Attributes Overview

Complete reference of all 50+ attributes available in SimpleDTO.

Introduction

SimpleDTO provides 50+ attributes organized into categories:

✅ Validation Attributes (30+) - Data validation
✅ Conditional Attributes (18) - Visibility control
✅ Cast Attributes (1) - Type casting
✅ Mapping Attributes (2) - Property mapping
✅ Computed Attributes (1) - Calculated properties
✅ Lazy Attributes (1) - Deferred evaluation
✅ Hidden Attributes (1) - Always hidden

Quick Reference

Validation Attributes

See Validation Attributes for complete list of 30+ validation attributes.

Most Common:

#[Required] - Property must be present
#[Email] - Valid email address
#[Min(int $value)] - Minimum value/length
#[Max(int $value)] - Maximum value/length
#[Between(int $min, int $max)] - Value between range
#[In(array $values)] - Value in array
#[Unique(string $table, string $column)] - Unique in database
#[Exists(string $table, string $column)] - Exists in database

Conditional Attributes

See Conditional Attributes for complete list of 18 conditional attributes.

Most Common:

#[WhenAuth] - Show when authenticated (Laravel)
#[WhenCan(string $permission)] - Show when user has permission (Laravel)
#[WhenRole(string $role)] - Show when user has role (Laravel)
#[WhenValue(string $property, mixed $value)] - Show when property equals value
#[WhenNull(string $property)] - Show when property is null

Casting Attributes

See Casting Attributes for complete list.

#[Cast(string $castClass)] - Cast property to specific type

Mapping Attributes

See Mapping Attributes for complete list.

#[MapFrom(string $source)] - Map from different input key
#[MapTo(string $target)] - Map to different output key

Other Attributes

#[Computed] - Mark method as computed property
#[Lazy] - Defer property evaluation
#[Hidden] - Always hide property

Combining Attributes

You can combine multiple attributes on a single property:

class UserDTO extends SimpleDTO
{
    public function __construct(
        // Validation + Mapping
        #[Required, Email, MapFrom('user_email')]
        public readonly string $email,

        // Validation + Cast
        #[Required, Cast(DateTimeCast::class)]
        public readonly Carbon $createdAt,

        // Conditional + Cast
        #[WhenAuth, Cast(EncryptedCast::class)]
        public readonly ?string $ssn = null,

        // Multiple Conditionals
        #[WhenAuth, WhenRole('admin')]
        public readonly ?array $adminData = null,
    ) {}
}

Attribute Categories Summary

By Purpose

Data Validation:

30+ validation attributes
See Validation Attributes

Visibility Control:

18 conditional attributes
1 hidden attribute
See Conditional Attributes

Data Transformation:

1 cast attribute (20+ cast classes)
2 mapping attributes
See Casting and Mapping

Computed Values:

1 computed attribute
1 lazy attribute

By Framework

Framework-Agnostic:

All validation attributes
Core conditional attributes (9)
Cast, mapping, computed, lazy, hidden

Laravel-Specific:

WhenAuth, WhenGuest, WhenCan, WhenRole

Symfony-Specific:

WhenGranted, WhenSymfonyRole

Best Practices

Use Specific Attributes

// ✅ Good - specific attribute
#[WhenAuth]
public readonly ?string $email;

// ❌ Bad - generic callback
#[WhenCallback(fn() => auth()->check())]
public readonly ?string $email;

Combine Attributes Logically

// ✅ Good - logical combination
#[Required, Email, MapFrom('user_email')]
public readonly string $email;

// ❌ Bad - conflicting attributes
#[Required, Nullable]
public readonly ?string $email;

Use Type Hints

// ✅ Good - with type hint
#[Cast(DateTimeCast::class)]
public readonly Carbon $date;

// ❌ Bad - no type hint
#[Cast(DateTimeCast::class)]
public readonly $date;