Simple Dto Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing the package via Composer:

composer require dragon-code/simple-dto

Then define your first DTO by extending DragonCode\SimpleDataTransferObject\DataTransferObject:

use DragonCode\SimpleDataTransferObject\DataTransferObject;

class UserDTO extends DataTransferObject
{
    public string $name;
    public string $email;
}

Use it immediately in a controller or service:

$requestData = $request->only(['name', 'email']);
$user = UserDTO::make($requestData);

💡 First use case: Clean input validation results — extract validated request data into a DTO to pass into services without worrying about raw arrays.

Implementation Patterns

• Type-hinted properties: Use typed properties (public string $email) to catch mismatches early. PHP will enforce types during assignment or casting.

• Field mapping: Use the $map array to flatten nested input structures (e.g., from API payloads or JSON):

  protected $map = [
      'data.user.name' => 'name',
      'data.user.email' => 'email',
  ];
  

• Custom casting with methods: Implement cast{Property}($value) methods for transformations:

  protected function castName(string $value): string
  {
      return mb_strtolower(trim($value));
  }
  

• Nested DTOs: Use casting to construct sub-objects:

  protected function castAddress(array $address): AddressDTO
  {
      return AddressDTO::make($address);
  }
  

• Flexible creation: Leverage fromRequest(), fromJson(), fromArray(), and fromObject() for seamless integration across layers:

  $dto = UserDTO::fromRequest($request);
  

• DTOable interface: For request classes, implement DragonCode\Contracts\DataTransferObject\Dtoable to standardize DTO creation:

  class StoreUserRequest implements Dtoable
  {
      public function dto(): DataTransferObject
      {
          return UserDTO::fromRequest($this);
      }
  }
  

• Dynamic access: Use get()/set() for runtime property access and toArray()/toJson() for serialization:

  $dto->set('name', 'Jane');
  echo $dto->toJson();
  

Gotchas and Tips

• Package is archived: As of 2024-03-06, the package is archived — consider migrating to spatie/laravel-data, recommended in the README.

• Casts aren’t type enforced at assignment: PHP won’t auto-throw on failed casts unless strict types and typed properties are used. Always rely on typed properties + casts to avoid silent failures.

• Missing keys don’t fail by default: Undefined properties default to null unless typed (public string $foo → TypeError). Use ?? or get() for safe access.

• $only and $except properties: Available since v2.7.0 — useful for filtering input before mapping:

  protected $only = ['name', 'email'];
  

• Boolean pitfalls: v2.2.2 fixed a boolean-processing bug — ensure you’re on ≥v2.2.2 if using boolean fields.

• No validation built-in: This is a data transfer object, not a validator. Combine with Laravel’s validation or illuminate/validation.

• Namespace migration needed: If upgrading from andrey-helldar/simple-data-transfer-object, double-check namespace replacement to avoid runtime errors.

• Laravel integration: For requests, consider coupling with form requests:

  public function rules(): array { return [...]; }
  public function dto(): DataTransferObject { return UserDTO::fromRequest($this); }
  

• Debugging tip: Use dd($dto->toArray()) or dd($dto->jsonSerialize()) to inspect final structure before use.