Sanitize and Format Data in PHP with the Transformer Package

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Sanitize and Format Data in PHP with the Transformer Package image

Transformer is a PHP package for sanitizing and formatting data powered by Laravel's validation components. The package uses a familiar Laravel validation-like syntax to transform data using callable functions, classes, and more:

use Closure;
 
// example available functions at runtime:
function to_carbon($value)
{
return new Carbon\Carbon($value);
}
 
function only_numbers($value)
{
return preg_replace("/[^0-9]/",'',$value);
}
 
$input = [
'first_name' => ' jim ',
'last_name' => ' thompson',
'phone_number' => '123-456-7890',
'date_of_birth' => "1991-05-01",
];
 
(new DataTransformer($input, [
'first_name' => 'trim|ucfirst',
'last_name' => 'trim|ucfirst',
'phone_number' => 'only_numbers',
'date_of_birth' => 'to_carbon|->format:m/d/y',
]))->transform();
 
// Returns:
// [
// "first_name" => "Jim",
// "last_name" => "Thompson",
// "phone_number" => "1234567890",
// "date_of_birth" => "05/01/91",
// ]

Those familiar with Laravel's validation API will notice the string-based transformer rules. Also, as seen in the snippet, this package has a "chainable" syntax (to_carbon|->format:m/d/y) that can chain additional calls on a piece of data.

You can also transform data using closures or a class implementing the provided Transformable interface. Additionally, this package supports nested array data using dot notation, wildcard inputs (apply functions on keys matching a wildcard pattern), and more.

You can learn more about this package, get full installation instructions, and view the source code on GitHub.

Paul Redmond photo

Staff writer at Laravel News. Full stack web developer and author.

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