PHP
syntax
collections

Pass methods with first-class callable syntax

strtoupper(...) and $this->toDto(...) create a Closure from a function or method, so callbacks stop being strings or arrow-function wrappers.

October 6, 20261 min read

Since PHP 8.1 the (...) suffix turns any callable into a Closure without calling it. It replaces 'strtoupper', [$this, 'toDto'] and fn ($x) => $this->toDto($x).

$names = array_map(strtoupper(...), $names);
 
$dtos = $users->map($this->toDto(...));
 
$handler = $service->handle(...);

Unlike the string and array forms, the IDE sees the reference, so "find usages" and refactoring work, and a typo is a compile-time error instead of a runtime "call to undefined function". Static methods take the same shape: Str::slug(...).

New

PHP
syntax

Reach for match() instead of switch

match compares strictly, returns a value and throws on an unhandled case, which removes the three usual switch bugs in one move.

Published on: October 7, 2026

1 min read New

PHP
enums
validation

tryFrom() at the edges, from() inside

OrderStatus::from('xyz') throws a ValueError; tryFrom('xyz') returns null. Use tryFrom for query strings, webhooks and imports, and from where a wrong value is a bug.

Published on: October 19, 2026

1 min read