Quickstart

This walkthrough shows the smallest practical path from installation to a useful enum. It intentionally covers the three ideas new users need first:

  1. adding methods directly to an enum with traits
  2. reading the same data externally with EnumHelper
  3. understanding why both approaches exist

Build a Backed Enum with Trait Helpers

Start with a backed enum because it demonstrates the most common helpers in one place.

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use FastForward\Enum\Trait\HasNameLookup;
use FastForward\Enum\Trait\HasNames;
use FastForward\Enum\Trait\HasOptions;
use FastForward\Enum\Trait\HasValues;

enum Status: string
{
    use HasNameLookup;
    use HasNames;
    use HasOptions;
    use HasValues;

    case Draft = 'draft';
    case Published = 'published';
}

Status::values();   // ['draft', 'published']
Status::names();    // ['Draft', 'Published']
Status::options();  // ['Draft' => 'draft', 'Published' => 'published']
Status::fromName('Draft'); // Status::Draft

What this gives you

  • values() returns the backed values in declaration order
  • names() returns case names without requiring manual cases() mapping
  • options() returns a simple name => value array for forms, prompts, or docs
  • fromName() adds a native-feeling name lookup that PHP does not provide out of the box

Reading the Same Enum Through EnumHelper 

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use FastForward\Enum\Helper\EnumHelper;

EnumHelper::names(Status::class);     // ['Draft', 'Published']
EnumHelper::valueMap(Status::class);  // ['draft' => Status::Draft, 'published' => Status::Published]

This is useful when:

  • you cannot or do not want to modify the enum declaration
  • you want to keep utility logic in an application service
  • the enum comes from another package

Seeing a Packaged Enum

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use FastForward\Enum\Calendar\Month;
use FastForward\Enum\Logger\LogLevel;
use FastForward\Enum\Runtime\Environment;
use FastForward\Enum\Sort\SortDirection;

Environment::Production->isProduction(); // true
Month::December->quarter();              // 4
LogLevel::Critical->isAtLeast(LogLevel::Warning); // true
SortDirection::Descending->reverse();    // SortDirection::Ascending

Choosing the Right Surface

Need Use Why
Add methods to your own enum Traits The enum advertises the API directly, such as Status::values() .
Inspect an enum you do not own EnumHelper Helpers work with class strings and enum cases without changing the enum declaration.
Reuse a general concept Packaged enums Shared enums provide stable semantics for calendars, sorting, runtime environments, logging levels, and similar concerns.

What to read next

  • Continue with Helper Methods if you want a method-by-method guide for traits and EnumHelper .
  • Continue with Working with Enums if you want to see where the package sits inside application code.
  • Continue with Enum Catalogs if you want to decide whether a packaged enum fits your use case.