Unlock the Power of PHP 8.0 Features without Sacrificing Compatibility
As PHP developers, we strive to stay up-to-date with the latest features and improvements. However, in many cases, we’re limited by the constraints of our clients’ environments or the compatibility requirements of our projects. This is where transpiling PHP code comes into play. By converting our code from PHP 8.0 to 7.1, we can harness the power of modern PHP features while ensuring seamless compatibility with older versions.
The Challenges of Legacy Software
We’ve all encountered situations where our clients are running legacy software that’s incompatible with the latest PHP version. Or, we might be building a plugin for WordPress, which still supports PHP 5.6. In such cases, transpiling our code becomes a necessary evil. But how do we achieve this?
Enter Rector, the PHP Reconstructor Tool
Rector is the go-to tool for downgrading PHP code. It allows us to convert our code from PHP 8.0 to 7.1, which is the lowest version Rector can handle for downgrades. While PHP 7.1 is already end-of-life, it’s still sufficient for most scenarios. After all, we should always run an actively maintained PHP version to avoid using PHP with unpatched vulnerabilities.
The Benefits of Transpiling
So, what can we achieve by transpiling PHP code? For starters, we can bump up the minimum required PHP version for development to 8.0, unlocking access to features like union types and typed properties. This results in fewer bugs, more understandable code, and a better overall development experience.
How Transpiled Code Behaves in Production
When we transpile our code to PHP 7.1, the return type will be removed. However, this doesn’t pose a problem since we’ll already be aware of any type mismatches during development. Removing the return type for production doesn’t produce any consequences.
Available PHP Features for Downgrade
While we can’t use every feature from PHP versions 8.0, 7.4, 7.3, and 7.2, Rector’s downgrade rules and Symfony’s polyfill packages make certain features available. These include spl_object_id, utf8_encode, utf8_decode, and more.
Performing the Transpiling
To transpile our code, we need to configure Rector to convert our code from PHP 8.0 to 7.1. This involves excluding test cases and fine-tuning the config for different dependencies.
Optimizing the Transpiling Process
To optimize the transpiling process, we can identify which packages require PHP 7.2 and above using Composer. Then, we can run Rector only on those packages that need downgrading, reducing the running time and effort required.
Watch Out for Dependency Inconsistencies
Sometimes, dependencies may reference external classes that are loaded for development but not for production. To solve this, we need to check whether the dependency’s repo has a bug or if our project uses the class producing the error.
Chained Rules and Manual Fixes
In some cases, we may encounter chained rules where the code produced by applying a downgrade rule needs to be modified by another rule. To tackle this, we can run a second Rector process with its own config to address the issue.
Conclusion
Transpiling PHP code is a powerful experience that allows us to harness the latest features while ensuring compatibility with older versions. With Rector and careful configuration, we can unlock the full potential of PHP 8.0 without sacrificing compatibility.