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ObjectCopy Interface

ObjectCopyInterface is an interface that exposes the methods copyFrom and copyTo, which allow you to set property contents from or to another object.

You can implement this interface directly, use the ObjectCopyTrait, or extend the BaseModel abstract class.

Methods​

The interface defines two methods:

public function copyFrom(array|object $source, ?PropertyHandlerInterface $propertyHandler = null): void;

public function copyTo(array|object $target, ?PropertyHandlerInterface $propertyHandler = null): void;

Example Usage​

Using BaseModel​

The easiest way to use this interface is by extending the BaseModel abstract class:

<?php
use ByJG\Serializer\BaseModel;

class MyClass extends BaseModel
{
    public $id;
    public $name;
    public $age;
}

// Create an instance
$myclass = new MyClass();

// Copy the properties from $data into the properties that match on $myclass
$data = ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'John', 'age' => 30];
$myclass->copyFrom($data);

// Create another object
$otherObject = new stdClass();

// Copy the properties from $myclass into the properties that match on $otherObject
$myclass->copyTo($otherObject);

// You can also use property handlers with copyFrom and copyTo
$myclass->copyFrom($data, new SnakeToCamelCase());
$myclass->copyTo($otherObject, new CamelToSnakeCase());

Using ObjectCopyTrait​

If your class already extends another class, use the ObjectCopyTrait:

<?php
use ByJG\Serializer\ObjectCopyInterface;
use ByJG\Serializer\ObjectCopyTrait;

class MyClass implements ObjectCopyInterface
{
    use ObjectCopyTrait;

    public $id;
    public $name;
    public $age;
}

Custom Implementation​

If you prefer to implement the interface directly:

<?php
class MyCustomClass implements ObjectCopyInterface
{
    public $id;
    public $name;
    
    public function copyFrom(array|object $source, ?PropertyHandlerInterface $propertyHandler = null): void
    {
        // Custom implementation
        ObjectCopy::copy($source, $this, $propertyHandler);
    }
    
    public function copyTo(array|object $target, ?PropertyHandlerInterface $propertyHandler = null): void
    {
        // Custom implementation
        ObjectCopy::copy($this, $target, $propertyHandler);
    }
}

Using PropertyHandlerInterface​

Both copyFrom() and copyTo() methods accept an optional PropertyHandlerInterface parameter for property name mapping and value transformation. The interface defines two methods: mapName() for property name transformation and transformValue() for value transformation.

For detailed documentation on property handlers including all built-in handlers, custom handler creation, and transformation patterns, see the Property Handlers Guide.