README

composer-attribute-collector is a Composer plugin designed to effectively discover PHP 8 attribute targets, and later retrieve them at near zero cost, without runtime reflection. After the autoloader dump, it collects attributes and generates a static file for fast access. This provides a convenient way to discover attribute-backed classes, methods, or properties—ideal for codebase analysis. (For known targets, traditional reflection remains an option.)

Features

Zero configuration
No reflection in the generated file
Might improve performance
No dependency (except Composer of course)
A single interface to get attribute targets: classes, methods, and properties
Can cache discoveries to speed up consecutive runs.

Note

Currently, the plugin supports class, method, property, and parameter targets. You're welcome to contribute if you're interested in expending its support.

Warning

Attributes used on functions are ignored at this time.

Usage

The following example demonstrates how targets and their attributes can be retrieved:

<?php

use olvlvl\ComposerAttributeCollector\Attributes;
use Symfony\Component\Messenger\Attribute\AsMessageHandler;
use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping\Column;

require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';
require_once 'vendor/attributes.php'; // <-- the file created by the plugin

// Find the target classes of the AsMessageHandler attribute.
foreach (Attributes::findTargetClasses(AsMessageHandler::class) as $target) {
    // $target->attribute is an instance of the specified attribute
    // with the actual data.
    var_dump($target->attribute, $target->name);
}

// Find the target methods of the Route attribute.
foreach (Attributes::findTargetMethods(Route::class) as $target) {
    var_dump($target->attribute, $target->class, $target->name);
}

// Find the target properties of the Column attribute.
foreach (Attributes::findTargetProperties(Column::class) as $target) {
    var_dump($target->attribute, $target->class, $target->name);
}

// Find the target method parameters of the UserInput attribute.
foreach (Attributes::findTargetParameters(UserInput::class) as $target) {
    var_dump($target->attribute, $target->class, $target->method, $target->name);
}

// Filter target methods using a predicate.
// You can also filter target classes and properties.
$predicate = fn($attribute) => is_a($attribute, Route::class, true);
# or
$predicate = Attributes::predicateForAttributeInstanceOf(Route::class);

foreach (Attributes::filterTargetMethods($predicate) as $target) {
    var_dump($target->attribute, $target->class, $target->name);
}

// Find class, method, and property attributes for the ArticleController class.
$attributes = Attributes::forClass(ArticleController::class);

var_dump($attributes->classAttributes);
var_dump($attributes->methodsAttributes);
var_dump($attributes->propertyAttributes);

Getting started

Here are a few steps to get you started.

1. Configure the plugin (optional)

The collector automatically scans autoload paths of the root composer.json for a zero-configuration experience. You can override them via extra.composer-attribute-collector.include.

{
  "extra": {
    "composer-attribute-collector": {
      "include": [
        "src"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Check the Configuration options for more details.

2. Install the plugin

Use Composer to install the plugin. You will be asked if you trust the plugin and wish to activate it, select y to proceed.

composer require olvlvl/composer-attribute-collector

You should see log messages similar to this:

Generating autoload files
Generating attributes file
Generated attributes file in 9.137 ms
Generated autoload files

Tip

See the Frequently Asked Questions section to automatically refresh the "attributes" file during development.

3. Autoload the "attributes" file

You can require the "attributes" file using require_once 'vendor/attributes.php'; but you might prefer to use Composer's autoloading feature:

{
  "autoload": {
    "files": [
      "vendor/attributes.php"
    ]
  }
}

Configuration

Here are a few ways you can configure the plugin.

Including paths or files (root-only)

The collector automatically scans autoload paths of the root composer.json, but you can override them via the include property.

The specified paths are relative to the composer.json file, and the {vendor} placeholder is replaced with the path to the vendor folder.

{
  "extra": {
    "composer-attribute-collector": {
      "include": [
        "path-or-file/to/include"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Excluding paths or files (root-only)

Use the exclude property to exclude paths or files from scanning. This is handy when files cause issues or have side effects.

The specified paths are relative to the composer.json file, and the {vendor} placeholder is replaced with the path to the vendor folder.

{
  "extra": {
    "composer-attribute-collector": {
      "exclude": [
        "path-or-file/to/exclude"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cache discoveries between runs

The plugin is able to maintain a cache to reuse discoveries between runs. To enable the cache, set the environment variable COMPOSER_ATTRIBUTE_COLLECTOR_USE_CACHE to 1, yes, or true. Cache items are persisted in the .composer-attribute-collector directory, you might want to add it to your .gitignore file.

COMPOSER_ATTRIBUTE_COLLECTOR_USE_CACHE=1 composer dump-autoload

Use cases

Use cases are available to test the plugin in real conditions:

Incompatible signature The plugin is able to collect attributes, although the PSR Logger version used by Composer and the application are incompatible.
Symfony A Symfony application, created with symfony new.
Laravel A Laravel application, created with laravel new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to generate an optimized autoloader?

You don't need to generate an optimized autoloader for this to work. The plugin uses code similar to Composer to find classes. Anything that works with Composer should work with the plugin.

Can I use the plugin during development?

Yes, you can use the plugin during development, but keep in mind the "attributes" file is only generated after the autoloader is dumped. If you modify attributes you will have to run composer dump-autoload to refresh the "attributes" file.

As a workaround you could have watchers on the directories that contain classes with attributes to run XDEBUG_MODE=off composer dump-autoload when you make changes. PhpStorm offers file watchers. You could also use spatie/file-system-watcher, it only requires PHP. If the plugin is too slow for your liking, try running the command with COMPOSER_ATTRIBUTE_COLLECTOR_USE_CACHE=yes, it will enable caching and speed up consecutive runs.

How do I include a class that inherits its attributes?

To speed up the collection process, the plugin first looks at PHP files as plain text for hints of attribute usage. If a class inherits its attributes from traits, properties, or methods, but doesn't use attributes itself, it will be ignored. Use the attribute [#\olvlvl\ComposerAttributeCollector\InheritsAttributes] to force the collection.

trait UrlTrait
{
    #[UrlGetter]
    public function get_url(): string
    {
        return '/url';
    }
}

#[InheritsAttributes]
class InheritedAttributeSample
{
    use UrlTrait;
}

Continuous Integration

The project is continuously tested by GitHub actions.

Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a Contributor Code of Conduct. By participating in this project and its community, you're expected to uphold this code.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING for details.

olvlvl / composer-attribute-collector

Maintainers

Details