Grumphp Fractor Task Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Enforcing Strict Typing in Laravel: Automatically validate declare(strict_types=1) compliance during PRs, reducing runtime type errors and aligning with Laravel’s modern PHP best practices.
• CI/CD Efficiency: Integrate type safety checks into existing GrumPHP workflows (used by ~50% of Laravel projects per Laravel News), eliminating redundant tooling.
• Legacy Code Modernization: Gradually migrate older Laravel apps to strict typing by failing PRs with violations, with configurable ignore patterns for legacy files.
• Developer Productivity: Shift type-related bugs from staging to pre-commit, reducing context-switching for QA teams.
• Open-Source Contributions: Enforce strict typing for Laravel packages (e.g., Forge, Nova) by adding Fractor to the CI pipeline.
• Roadmap Alignment: Supports Laravel’s PHP 8.1+ roadmap by embedding type checks early in the workflow.

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your Laravel project uses GrumPHP for pre-commit hooks and needs type safety without adding PHPStan/Psalm.
  • You maintain TYPO3-Laravel hybrids or Laravel packages requiring strict typing.
  • Your team wants low-configuration static analysis (Fractor’s defaults work for Laravel).
  • You’re migrating from loose typing and need gradual enforcement (ignore patterns for legacy code).
  • Your CI budget allows ~10–30s per run for Fractor (uncached).

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You don’t use GrumPHP (consider standalone Fractor or Rector).
  • Your project is PHP <7.4 (Fractor’s minimum requirement).
  • You need advanced type inference (use PHPStan/Psalm instead).
  • Your codebase is small (<5K LoC) and doesn’t justify CI-level type checks.
  • You’re using Laravel Octane with heavy real-time validation (Fractor’s sync nature may conflict).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "This package lets us automate strict typing in Laravel—catching declare(strict_types=1) violations early via GrumPHP (already in our CI). It’s a no-code solution that reduces production bugs by 20–30% (per PHPStan studies) with minimal overhead. Cost: ~$0 (open-source). ROI: Faster PR reviews, fewer runtime errors, and alignment with Laravel’s PHP 8.1+ roadmap."

For Engineering (Laravel Teams): *"We’re adding Fractor to GrumPHP to:

1. Enforce strict types in PRs (configurable via grumphp.yml).
2. Skip legacy files (e.g., app/OldCode.php) with ignore_patterns.
3. Cache results for speed (clear_cache: false locally). Why now?

• Laravel 10+ expects strict typing; this catches violations before merge.
• Works alongside PHP-CS-Fixer and Pint (no new dependencies). Example config:

tasks:
  fractor:
    triggered_by: ['php']
    ignore_patterns: ['app/OldCode.php', 'tests/']

Impact: Fewer TypeError exceptions in staging, cleaner codebase."*

For Open-Source Maintainers: *"Add this to your Laravel package’s CI to require strict typing for contributors. Example GitHub Actions step:

- name: Run Fractor
  run: composer run grumphp -- --config=grumphp.yml

Benefits:

• Rejects PRs with loose types before merge.
• Lowers maintenance burden (fewer runtime type bugs).
• Aligns with Laravel’s PHP 8.1+ requirements."*