Typhoon Type

Typhoon Type is an object abstraction over the modern PHP type system. Use this library to build tools that work with sophisticated types.

Here are some examples of potential use-cases:

use Typhoon\Type\types;

$data = (new MyAwesomeJsonDecoder())->decode(
    json: '[1, 0.5, "213"]',
    type: types::list(types::numeric),
);

var_dump($data);

array(3) {
  [0] => int(1)
  [1] => float(0.5)
  [2] => string(3) "213"
}

Or:

use Typhoon\Type\types;

final readonly class GetUserResponse
{
    /**
     * @param non-empty-string $name
     * @param 'user'|'admin' $group
     */
    public function __construct(
        public Uuid $id,
        public string $name,
        public string $group,
    ) {}
}

echo (new MyAwesomeOpenApiGenerator())->generateSchema(types::object(GetUserResponse::class));

GetUserResponse:
  type: object
  properties:
    id:
      type: string
      format: uuid
      example: b609e6a9-bba6-4599-9faa-cc9977353bb4
    name:
      type: string
      example: Hello world!
    group:
      type: string
      enum: [ user, admin ]

Installation

composer require typhoon/type

Constructing types

Typhoon types can be constructed via the Typhoon\Type\types static factory. Let's express this monstrous type via the Typhoon DSL:

array{
    a: non-empty-string,
    b?: int|float,
    c: Traversable<numeric-string, false>,
    d: callable(PDO::*, TSend#Generator=, scalar...): void,
    ...
}

use Typhoon\Type\types;

$type = types::unsealedArrayShape([
    'a' => types::nonEmptyString,
    'b' => types::optional(types::union(types::int, types::float)),
    'c' => types::object(Traversable::class, [types::numericString, types::false]),
    'd' => types::callable(
        parameters: [
            types::classConstantMask(PDO::class),
            types::param(types::classTemplate(Generator::class, 'TSend'), hasDefault: true),
            types::param(types::scalar, variadic: true),
        ],
        return: types::void,
    ),
]);

As you can see, creating types in Typhoon is a lot of fun, especially if you work in IDE with autocompletion 😉

Design

Unlike other solutions, Typhoon Type does not expose concrete type classes in its API. Instead, it provides only a common Type interface, a type factory types, and a TypeVisitor with destructurization. This approach gives several advantages:

1. The visitor has only a minimal subset of type methods that must be implemented when describing a type algebra. Complexity of the other types is hidden and can be completely ignored.
2. Memory efficient enums can be used for all atomic types and for aliases of commonly used compound types.
3. Using of downcasting via the instanceof operator is automatically discouraged, since all Type implementations are @internal ( see PHPStan: Why Is instanceof *Type Wrong and Getting Deprecated?).

Printing types

To cast any type to string, use the Typhoon\Type\stringify() function:

use Typhoon\Type\types;
use function Typhoon\Type\stringify;

var_dump(
   stringify(
       types::Generator(
           key: types::nonNegativeInt,
           value: types::classTemplate(Foo::class, 'T'),
           send: types::scalar,
       ),
   ),
); // Generator<int<0, max>, T#Foo, scalar, mixed>

Comparing types

Typhoon team is currently working on a type comparator. Until it is released, you can use DefaultTypeVisitor for simple checks:

use Typhoon\Type\Type;
use Typhoon\Type\types;
use Typhoon\Type\Visitor\DefaultTypeVisitor;

/**
 * @extends DefaultTypeVisitor<bool>
 */
final class BasicIntChecker extends DefaultTypeVisitor
{
    public function int(Type $type, Type $minType, Type $maxType): mixed
    {
        return true;
    }

    public function intValue(Type $type, int $value): mixed
    {
        return true;
    }

    public function intMask(Type $type, Type $ofType): bool
    {
        return true;
    }

    protected function default(Type $type): bool
    {
        return false;
    }
}

var_dump(types::positiveInt->accept(new BasicIntChecker())); // true
var_dump(types::callableString()->accept(new BasicIntChecker())); // false

Compatibility with Psalm and PHPStan

Native PHP types

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
null	null	types::null, types::value(null)
void	void	types::void
never	never	types::never
true	true	types::true, types::value(true)
false	false	types::false, types::value(false)
bool, boolean	bool	types::bool
int, integer	int	types::int
float, double	float	types::float
string	string	types::string
resource	resource	types::resource
array	array	types::array
iterable	iterable	types::iterable
object	object	types::object
Foo	Foo	types::object(Foo::class)
Closure	Closure	types::Closure (an alias for types::object(Closure::class))
Generator	Generator	types::Generator() (an alias for types::object(Generator::class))
self	self	types::self()
parent	parent	types::parent()
static	static	types::static()
callable	callable	types::callable
?string	?string	types::nullable(types::string)
int|string	int|string	types::union(types::int, types::string)
Countable&Traversable	Countable&Traversable	types::intersection(types::object(Countable::class), types::object(Traversable::class))
mixed	mixed	types::mixed

Numbers

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
literal-int	literal-int	types::literalInt
123	123	types::int(123), types::value(123)
positive-int	positive-int	types::positiveInt
negative-int	negative-int	types::negativeInt
non-positive-int	non-positive-int	types::nonPositiveInt
non-negative-int	non-negative-int	types::nonNegativeInt
non-zero-int	negative-int|positive-int	types::nonZeroInt
int<-5, 6>	int<-5, 6>	types::intRange(-5, 6)
int<min, 6>	int<min, 6>	types::intRange(max: 6)
int<-5, max>	int<-5, max>	types::intRange(min: -5)
int-mask<1, 2, 4>	int-mask<1, 2, 4>	types::intMask(1, 2, 4)
int-mask-of<Foo::INT_*>	int-mask-of<Foo::INT_*>	types::intMaskOf(types::classConstantMask(Foo::class, 'INT_')
❌	❌	types::literalFloat
❌	❌	types::floatRange(-0.001, 2.344)
12.5	12.5	types::float(12.5), types::value(12.5)
numeric	numeric	types::numeric

Strings

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
non-empty-string	non-empty-string	types::nonEmptyString
literal-string	literal-string	types::literalString
'abc'	'abc'	types::string('abc'), types::value('abc')
truthy-string, non-falsy-string	truthy-string, non-falsy-string	types::truthyString, types::nonFalsyString
numeric-string	numeric-string	types::numericString
callable-string	callable-string	types::callableString()
class-string<Foo>	class-string<Foo>	types::classString(types::object(Foo::class))
Foo::class	Foo::class	types::class(Foo::class)
class-string	class-string	types::classString
❌	interface-string	❌
❌	trait-string	❌
❌	enum-string	❌
❌	lowercase-string	❌

Constants

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
PHP_INT_MAX	PHP_INT_MAX	types::constant('PHP_INT_MAX')
Foo::BAR	Foo::BAR	types::classConstant(Foo::class, 'BAR')
Foo::IS_*	Foo::IS_*	types::classConstant(Foo::class, 'IS_*'), types::classConstantMask(Foo::class, 'IS_')

Arrays and iterables

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
array-key	array-key	types::arrayKey
Foo[]	Foo[]	types::array(value: types::object(Foo::class))
list<string>	list<string>	types::list(types::string)
non-empty-list<string>	non-empty-list<string>	types::nonEmptyList(types::string)
list{int, string}	list{int, string}	types::listShape([types::int, types::string])
list{int, 1?: string}	list{int, 1?: string}	types::listShape([types::int, types::optional(types::string)])
list{int, ...}	list{int, ...}	types::unsealedListShape([types::int])
❌ (issue)	list{int, ...<string>}	types::unsealedListShape([types::int], types::string)
array<string>	array<string>	types::array(value: types::string)
array<int, string>	array<int, string>	types::array(types::int, types::string)
non-empty-array<array-key, string>	non-empty-array<array-key, string>	types::nonEmptyArray(types::arrayKey, types::string)
array{}	array{}	types::array()
array{int, string}	array{int, string}	types::arrayShape([types::int, types::string])
array{int, a?: string}	array{int, a?: string}	types::arrayShape([types::int, 'a' => types::optional(types::string)])
array{int, ...}	array{int, ...}	types::unsealedArrayShape([types::int])
❌ (issue)	array{float, ...<int, string>}	types::unsealedArrayShape([types::float], types::int, types::string)
key-of<Foo::ARRAY>	key-of<Foo::ARRAY>	types::keyOf(types::classConstant(Foo::class, 'ARRAY'))
value-of<Foo::ARRAY>	value-of<Foo::ARRAY>	types::valueOf(types::classConstant(Foo::class, 'ARRAY'))
TArray[TKey]	TArray[TKey]	types::offset($arrayType, $keyType)
iterable<object, string>	iterable<object, string>	types::iterable(types::object, types::string)
iterable<string>	iterable<string>	types::iterable(value: types::string)
Generator<TKey, TValue, TSend, TReturn>	Generator<TKey, TValue, TSend, TReturn>	types::object(Generator::class, [$key, $value, $send, $return]), types::Generator($key, $value, $send, $return)
callable&array	callable-array	types::callableArray()

Objects

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
Foo<string, float>	Foo<string, float>	types::object(Foo::class, [types::string, types::float])
self<string, float>	self<string, float>	types::self([types::string, types::float])
parent<string, float>	parent<string, float>	types::parent([types::string, types::float])
static<string, float>	static<string, float>	types::static([types::string, types::float])
object{prop: string}	object{prop: string}	types::object(['prop' => types::string])
object{prop?: string}	object{prop?: string}	types::object(['prop' => types::optional(types::string)])

Callables

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
callable-string	callable-string	types::callableString()
callable&array	callable-array	types::callableArray()
callable(string): void	callable(string): void	types::callable([types::string], types::void)
callable(string=): mixed	callable(string=): mixed	types::callable([types::param(types::string, hasDefault: true)])
callable(...string): mixed	callable(...string): mixed	types::callable([types::param(types::string, variadic: true)])
callable(&string): mixed	callable(&string): mixed	types::callable([types::param(types::string, byReference: true)])
Closure(string): void	Closure(string): void	types::Closure([types::string], types::void)
Closure(string=): mixed	Closure(string=): mixed	types::Closure([types::param(types::string, hasDefault: true)])
Closure(...string): mixed	Closure(...string): mixed	types::Closure([types::param(types::string, variadic: true)])
Closure(&string): mixed	Closure(&string): mixed	types::Closure([types::param(types::string, byReference: true)])
pure-callable	pure-callable	❌

Other

PHPStan	Psalm	Typhoon
scalar	scalar	types::scalar
Template T	Template T	types::functionTemplate('foo', 'T'), types::classTemplate(Foo::class, 'T'), types::methodTemplate(Foo::class, 'bar', 'T')
Alias X	Alias X	types::classAlias(Foo::class, 'X')
(T is string ? true : false)	(T is string ? true : false)	types::conditional($type, types::string, types::true, types::false)
($return is true ? string : void)	($return is true ? string : void)	types::conditional(types::functionArg('var_export', 'return'), types::true, types::string, types::void)
!null (only in assertions)	!null (only in assertions)	types::not(types::null)
❌	properties-of<T>	❌
❌	class-string-map<T of Foo, T>	❌
open-resource	open-resource	❌
closed-resource	closed-resource	❌