Value Object Contracts Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require boson-php/value-object-contracts
   

   No additional configuration is needed—this is a contract-only package.

2. First Use Case: Defining a Value Object Create a class implementing Boson\ValueObject\ValueObjectContract:

   use Boson\ValueObject\ValueObjectContract;
   
   class Email implements ValueObjectContract
   {
       private string $value;
   
       public function __construct(string $value)
       {
           $this->value = $value;
       }
   
       public function equals(ValueObjectContract $other): bool
       {
           return $this->value === $other->getValue();
       }
   
       public function getValue(): string
       {
           return $this->value;
       }
   }
   

3. Where to Look First

   • Contracts: Browse Boson\ValueObject\ namespace for core interfaces.
   • Documentation: Check the Boson framework docs (parent project) for patterns.
   • Tests: Study tests/ for real-world usage examples.

Implementation Patterns

1. Value Object Composition

Use ValueObjectContract for immutable, self-validating objects:

class UserId implements ValueObjectContract
{
    private string $id;

    public function __construct(string $id)
    {
        if (!preg_match('/^[a-f0-9]{24}$/', $id)) {
            throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Invalid ID format');
        }
        $this->id = $id;
    }

    public function equals(ValueObjectContract $other): bool
    {
        return $this->id === $other->getValue();
    }

    public function getValue(): string
    {
        return $this->id;
    }
}

2. Integration with Laravel

• Form Requests: Validate inputs as Value Objects:

  use Boson\ValueObject\ValueObjectContract;
  
  class StoreUserRequest extends FormRequest
  {
      public function validate(): array
      {
          return [
              'email' => ['required', 'email'],
          ];
      }
  
      public function validatedValueObjects(): array
      {
          return [
              'email' => new Email($this->input('email')),
          ];
      }
  }
  

• Eloquent Models: Store Value Objects in attributes:

  class User extends Model
  {
      protected $casts = [
          'email' => Email::class,
      ];
  }
  

3. Collections of Value Objects

Use Boson\ValueObject\Collection for typed collections:

use Boson\ValueObject\Collection;

$emails = Collection::make([
    new Email('[email protected]'),
    new Email('[email protected]'),
]);

4. Domain-Driven Design (DDD)

• Entities vs. Value Objects: Use ValueObjectContract for objects like Email, Money, or DateRange.
• Repositories: Store Value Objects in databases as strings/JSON and hydrate them on retrieval.

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Immutability

   • Value Objects must be immutable. Avoid setters or mutable properties.
   • Fix: Use constructor injection and private properties.

2. Equality Contracts

   • equals() must be consistent with ==. For example:

     // Bad: Compares object references
     public function equals(ValueObjectContract $other): bool {
         return $this === $other;
     }
     

   • Fix: Compare internal values (e.g., $this->value === $other->getValue()).

3. Database Storage

   • Laravel’s $casts may not work out-of-the-box for complex Value Objects.
   • Fix: Use accessors/mutators or serialize manually:

     protected $attributes = ['email' => null];
     
     public function getEmailAttribute($value)
     {
         return $value ? new Email($value) : null;
     }
     
     public function setEmailAttribute($value)
     {
         $this->attributes['email'] = $value instanceof Email ? $value->getValue() : $value;
     }
     

4. Performance with Large Collections

   • Collection::equals() performs O(n) comparisons. Avoid in hot paths.
   • Fix: Use a HashSet-like structure for lookups if needed.

Debugging Tips

• Type Safety: Use instanceof ValueObjectContract to verify objects.
• Serialization: Implement __toString() for debugging:

  public function __toString(): string
  {
      return $this->getValue();
  }
  

• Testing: Mock equals() in unit tests to verify behavior:

  $this->assertTrue((new Email('[email protected]'))->equals(new Email('[email protected]')));
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Validation Extend ValueObjectContract with validation logic in the constructor:

   class Age implements ValueObjectContract
   {
       private int $value;
   
       public function __construct(int $value)
       {
           if ($value < 0 || $value > 120) {
               throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Invalid age');
           }
           $this->value = $value;
       }
       // ... equals(), getValue()
   }
   

2. JSON Serialization Implement JsonSerializable for API responses:

   use JsonSerializable;
   
   class Money implements ValueObjectContract, JsonSerializable
   {
       // ...
       public function jsonSerialize(): array
       {
           return ['amount' => $this->amount, 'currency' => $this->currency];
       }
   }
   

3. Laravel Service Providers Bind Value Objects to the container for dependency injection:

   $this->app->bind(Email::class, function ($app) {
       return new Email($app['request']->input('email'));
   });