Changelog - Version 6.0

Overview

Version 6.0 brings significant improvements to the Singleton Pattern library, including updated PHP version requirements, comprehensive documentation, improved tooling support, and enhanced GitHub Actions workflows.

New Features

Comprehensive Documentation Structure

• Added detailed markdown-based documentation in the docs/ folder
• Getting Started Guide (docs/getting-started.md) - Installation and requirements
• Creating a Singleton Class (docs/creating-singleton.md) - Step-by-step implementation guide
• Using Your Singleton (docs/using-singleton.md) - Working with singleton instances
• How It Works (docs/how-it-works.md) - Implementation details and internals
• API Reference (docs/api-reference.md) - Complete API documentation
• Updated README.md with links to the new documentation structure

Enhanced Development Environment

• Added Gitpod configuration (.gitpod.yml) for cloud-based development
• Added VSCode launch configuration (.vscode/launch.json) for debugging support
• Added Composer scripts for easier testing and analysis:
  • composer test - Run PHPUnit tests
  • composer psalm - Run Psalm static analysis

Improved CI/CD Workflows

• Enhanced GitHub Actions workflow with better container options
• Added separate Psalm static analysis job with SARIF upload for security insights
• Updated to use latest actions/checkout action
• Added PHP 8.4 and PHP 8.5 to test matrix

Stability Configuration

• Added minimum-stability: dev with prefer-stable: true in composer.json for better dependency resolution

Breaking Changes

Aspect	Before (5.x)	After (6.x)	Description
Minimum PHP Version	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.3	Dropped support for PHP 8.1 and 8.2
Maximum PHP Version	PHP <8.4	PHP <8.6	Added support for PHP 8.4 and 8.5
PHPUnit Version	^9.6	^10.5|^11.5	Updated to support PHPUnit 10 and 11
Psalm Version	^5.9	^5.9|^6.13	Added support for Psalm 6

Path to Upgrade from 5.x to 6.x

Prerequisites Check

1. Verify PHP Version

   php -v

   Ensure you are running PHP 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5. If you're on PHP 8.1 or 8.2, you must upgrade your PHP version before updating to version 6.0.

Upgrade Steps

2. Update Composer Dependency

   composer require "byjg/singleton-pattern:^6.0"

3. Update Development Dependencies (if applicable)

   If your project uses PHPUnit or Psalm and references the same versions, you may need to update them:

   composer update --with-dependencies

4. Run Tests

   Verify your implementation works correctly:

   composer test
   # or
   vendor/bin/phpunit

5. Review Documentation

   Check the new comprehensive documentation for best practices and implementation details:

   • Getting Started
   • Creating a Singleton Class
   • Using Your Singleton

Code Changes Required

No code changes are required in your implementation. The Singleton trait API remains fully backward compatible. The only changes are:

• PHP version requirement (upgrade your environment if needed)
• Development dependencies versions (only affects contributors/developers)

Compatibility Notes

• All singleton implementations using the trait will continue to work without modification
• The getInstance() method signature remains unchanged
• Clone, serialize, and unserialize protections remain the same
• Constructor requirements (private/protected) remain unchanged

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues after upgrading:

1. Clear Composer cache:

   composer clear-cache
   composer install

2. Verify PHP version compatibility:

   composer check-platform-reqs

3. Review the comprehensive documentation in the docs/ folder for implementation guidance

Additional Changes

• Updated psalm.xml configuration to adjust error level and exclude test directory
• Added sponsor badge to README
• Improved PHPUnit configuration (phpunit.xml.dist)
• Updated GitHub workflow to use Composer scripts for Psalm analysis
• Added sample test file (tests/Sample2.php) for expanded test coverage
• Removed deprecated _config.yml file

Migration Timeline

• Version 5.x remains available for projects using PHP 8.1-8.2
• Version 6.x is recommended for all projects using PHP 8.3+
• No end-of-life date has been announced for 5.x at this time

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/byjg/php-singleton-pattern/issues
• Documentation: docs/getting-started.md
• Sponsor: https://github.com/sponsors/byjg