New features

1. Enumerations: introduction of type safety
Perhaps one of the most anticipated additions to PHP, version 8.2 finally introduces native support for enumerations. Enumerations allow developers to define a set of named values with explicit types, adding a significant level of PHP type safety.

Enumerations can also have associated values, making them versatile for various use cases. This feature is particularly beneficial for ensuring that your code remains readable.

2. Reducing standard code
PHP 8.2 introduces a feature to simplify class definitions and reduce standard code. This eliminates the need for separate declarations, making the code more concise and easier to maintain.

It is particularly valuable when dealing with classes that have many properties, as it reduces clutter in the code base.

3. Read-only classes
In PHP 8.2, read-only classes allow developers to define classes with properties that can only be set once, usually during object creation. This ensures that properties remain constant throughout their lifetime.
With PHP 8.2, the process becomes completely simplified:

4. Arguments ‘include’ and ‘require’.
In PHP 8.2, named arguments can now be used when including or requesting files. This feature improves the code, especially when dealing with functions that accept multiple arguments.

By providing names for these arguments, you make your code more explicit and reduce the likelihood of introducing errors due to incorrect argument order.

5. Deprecation notifications for implicit parentheses
For consistency PHP 8.2 introduces notifications for functions and methods that are called without parentheses. While not yet a bug, this comes as a warning to developers to adopt the recommended practice of consistently using parentheses when calling functions.

By discouraging implicit parentheses, PHP aims to increase code clarity.

6. Support for hiding sensitive parameter values
Provides the ability to monitor the call stack in any state, it’s useful when debugging application problems.

In PHP 8.2, a new attribute called “SensitiveParameter” will be introduced. This attribute serves to obfuscate sensitive data from being displayed or logged when an application encounters errors.

7. Introducing the mysqli_execute_query function and the mysqli method
These additions are designed to streamline and simplify database interactions.

8. Allows constants in features… Improved code reusability and maintainability

Traits are a valuable feature in modern programming languages, including PHP, allowing developers to reuse code in different classes without the need for inheritance. PHP traits primarily provide methods, but in PHP 8.2, a notable enhancement is introduced: the ability to define constants within traits. This feature aims to improve code organization, reusability and maintainability, giving developers more flexibility in code design.

9. Introduction of new types of disjunctive normal forms (DNF)

10. Introduction of the AllowDynamicProperties attribute: extending flexibility in PHP

This attribute is an outstanding addition to PHP, especially for developers who appreciate the dynamic nature of the language.