Modern PHP Syntax in Trongate

In recent years, PHP has evolved rapidly, introducing features like type hints, return types, doc blocks, and constructor property promotion. When used thoughtfully, these can improve code quality and help prevent bugs.

Trongate fully supports all modern PHP syntax. However, you’ll notice that the examples in this documentation keep things deliberately simple. This is intentional.

Why This Documentation Uses Simple Syntax

Trongate’s documentation focuses on teaching framework concepts, not PHP language features. For that reason, examples are often simplified for brevity. For example:

...instead of:

Both versions are valid. The simpler one helps readers focus on how Trongate works rather than PHP syntax. In your production code, however, you’re encouraged to use the modern version.

Modern PHP Features at a Glance

Feature	Purpose	Recommendation
Access Modifiers	Control visibility (`public`, `protected`, `private`)	Use in all class methods for clarity
Type Hints	Define parameter types	Use when arguments are expected to be of pre-defined types
Return Types	Define what a method returns	Use to ensure methods return values of expected types
Doc Blocks	Describe methods, parameters, and return values	Use for complex or public-facing methods
Constructor Property Promotion	Declare and assign class properties directly in the constructor	Use in custom classes where suitable

When to Use Modern Syntax

Public-facing APIs: Always use type hints, return types, and doc blocks.
Shared or complex logic: Add documentation and strict typing.
Critical systems: Security, payments, and data handling benefit from strict typing.

When Simplicity Wins

Quick prototypes and early-stage development
Internal helpers with clear intent
One-off scripts or debugging tasks