Hey Dev.to community! 👋🏻 Today, let's dive into the world of PHP Enums and discover how they can help you to be more advanced in PHP coding. 🚀

What are PHP Enums?

Enums, short for Enumerations, provide a way to define a set of named values representing distinct, named constants. Introduced in PHP 8.1, enums bring clarity and robustness to your code by ensuring that only valid values are used.

Why Use Enums?

Readability and Expressiveness: Enums make your code more readable by assigning meaningful names to values, enhancing code expressiveness.

Preventing Invalid Values: Enums restrict variable values to a predefined set, reducing the chances of bugs caused by using invalid or unexpected values.

Autocompletion Support: IDEs can leverage enum types for autocompletion, improving development speed and reducing errors.

How to Use Enums in PHP:

• Defining Enums:

enum Status {
    case PENDING;
    case APPROVED;
    case REJECTED;
}

• Using Enums

$orderStatus = Status::PENDING;

• Switch Statements

switch ($orderStatus) {
    case Status::PENDING:
        // Do something for pending orders
        break;
    case Status::APPROVED:
        // Handle approved orders
        break;
    case Status::REJECTED:
        // Manage rejected orders
        break;
}

• Type Hinting:

function processOrder(Status $status) {
    // Function implementation
}

Enums in Action

class Order {
    private Status $status;

    public function __construct(Status $status) {
        $this->status = $status;
    }

    public function getStatus(): Status {
        return $this->status;
    }
}

$order = new Order(Status::APPROVED);
echo $order->getStatus(); // Output: Status::APPROVED

Conclusion

PHP Enums are a powerful addition to the language, offering a clean and concise way to work with a predefined set of values. By learning a new weapon like enums, you can enhance the readability, maintainability, and correctness of your code. Embrace enums in PHP 8.1 and elevate your coding experience! 🌟

Resources on Enum:

1. PHP Manual
2. PHP.Watch
3. Benjamin