PHP Language Standards

Priority: P0 (CRITICAL)

Structure

src/
└── {Namespace}/
    └── {Class}.php

Implementation Guidelines

Core Language Standards

• Strict Typing: Declare

  declare(strict_types=1);

  at very top of every file.
• Type Hinting: Apply scalar type hints (e.g.,

  string

  ,

  int

  ) and return types to all functions.
• Strict Comparison: Avoid loose

  ==

  comparison; always use

  ===

  for strict equality.

Modern PHP 8+ Patterns

• Match Expressions: Prefer

  match($status)

  over

  switch

  for value returns. It provides strict comparison and exhaustive by default.
• Default Case: Use

  default => throw new InvalidArgumentException($status)

  to handle unknown states.
• Read-only: Use

  public readonly string $name

  for properties set once at construction.
• Property Promotion: Use

  public function __construct(public string $name) {}

  to reduce boilerplate.
• Named Arguments: Call functions with

  name: 'John', age: 25

  to skip optional parameters.
• Flexible Types: Use Union types (

  int|string

  ) and Intersection types (

  Countable&Traversable

  ).

Anti-Patterns

• No untyped functions: Declare return and parameter types always.
• No loose

  ==

  comparison: Use

  ===

  for strict equality.
• No

  switch

  for value mapping: Use

  match

  expressions instead.
• No global namespace logic: Organize in classes and namespaces.

References

• Modern PHP Patterns