README

A lightweight polyfill that provides a pipe() function for method chaining and functional pipelines in PHP 5.6+ applications. This function allows you to chain method calls, closures, functions, and more in a clean, readable way.

Installation

Via Composer

composer require datahihi1/pipefn:dev-main

Manual Installation

Download the pipefn.php file
Include it in your project:
```
require_once 'pipefn.php';
```

Usage

The pipe() function takes an initial value and chains it through multiple steps (functions, closures, methods, callables, etc).

Basic Syntax

$result = pipe($value, ...$steps);

Parameters

$value - The initial value to be piped through the steps
...$steps - Variable number of steps, which can be:
- String function/method names (global, static, or object methods)
- Arrays in format [callable, [arguments]] or [methodName, [arguments]]
- Closures/functions
- Callable arrays (e.g. [$object, 'method'])

Supported Usages

1. Chain closures/functions

pipe(" hi ", fn($v) => trim($v), fn($v) => strtoupper($v), fn($v) => $v . "!");
// Result: "HI!"

2. Global function names

pipe(" test ", 'trim', 'strtoupper');
// Result: "TEST"

3. Static method (Class::method)

pipe("hey", 'MyClass::upper');
pipe("a", ['MyClass::append', ['b']]);
// Result: "HEY", "ab"

4. Object method (with or without arguments)

$user = new class('john') {
    public $name;
    public function __construct($n){$this->name = $n;}
    public function setName($n){$this->name=$n; return $this;}
    public function upper(){ $this->name = strtoupper($this->name); return $this; }
    public function get(){return $this->name;}
};
pipe($user, ['setName', ['jane']], 'upper', 'get');
// Result: "JANE"

5. Callable array (e.g. [[$obj, 'method'], [args]])

pipe("x", [[$obj, 'method'], ['y']]);
// Calls $obj->method("x", "y")

6. Closure with multiple arguments

pipe("a", [fn($v, $x, $y) => $v . $x . $y, ['b', 'c']]);
// Result: "abc"

7. Function with callback (e.g. array_map)

pipe([1,2,3], ['array_map', [fn($x)=>$x*2]], 'array_sum');
// Result: 12

8. No steps (returns value unchanged)

pipe("hello"); // Result: "hello"

9. Error handling

If a step is not callable or invalid, an InvalidArgumentException is thrown with a clear message.

Requirements

PHP >= 5.6
No additional dependencies

Features

✅ PHP 5.6+ compatibility
✅ Method chaining with arguments
✅ Closure/function/callable support
✅ Callable array (e.g. [$obj, 'method'])
✅ Lightweight (single file)
✅ No external dependencies
✅ Automatic function/method existence check
✅ Clear error messages for debugging

datahihi1 / pipefn

Maintainers

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