Enum Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing the package via Composer: composer require konekt/enum. Then create your first enum by extending \Konekt\Enum\Enum and defining constants — either strings, integers, or null. The most common pattern is string-based enums (e.g., STATUS = 'draft'). Use the magic factory syntax for concise instantiation (e.g., Status::DRAFT()), or new Status('draft') for explicit construction. The __DEFAULT constant lets you define a fallback when no value is passed. Begin with simple domain concepts like OrderStatus, UserRole, or PaymentMethod.

Implementation Patterns

• Value Objects & Domain Models: Use enums internally in models as typed value objects, converting to/from underlying values (e.g., store 'paid', but work with PaymentStatus::PAID()).
• Eloquent Integration: Pair with konekt/enum-eloquent to automatically cast DB string/int fields to/from enum instances in Laravel models — minimal boilerplate for validation and persistence.
• Validation & Type Hints: Leverage strict type hints (e.g., function approve(Status $status)) to enforce domain correctness at the method boundary.
• UI Dropdowns: Use MyEnum::choices() to generate translated or human-friendly labels for HTML selects in Blade views (@foreach($enum::choices() as $val => $label)).
• Booting Dynamic Labels: Override boot() to assign runtime labels (e.g., translations via __()), especially useful for multi-language apps.
• Backward Compatibility: Use ValueObject pattern (store raw value internally, convert on access) to migrate gradually away from scalar constants.

Gotchas and Tips

• $labels must be static: Declaring protected $labels (non-static) silently breaks label resolution — always declare it as protected static $labels.
• __DEFAULT vs create(): Calling Status::create() with no args returns an instance using __DEFAULT, but new Status() also respects it — be consistent in team usage.
• Case Sensitivity: Enum comparisons (.equals(), has()) and construction are case-sensitive. Mismatched casing (e.g., 'Completed' vs 'completed') fails silently unless validated.
• No Native Enums Yet: Though v5.0 will target PHP 8.1+ native enums, current versions (v4.x) remain standalone — this enables PHP <8.1 support but adds a layer of indirection.
• Debugging: Enable __toString() for readable output (e.g., echo $enum shows human-readable label if available, else value). Use value() explicitly when you need the raw value for DB queries or logging.
• Extensibility: The boot() method is perfect for custom initialization logic (e.g., loading labels from config, registering custom logic).
• Null Handling: Nullable enums require defining a const NAME = null; relying on null as a default without defining such a constant will cause errors.