Getting Started

Install the package: Run composer require symfony/polyfill-php84. No additional setup is required—autoloading is handled automatically by Composer.
First use case: Use modern PHP 8.4+ array functions (array_find, array_any, etc.) in your Laravel app while targeting PHP 8.1+ (or even 8.0, per polyfill docs). For example:
```
$result = array_find($users, fn($user) => $user->isActive());
```
This works identically to PHP 8.4’s native implementation, even on older PHP versions.

Implementation Patterns

Laravel Collection compatibility: While Eloquent and Collections don’t directly use these functions, you can use them in service classes or domain logic to write more expressive, functional-style code without polyfills like Illuminate\Support\Arr::first()—especially useful for cross-framework or multi-version projects.
Dependency injection safety: Since polyfills are auto-loaded via Composer’s classmap, you don’t need to bind services or register providers. Simply call the functions globally (e.g., bcdivmod($a, $b, 2)).
Testing compatibility: Write unit tests that assume PHP 8.4+ behavior without worrying about environment differences—polyfill ensures consistent behavior across local, CI, and production PHP versions.
Backward compatibility layering: When upgrading PHP gradually (e.g., from 8.1 → 8.4), use this polyfill to eliminate migration friction in shared libraries or mono-repos.

No namespace involvement: Functions are added to the global namespace (e.g., grapheme_str_split()), so avoid naming conflicts with custom functions.
Performance caveats: Polyfills use userland implementations—avoid heavy use in tight loops where native performance is critical (e.g., in batch processing of large arrays). Benchmark with array_all vs. manual foreach.
Deprecated attribute usage: The polyfill only enables the #[Deprecated] attribute to function as a hint—it does not emit deprecation warnings automatically. You still need to handle deprecation logic yourself (e.g., using trigger_deprecation()).
Intl/grapheme requirements: grapheme_str_split() and mb_* polyfills may fall back to less robust implementations if ext-intl/ext-gettext aren’t installed. Ensure production environments meet polyfill requirements (check bootstrap.php in the package).
Upgrade safety: When your app runs on PHP ≥8.4, Symfony’s polyfill transparently yields to native implementations—no change needed. Use function_exists('array_any') to conditionally polyfill only when needed (rarely required, but useful for custom bootstrap layers).