Learn about the new features in PHP8 to make you a better PHP developer

On November 26, 2020, PHP 8 was officially released. This is an important milestone for the PHP programming language. PHP 8 brings many new features, which can help PHP developers implement functions more conveniently and improve the performance and readability of the code. This article will introduce the new features in PHP8 in detail to help PHP developers better master these new features.

1. JIT (Just-In-Time Compiler)

JIT is one of the most talked about features of PHP8. It is a tool that can improve the performance of PHP code. The JIT compiler can convert PHP code into high-performance local machine code, thereby greatly improving the execution speed of the code. In PHP8, the JIT compiler is turned off by default and needs to be enabled manually. Enabling the JIT compiler can be achieved by modifying the configuration parameters in the php.ini file.

2. New type declaration syntax

A new type declaration syntax is introduced in PHP8, which can explicitly specify the types of function parameters and return values. This new feature can effectively improve the readability and maintainability of code. For example, the following code:

function add(int $a, int $b): int {
    return $a + $b;
}

In this code snippet, we use the new type declaration syntax to specify the type of the function's two parameters and return value. This can help PHP developers perform type checking when writing code and avoid some common type errors.

3. New anonymous class feature

A new anonymous class feature has been added to PHP8. Anonymous classes can be used to create temporary, one-time classes. This feature can help PHP developers implement some experimental functions more conveniently, and there is no need to give them a name like traditional classes. The syntax for using anonymous classes is as follows:

$obj = new class {
    public function foo() {
        echo 'Hello, world!';
    }
};

$obj->foo(); // 输出 "Hello, world!"

4. New string functions

Several new string functions have been added to PHP8, which can help PHP developers Handling strings more conveniently. For example, the str_contains function can be used to determine whether a string contains another string:

$str = 'hello, world!';
if (str_contains($str, 'world')) {
    echo 'The string contains "world".';
}

There are also functions such as str_starts_with and str_ends_with, which can be used to check whether a string begins or ends with another string. .

5. External function parameter types

Another important feature in PHP8 is the external function parameter type. In previous versions, PHP could not provide parameter type hints for extensions or built-in functions. But in PHP8, it is possible to provide parameter type hints for external functions using a syntax similar to the new declaration syntax. For example:

function foo(int $a, string $b, DateTimeImmutable $c): bool {
    // ...
}

The parameters $a, $b and $c of this function have type declarations, which can help PHP developers call this function more accurately.

Summary:

These new features in PHP8 make PHP more powerful, flexible and easier to use. PHP developers can use these features to improve the performance, maintainability, and readability of their code, making them better PHP developers. If you are learning PHP development, it is recommended that you start using PHP8, master these new features as soon as possible, take advantage of all the advantages of PHP8, and continuously improve your coding skills.

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