DataModel

A DataModel provides a lightweight, non-invasive way to hydrate type-safe PHP objects recursively.

Why Use DataModel?

Simplify Object Hydration: No more manual assignment of properties or repetitive boilerplate code. A DataModel automates the process, ensuring your objects are populated correctly based on their type declarations.
Ensure Type Safety: Type safety is enforced by PHP itself. With a DataModel, you can trust that your objects contain the expected types without extra validation.
Reduce Defensive Programming: Instead of writing defensive code to check and sanitize your data, a DataModel allows you to define how each property should be resolved before the object is hydrated.
Flexible Value Resolution: With the #[Describe()] attribute, you control how values are resolved for each property, including transformations, default values, and custom casting. This ensures that your data model behaves exactly as you intend.
Non-Invasive Integration: Simply add the DataModel trait to your classes. There’s no need to extend base classes or implement interfaces, keeping your class hierarchy clean.

Features

Type-Safe: Type-safety is enforced by the PHP language itself. No need to validate a type.
Non-Invasive: Simply add the DataModel trait to a class. No need to extend, implement, or construct.
Recursive Instantiation: Recursively instantiate classes based on their type.
Type Casting: Supports primitives, custom classes, enums, and more.
Life-Cycle Hooks: Run methods before and after a value is resolved with pre and post.
Transformations: Describe how to resolve a value before instantiation.
Required Properties: Throw an exception when a property is not set.
Default Values: Set a default property value.
Nullable Missing Values: Resolve a missing value as null.
Remapping: Re-map a key to a property of a different name.
Ignoring Properties: Ignore a resolving a property.

How It Works

At its core, a DataModel uses reflection and PHP attributes to hydrate your objects. When you use the from() method, it recursively instantiates classes based on their type hints, resolving values according to the rules you define.

By using the #[Describe()] attribute, you can specify:

Transformations: Define how to convert input data before assigning it to a property.
Life-Cycle Hooks: Run methods before and after a value is resolved.
Default Values and Required Properties: Ensure properties have sensible defaults or enforce their presence.
Type Casting: Handle primitives, custom classes, enums, and more.

This approach allows you to centralize value resolution upstream of your business logic, drastically reducing downstream checks.

Better Than Defensive Programming

Traditional defensive programming requires you to scatter validation and type-checking throughout your code, leading to verbosity and potential oversights. With a DataModel, you define value resolution logic once, using the #[Describe()] attribute.

This method reduces boilerplate, minimizes the risk of missing checks, and results in cleaner, more readable code. It shifts the focus from defensive checks to declarative definitions, improving both development speed and code quality.

Showcase

Projects that use DataModels:

Installation

You can install the package via Composer:

composer require zero-to-prod/data-model

Additional Packages

DataModelHelper: Helpers for a DataModel.
DataModelFactory: A factory helper to set the value of your DataModel.
Transformable: Transform a DataModel into different types.

Usage

Use the DataModel trait in a class.

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $name;
    public int $age;
}

Hydrating from Data

Use the from method to instantiate your class, passing an associative array or object.

$User = User::from([
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'age' => '30',
]);
echo $User->name; // 'John Doe'
echo $User->age; // 30

Recursive Hydration

A DataModel recursively instantiates classes based on their type declarations. If a property’s type hint is a class, its value is passed to that class’s from() method.

In this example, the address element is automatically converted into an Address object, allowing direct access to its properties: $User->address->city.

class Address
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $street;
    public string $city;
}

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $username;
    public Address $address;
}

$User = User::from([
    'username' => 'John Doe',
    'address' => [
        'street' => '123 Main St',
        'city' => 'Hometown',
    ],
]);

echo $User->address->city; // Outputs: Hometown

Transformations

A DataModel provides a variety of ways to transform data before the value is assigned to a property.

The Describe attribute provides a declarative way describe how property values are resolved.

Describe Attribute

Resolve a value by adding the Describe attribute to a property.

The Describe attribute can accept these arguments.

#[\Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe([
    'ignore' // ignores a property
    // Re-map a key to a property of a different name
    'from' => 'key', 
    // Runs before 'cast'
    'pre' => [MyClass::class, 'preHook']
    // Targets the static method: `MyClass::methodName()`
    'cast' => [MyClass::class, 'castMethod'], 
    // 'cast' => 'my_func', // alternately target a function
    // Runs after 'cast' passing the resolved value as `$value`
    'post' => [MyClass::class, 'postHook']
    'default' => 'value',
    'required', // Throws an exception if the element is missing
    'missing_as_null', // sets the value to null if the element is missing
])]

Order of Precedence

There is an order of precedence when resolving a value for a property.

Property-level Cast
Method-level Cast
Union Types
Class-level Casts
Types that have a concrete static method from().
Native Types

Property-Level Cast

The using the Describe attribute directly on the property takes the highest precedence.

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['cast' => [self::class, 'firstName'], 'function' => 'strtoupper'])]
    public string $first_name;
    
    #[Describe(['cast' => 'uppercase'])]
    public string $last_name;

    #[Describe(['cast' => [self::class, 'fullName']])]
    public string $full_name;

    private static function firstName(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $ReflectionAttribute, \ReflectionProperty $ReflectionProperty): string
    {
        return $ReflectionAttribute->getArguments()[0]['function']($value);
    }

    public static function fullName(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute, \ReflectionProperty $Property): string
    {
        return "{$context['first_name']} {$context['last_name']}";
    }
}

function uppercase(mixed $value, array $context){
    return strtoupper($value);
}

$User = User::from([
    'first_name' => 'Jane',
    'last_name' => 'Doe',
]);

$User->first_name;  // 'JANE'
$User->last_name;   // 'DOE'
$User->full_name;   // 'Jane Doe'

Life-Cycle Hooks

You can run methods before and after a value is resolved.

`pre` Hook

You can use pre to run a void method before the value is resolved.

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class BaseClass
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['pre' => [self::class, 'pre'], 'message' => 'Value too large.'])]
    public int $int;

    public static function pre(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute, \ReflectionProperty $Property): void
    {
        if ($value > 10) {
            throw new \RuntimeException($Attribute->getArguments()[0]['message']);
        }
    }
}

`post` Hook

You can use post to run a void method after the value is resolved.

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class BaseClass
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public const int = 'int';

    #[Describe(['post' => [self::class, 'post'], 'message' => 'Value too large.'])]
    public int $int;

    public static function post(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute, \ReflectionProperty $Property): void
    {
        if ($value > 10) {
            throw new \RuntimeException($value.$Attribute->getArguments()[0]['message']);
        }
    }
}

Method-level Cast

Use the Describe attribute to resolve values with class methods. Methods receive $value and $context as parameters.

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $first_name;
    public string $last_name;
    public string $fullName;

    #[Describe('last_name')]
    public function lastName(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute, \ReflectionProperty $Property): string
    {
        return strtoupper($value);
    }

    #[Describe('fullName')]
    public function fullName(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute, \ReflectionProperty $Property): string
    {
        return "{$context['first_name']} {$context['last_name']}";
    }
}

$User = User::from([
    'first_name' => 'Jane',
    'last_name' => 'Doe',
]);

$User->first_name;  // 'Jane'
$User->last_name;   // 'DOE'
$User->fullName;    // 'Jane Doe'

Union Types

A value passed to property with a union type is directly assigned to the property. If you wish to resolve the value in a specific way, use a class method.

Class-Level Cast

You can define how to resolve different types at the class level.

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

function uppercase(mixed $value, array $context){
    return strtoupper($value);
}

#[Describe([
    'cast' => [
        'string' => 'uppercase',
        \DateTimeImmutable::class => [self::class, 'toDateTimeImmutable'],
    ]
])]
class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $first_name;
    public DateTimeImmutable $registered;

    public static function toDateTimeImmutable(mixed $value, array $context): DateTimeImmutable
    {
        return new DateTimeImmutable($value);
    }
}

$User = User::from([
    'first_name' => 'Jane',
    'registered' => '2015-10-04 17:24:43.000000',
]);

$User->first_name;              // 'JANE'
$User->registered->format('l'); // 'Sunday'

Required Properties

Enforce that certain properties are required using the Describe attribute:

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['required' => true])]
    public string $username;

    public string $email;
}

User::from(['email' => 'john@example.com']);
// Throws PropertyRequiredException exception: Property: username is required

Default Values

You can set a default value for a property like this:

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['default' => 'N/A'])]
    public string $username;
}

$User = User::from();

echo $User->username // 'N/A'

Limitations

Note that using null as a default will not work: #[Describe(['default' => null])].

Use #[Describe(['missing_as_null' => true])] to set a null value.

Nullable Missing Values

Set missing values to null by setting missing_as_null => true. This can be placed at the class or property level.

This prevents an Error when attempting to assess a property that has not been initialized.

Error: Typed property User::$age must not be accessed before initialization

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

#[Describe(['missing_as_null' => true])]
class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public ?string $name;
    
    #[Describe(['missing_as_null' => true])]
    public ?int $age;
}

$User = User::from();

echo $User->name; // null
echo $User->age;  // null

Limitations

Note that using null as a default will not work: #[Describe(['default' => null])].

Use #[Describe(['missing_as_null' => true])] to set a null value.

Re-Mapping

You can map a key to a property of a different name like this:

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['from' => 'firstName'])]
    public string $first_name;
}

$User = User::from([
    'firstName' => 'John',
]);

echo $User->first_name; // John

Ignoring Properties

You can ignore a property like this:

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    public string $name;

    #[Describe(['ignore' => true])]
    public int $age;
}

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe(['from' => 'firstName'])]
    public string $first_name;
}

$User = User::from([
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'age' => '30',
]);

isset($User->age); // false

Examples

Array of DataModels

This examples uses the DataModelHelper.

composer require zero-to-prod/data-model-helper

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModelHelper\DataModelHelper;
    
    /** @var Alias[] $Aliases */
    #[Describe([
        'cast' => [self::class, 'mapOf'],   // Use the mapOf helper method
        'type' => Alias::class,             // Target type for each item
    ])]
    public array $Aliases;
}

class Alias
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;
    
    public string $name;
}

$User = User::from([
    'Aliases' => [
        ['name' => 'John Doe'],
        ['name' => 'John Smith'],
    ]
]);

echo $User->Aliases[0]->name; // Outputs: John Doe
echo $User->Aliases[1]->name; // Outputs: John Smith

Collection of DataModels

This examples uses the DataModelHelper and Laravel Collections.

composer require zero-to-prod/data-model-helper
composer require illuminate/collections

use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

class User
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModelHelper\DataModelHelper;
    
    /** @var Collection<int, Alias> $Aliases */
    #[Describe([
        'cast' => [self::class, 'mapOf'],
        'type' => Alias::class,
    ])]
    public \Illuminate\Support\Collection $Aliases;
}

class Alias
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;
    
    public string $name;
}

$User = User::from([
    'Aliases' => [
        ['name' => 'John Doe'],
        ['name' => 'John Smith'],
    ]
]);

echo $User->Aliases->first()->name; // Outputs: John Doe

Laravel Validation

By leveraging the pre life-cycle hook, you run a validator before a value is resolved.

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;
use Zerotoprod\DataModel\Describe;

readonly class FullName
{
    use \Zerotoprod\DataModel\DataModel;

    #[Describe([
        'pre' => [self::class, 'validate'],
        'rule' => 'min:2'
    ])]
    public string $first_name;

    public static function validate(mixed $value, array $context, ?\ReflectionAttribute $Attribute): void
    {
        $validator = Validator::make(['value' => $value], ['value' => $Attribute?->getArguments()[0]['rule']]);
        if ($validator->fails()) {
            throw new \RuntimeException($validator->errors()->toJson());
        }
    }
}

Testing

./vendor/bin/phpunit

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data-model

Zerotoprod\DataModel

Why Use DataModel?

Features

Examples

How It Works

Better Than Defensive Programming

Showcase

Installation

Additional Packages

Usage

Hydrating from Data

Recursive Hydration

Transformations

Describe Attribute

Order of Precedence

Property-Level Cast

Life-Cycle Hooks

pre Hook

post Hook

Method-level Cast

Union Types

Class-Level Cast

Required Properties

Default Values

Limitations

Nullable Missing Values

Limitations

Re-Mapping

Ignoring Properties

Examples

Array of DataModels

Collection of DataModels

Laravel Validation

Testing

`pre` Hook

`post` Hook