DataObject is a small immutable container for structured data.

It is designed for the common case where we want to move data around an application without exposing a mutable array or stdClass to every part of the codebase.

The public API is centred around two classes:

• GT\DataObject\DataObject, which stores and reads the data
• GT\DataObject\DataObjectBuilder, which creates DataObject instances from existing PHP structures

¶What this library does

• Stores key/value data in an immutable object.
• Provides typed getters such as getString(), getInt() and getDateTime().
• Supports nested DataObject instances.
• Converts back to arrays, plain objects and JSON.
• Builds data objects from associative arrays or standard objects.
• Checks array contents against primitive or class types when required.

¶Where this library fits in

This package is fully standalone:

composer require phpgt/dataobject

It is also installed as a dependency of PHP.GT/WebEngine, so you can use it directly in WebEngine applications without extra setup. The examples in this guide stay framework-independent so the API is clear in isolation.

Other PHP.GT packages also build on the same idea. For example, PHP.GT/Fetch returns structured response objects, and PHP.GT/Json extends this package for JSON-specific behaviour.

¶A tiny example

use GT\DataObject\DataObject;

$user = (new DataObject())
	->with("id", 105)
	->with("name", "Cody")
	->with("active", true);

echo $user->getInt("id"), PHP_EOL;
echo $user->getString("name"), PHP_EOL;
echo $user->getBool("active") ? "yes" : "no", PHP_EOL;

Each call to with() returns a new object, leaving the previous instance unchanged.

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Continue with Quick start to install the package and build the first DataObject.