In January 2020, I delivered a conference talk titled "Enums: The Missing Data Type", which ended on a sour note: PHP probably would not have a native type for handling enumerations any time soon. To my surprise and delight, PHP 8.1 would release with a new "Enum" type less than two years later. Now we can really explore enumerations: both the theory behind them and the current PHP implementation. We’ll cover how representing things like statuses with enums improves immutability, readability, and type safety; the different types of enums available to us; and address the most common questions around the current limitations of enums.

Slide Deck Link: https://wkdb.yt/embracing-enums-slides

Note: For resources related to the original "Enum: PHP's Missing Data Type", see https://github.com/andysnell/enums-phps-missing-data-type

• Enum RFC
• PHP Documentation on Enums
• Stitcher.io - PHP 8.1: Enums
• PHP.Watch - PHP 8.1: Enums