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Phyx

Phyx is a modern PHP utility library that rethinks native PHP functions around a more coherent, readable, and predictable API.

It keeps the good parts of PHP: arrays, strings, paths, URLs, JSON, HTML, numbers, bytes. It removes as much historical friction as possible: inconsistent argument order, false|int return values, magic flags, multibyte traps, ambiguous parsing, and function names that were never designed as one standard library.

Phyx is not a framework, not a runtime, and not a new language. It is a pragmatic standard-library layer for everyday PHP code.

Why Phyx?

PHP already has the building blocks. Phyx makes them feel designed together.

A few rules guide the whole library:

• target value first: string first, array first, URL first, path first;
• predictable missing values: null instead of PHP's false|int style sentinels;
• explicit enums instead of boolean soup and integer flags when they clarify intent;
• multibyte string operations by default;
• pure helpers first: methods return values instead of printing, mutating, or hiding side effects;
• small façades over focused traits, so each domain stays organized internally.

Install

Requirements:

• PHP ^8.1
• ext-intl
• ext-mbstring

PHP 8.3 conveniences such as json_validate, str_increment, and str_decrement are polyfilled where Phyx needs them, so the public API remains available on every supported PHP version.

Stability

Phyx is preparing its first public release as v0.1.0. The library is tested, statically analyzed, and intended for real projects, but the public API may still receive small adjustments before 1.0.0.

The surface area

Phyx is organized by everyday domains rather than by PHP's historical function families.

This README shows the shape of the API. The complete method reference lives in docs/.

Strings that behave like strings

Phyx\Str is the largest façade. It wraps common string work with consistent naming, multibyte behavior, and explicit options.

Arrays without hidden mutation

Phyx\Arr treats arrays as values. Access, path updates and transformations return a result; they do not mutate your original array by surprise.

JSON with clear failure modes

Native JSON functions mix optional exceptions, global error state, flags, and ambiguous null values. Phyx separates the strict methods from the safe try* methods.

URLs that are more than strings

Phyx\Url keeps parsing, components, query strings, encoding, validation and normalization in one vocabulary.

Paths without filesystem confusion

Phyx\Path separates syntactic path manipulation from methods that actually touch the filesystem.

HTML, numbers and bytes included

The smaller façades follow the same philosophy: concise names, clear returns, explicit options.

Design principles

Phyx deliberately stays boring in the best way:

• static façades: easy to import, easy to read, no container required;
• focused domains: Str, Arr, Json, Url, Path, Html, Num, Bytes;
• orthogonal enums: one method with an explicit policy beats five near-duplicates;
• documented edge cases: every public method carries PHPDoc with examples and native references;
• no surprise I/O: helpers return data unless their name clearly says they inspect the filesystem;
• no framework coupling: Phyx is meant to fit into plain PHP, libraries, CLIs and applications.

Documentation

The README is a tour, not the manual. For full method lists, signatures, return types and edge cases, see:

• docs/Str.md
• docs/Arr.md
• docs/Json.md
• docs/Html.md
• docs/Url.md
• docs/Path.md
• docs/Num.md
• docs/Bytes.md

Release notes

See CHANGELOG.md for tagged release history.

License

Phyx is released under the MIT License.

Development

Phyx aims to keep its public API clean enough for open-source use: readable names, complete PHPDoc, tests, static analysis, and predictable behavior before cleverness.