Released!
PHP 8.5 is a major update of the PHP language.
It contains many new features, such as the new URI extension, support for modifying properties while cloning, the Pipe operator, performance improvements, bug fixes, and general cleanup.

New URI Extension RFC

PHP < 8.5
$components = parse_url("https://php.net/releases/8.5/en.php");

var_dump($components['host']);
// string(7) "php.net"
PHP 8.5
use Uri\Rfc3986\Uri;

$uri = new Uri("https://php.net/releases/8.5/en.php");

var_dump($uri->getHost());
// string(7) "php.net"

As an always-available part of PHP's standard library the new URI extension provides APIs to parse and modify URIs and URLs according to the RFC 3986 and the WHATWG URL standards.

The secure and standards-compliant URI parsing is powered by the uriparser (RFC 3986) and Lexbor (WHATWG URL) libraries.

Learn more about the backstory of this feature in The PHP Foundation’s blog.

Clone With RFC

PHP < 8.5
final readonly class PhpVersion
{
public function
__construct(
public
string $version = 'PHP 8.4',
) {}

public function
withVersion(string $version): self
{
$newObject = clone $this;
$newObject->version = $version;

return
$newObject;
}
}

$version = new PhpVersion();

var_dump($version->version);
// string(7) "PHP 8.4"

var_dump($version->withVersion('PHP 8.5')->version);
// Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Cannot modify readonly property PhpVersion::$version
PHP 8.5
final readonly class PhpVersion
{
public function
__construct(
public
string $version = 'PHP 8.4',
) {}

public function
withVersion(string $version): self
{
return clone(
$this, [
'version' => $version,
]);
}
}

$version = new PhpVersion();

var_dump($version->version);
// string(7) "PHP 8.4"

var_dump($version->withVersion('PHP 8.5')->version);
// string(7) "PHP 8.5"

var_dump($version->version);
// string(7) "PHP 8.4"
It is now possible to update properties during object cloning by passing an associative array with the updated to the clone() function. This enables straight-forward support of the "with-er" pattern for readonly classes.

Pipe Operator RFC

PHP < 8.5
$input = ' Some kind of string. ';

$output = strtolower(
str_replace(['.', '/', '…'], '',
str_replace(' ', '-',
trim($input)
)
)
);

var_dump($output);
// string(19) "some-kind-of-string"
PHP 8.5
$input = ' Some kind of string. ';

$output = $input
|> trim(...)
|> (fn(
$string) => str_replace(' ', '-', $string))
|> (fn(
$string) => str_replace(['.', '/', '…'], '', $string))
|>
strtolower(...);

var_dump($output);
// string(19) "some-kind-of-string"

The pipe operator allows chaining function calls together without dealing with intermediary variables. That can be especially helpful when replacing many "nested calls" with a chain that can be read forwards, rather than inside-out.

Learn more about the backstory of this feature in The PHP Foundation’s blog.

#[\NoDiscard] Attribute RFC

PHP < 8.5
function getPhpVersion(): string
{
return
'PHP 8.4';
}

getPhpVersion(); // No Errors
PHP 8.5
#[\NoDiscard]
function
getPhpVersion(): string
{
return
'PHP 8.5';
}

getPhpVersion();
// Warning: The return value of function getPhpVersion() should either be used or intentionally ignored by casting it as (void)

By adding the #[\NoDiscard] attribute to a function, PHP will check whether the returned value is consumed and emit a warning if it is not. This allows to improve the safety of APIs where the returned value is important, but where it is easy to forget using the return value by accident.

The associated (void) cast can be used to indicate that a value is intentionally unused.

Closures and First Class Callables in Constant Expressions RFC RFC

PHP < 8.5
final class CalculatorTest extends \PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase
{
#[
DataProvider('subtractionProvider')]
public function
testSubtraction(
int $minuend,
int $subtrahend,
int $result
): void
{
$this->assertSame(
$result,
Calculator::subtract($minuend, $subtrahend)
);
}

public static function
subtractionProvider(): iterable
{
for (
$i = -10; $i <= 10; $i++) {
yield [
$i, $i, 0];
yield [
$i, 0, $i];
yield [
0, $i, -$i];
}
}
}
PHP 8.5
final class CalculatorTest
{
#[
Test\CaseGenerator(static function (): iterable
{
for (
$i = -10; $i <= 10; $i++) {
yield [
$i, $i, 0];
yield [
$i, 0, $i];
yield [
0, $i, -$i];
}
})]
public function
testSubtraction(
int $minuend,
int $subtrahend,
int $result
)
{
\assert(
Calculator::subtract($minuend, $subtrahend) === $result
);
}
}

Persistent cURL Share Handles RFC RFC

PHP < 8.5
$sh = curl_share_init();
curl_share_setopt($sh, CURLSHOPT_SHARE, CURL_LOCK_DATA_DNS);
curl_share_setopt($sh, CURLSHOPT_SHARE, CURL_LOCK_DATA_CONNECT);

$ch1 = curl_init('https://php.net/');
curl_setopt($ch1, CURLOPT_SHARE, $sh);
curl_exec($ch1);

$ch2 = curl_init('https://thephp.foundation/');
curl_setopt($ch2, CURLOPT_SHARE, $sh);
curl_exec($ch2);
PHP 8.5
$sh = curl_share_init_persistent([
CURL_LOCK_DATA_DNS,
CURL_LOCK_DATA_CONNECT
]);

$ch1 = curl_init('https://php.net/');
curl_setopt($ch1, CURLOPT_SHARE, $sh);
curl_exec($ch1);

$ch2 = curl_init('https://thephp.foundation/');
curl_setopt($ch2, CURLOPT_SHARE, $sh);
curl_exec($ch2);
New CurlSharePersistentHandle class, curl_multi_get_handles(), curl_share_init_persistent() functions are available.

New array_first() and array_last() functions RFC

PHP < 8.5
$php = [
'php-82' => ['state' => 'security', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.2'],
'php-83' => ['state' => 'active', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.3'],
'php-84' => ['state' => 'active', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.4'],
'php-85' => ['state' => 'upcoming', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.5'],
];

$upcomingRelease = null;
foreach (
$php as $key => $version) {
if (
$version['state'] === 'upcoming') {
$upcomingRelease = $version;
break;
}
}

var_dump($upcomingRelease);
PHP 8.5
$php = [
'php-82' => ['state' => 'security', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.2'],
'php-83' => ['state' => 'active', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.3'],
'php-84' => ['state' => 'active', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.4'],
'php-85' => ['state' => 'upcoming', 'branch' => 'PHP-8.5'],
];

$upcomingRelease = array_first(
array_filter(
$php,
static fn(
$version) => $version['state'] === 'upcoming'
)
);

var_dump($upcomingRelease);
//array(2) {
// ["state"]=>
// string(8) "upcoming"
// ["branch"]=>
// string(7) "PHP-8.5"
//}

New Classes, Interfaces, and Functions

  • Property Promotion is now available for final
  • Attributes are now available for constants
  • Attribute #[\Override] now works on properties
  • Attribute #[\Deprecated] available for traits
  • Asymmetric Visibility for Static Properties
  • New #[\DelayedTargetValidation] attribute is available
  • New get_error_handler(), get_exception_handler() functions are available.
  • New Closure::getCurrent method is available.
  • New Dom\Element::getElementsByClassName() and Dom\Element::insertAdjacentHTML() methods are available.
  • New enchant_dict_remove_from_session() and enchant_dict_remove() functions are available.
  • New grapheme_levenshtein() function is available.
  • New opcache_is_script_cached_in_file_cache() function is available.
  • New ReflectionConstant::getFileName(), ReflectionConstant::getExtension(), ReflectionConstant::getExtensionName(), ReflectionConstant::getAttributes(), and ReflectionProperty::getMangledName() methods are available.

Deprecations and backward compatibility breaks

  • Property Promotion is now available for final
  • Attributes are now available for constants
  • Attribute #[\Override] now works on properties
  • Attribute #[\Deprecated] available for traits
  • Asymmetric Visibility for Static Properties
  • New #[\DelayedTargetValidation] attribute is available
  • New get_error_handler(), get_exception_handler() functions are available.
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