Additionally, the release introduces new CURL features such as CURLFOLLOW_ALL, CURLFOLLOW_OBEYCODE, and CURLFOLLOW_FIRSTONLY for improved URL redirection handling. Enhancements are also made to the COM, Core, and various modules like GD, Intl, MySQLi, and Opcache, addressing numerous bugs and improving functionality.
Key highlights include:
- The addition of the PHP_BUILD_DATE constant and improved error handling for fatal errors in the Core.
- Enhanced support for closures and first-class callables in constant expressions.
- Upgraded modules such as the FileInfo module to version 5.46 and improvements in the FPM module to ensure compatibility with httpd ProxyPass.
The release also focuses on performance and memory efficiency, with bug fixes in areas like SimpleXML, Streams, and XMLWriter. Furthermore, there are new features for PDO, PGSQL, and various changes that enhance socket functionality and session management.
As the development of PHP 8.5 continues, further testing and contributions are encouraged, with the PHP community invited to participate in refining this version before its stable release.
Future Directions:
Looking forward, PHP 8.5 is expected to continue its trend of improving performance, security, and developer experience. Future updates may include more robust error handling, further enhancements to existing modules, and the introduction of new functionalities that align with modern web development needs. Community feedback will play a crucial role in shaping the final release, ensuring that PHP remains a leading choice for server-side scripting. As the language evolves, it will likely incorporate more features that support asynchronous programming and better interoperability with newer technologies and frameworksPHP 8.5.0 Alpha 1 released
The first alpha version of PHP 8.5.0 has been released for testing, featuring numerous enhancements and bug fixes. The update consists of an optimized `bc_divide()` implementation, an adjustment to the n_scale parameter to 0 when the result is 0, and the application of the BC_VECTOR array for sizes that do not exceed 64 bytes. CLI has been enhanced to feature the -ini=diff option, which allows for the printing of INI settings that have been modified from the built-in default. CURL has been enhanced with the introduction of CURLFOLLOW_ALL, CURLFOLLOW_OBEYCODE, and CURLFOLLOW_FIRSTONLY values for the CURLOPT_FOLLOLOCATION curl_easy_setopt option. COM provides fixed property access for PHP objects encapsulated in variants, as well as method calls for these PHP objects within variants. Core has been enhanced with the introduction of the PHP_BUILD_DATE constant, improved support for closures and first-class callables in constant expressions, and the implementation of `clock_gettime_nsec_np()` for high-resolution timing on macOS. The enchant module has been enhanced with the introduction of enchant_dict_remove_from_session() and enchant_dict_remove(). The EXIF module has been enhanced with the addition of OffsetTime* Exif tags. The FileInfo module has been updated to version 5.46, and the FPM module has been corrected to work with FPM and httpd ProxyPass. The GD module has been addressed with bug fixes #68629 and #64823, while the Intl module has been enhanced with DECIMAL_COMPACT_SHORT and DECIMAL_COMPACT_LONG for the NumberFormatter class. The MySQLi module has been addressed with corrections for bug GH-17900 and GH-8084, while the Opcache module has received updates to resolve issues with the ZTS OPcache build on Cygwin.
