Laminas Hydrator Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing via Composer: composer require laminas/laminas-hydrator. Begin with the basic ArraySerializable hydrator for simple DTOs with toArray()/exchangeArray() support, or use ObjectProperty for standard public/protected property mapping. The core workflow is straightforward:

• hydrate(array $data, $object) → populates an object from an array
• extract($object) → extracts an array from an object

For initial use, hydrate a simple DTO from a request payload:

use Laminas\Hydrator\HydratorInterface;
use Laminas\Hydrator\ObjectProperty;

$hydrator = new ObjectProperty();
$user = $hydrator->hydrate($_POST, new UserDTO());

Check src/ for the primary classes: HydratorInterface, StrategyInterface, and NamingStrategyInterface. The README.md (if present) and docs/ folder (if available) should be your first reference — but given the package’s focus and stability, the interface contracts themselves are the primary documentation.

Implementation Patterns

• DTO Mapping: Use ObjectProperty or ArraySerializable hydrators for clean data transfer objects. Hydrate API request bodies or database result rows directly into typed DTOs.

• Custom Value Conversion with Strategies: Override default scalar handling for non-trivial types. Example: a DateTimeStrategy to convert 2023-11-05 → DateTimeImmutable:

  use Laminas\Hydrator\Strategy\DateTimeStrategy;
  $hydrator->addStrategy('createdAt', new DateTimeStrategy('Y-m-d'));
  

• Naming Strategy Translation: Bridge snake_case APIs/DB columns with camelCase properties using UnderscoreNamingStrategy:

  use Laminas\Hydrator\NamingStrategy\UnderscoreNamingStrategy;
  $hydrator = (new ObjectProperty())->setNamingStrategy(new UnderscoreNamingStrategy());
  

• Composition & Filtering: Combine hydrators via delegation or use Filter\Exclude/IncludeByReflexion to omit internal properties (e.g., Entity::$id). Avoid magic — prefer explicit expose() definitions via a custom hydrator or ReflectionClass.

• Nested Object Hydration: Use Aggregate hydrator to merge strategies across layers. For nested DTOs, register a StrategyInterface that recursively hydrates:

  $hydrator->addStrategy('address', new AggregateAddressStrategy());
  

• Standalone Usage: Decouple from frameworks. Use in CLI tools, background workers, or microservices where persistence is abstracted.

Gotchas and Tips

• Property Visibility Matters: ObjectProperty only hydrates public properties by default. For protected/private, extend ObjectProperty and override getValue()/extractValue(), or use Reflection-based hydrator (Laminas\Hydrator\Reflection — note: this may require ext-reflection).

• Strategy Order & Identity: Strategies are keyed by property name, not type. Conflicts arise if multiple hydrators use overlapping keys. Prefer addStrategy($name, $strategy) over setStrategy() when layering.

• Type Coercion Risks: Hydration doesn’t validate types — only converts. A string "true" may hydrate into a boolean true, but null from DB can break strict-typed properties. Always combine with validation (e.g., laminas-validator) before persistence.

• Naming Strategy Edge Cases: UnderscoreNamingStrategy doesn’t handle consecutive underscores (foo__bar → foo_bar) as expected. Test edge cases in JSON APIs that allow double-underscore keys.

• Performance in Loops: Avoid creating hydrators per iteration. Reuse hydrator instances — strategies are stateless by design. Cache configured hydrators via factory/service container.

• Extensibility Hooks: Override HydratorInterface::hydrate() to log or intercept hydration (e.g., for audit trails), or use PluginManager patterns if extending into Laminas MVC.

• Missing Documentation? The package is stable and low-change. When docs are thin, inspect:

  • src/HydratorStrategy.php (the de facto interface)
  • test/ files for real-world usage (e.g., DateTimeStrategyTest.php)
  • The interface docblocks — they’re intentionally terse but precise.