Release 4.1.3

Release Notes

Performance: Built-in function call optimisation (PHP 8.5)

Background

PHP 8.5's Zend compiler (zend_compile.c line 4975)
contains a function — zend_try_compile_special_func_ex — that compiles certain built-in calls
directly to single VM opcodes, completely bypassing the normal function-call overhead
(no frame push/pop, no argument marshalling, no symbol table lookup):

Function(s)	Opcode emitted
strlen	ZEND_STRLEN
is_null, is_bool, is_int, is_string, is_array, is_object, is_resource	ZEND_TYPE_CHECK
count / sizeof	ZEND_COUNT
in_array	ZEND_IN_ARRAY
array_slice	ZEND_ARRAY_SLICE
array_key_exists	ZEND_ARRAY_KEY_EXISTS
intval, strval, boolval, floatval / doubleval	ZEND_CAST
sprintf	ZEND_FAST_CONCAT-like
chr, ord	ZEND_CHR / ZEND_ORD
get_class, get_called_class, gettype	ZEND_GET_CLASS / ZEND_GET_TYPE

The catch: this intrinsification only fires when the call is resolved at compile time.
Inside a namespace (e.g. DariusIII\NetNntp\Protocol), an unqualified call like trim() forces
the engine to check at runtime whether DariusIII\NetNntp\Protocol\trim exists before falling back
to the global. Prefixing with \ eliminates that runtime lookup and allows the compiler to
intrinsify or use the faster frameless call path.

---

Changes

src/Protocol/Client.php

• Added \ prefix to all unqualified built-in function calls, enabling compile-time resolution
  and opcode intrinsification:
  openssl_error_string, strlen, strpbrk, fwrite, fgets, stream_get_meta_data,
  trim, substr, feof, str_ends_with, str_starts_with, str_replace, explode,
  reset, next, stream_socket_client, stream_set_timeout, stream_set_read_buffer,
  fclose, stream_socket_enable_crypto, ltrim, gmdate, implode, strcasecmp,
  is_numeric, is_array, is_resource, is_string.

• Removed redundant || strlen($line) < 2 branch in _getTextResponse().
  str_ends_with($line, "\r\n") returning true already guarantees strlen ≥ 2, so the second
  operand was dead code that emitted a ZEND_STRLEN opcode on every iteration of the hot
  receive loop for no reason.

• Removed redundant (string) cast on substr($response, 4) in _getStatusResponse().
  substr() always returns string when given a string input, so the ZEND_CAST opcode
  was emitted unnecessarily.

src/Client.php

• Added \ prefix to all unqualified built-in function calls:
  implode, strtotime, substr, array_merge, array_keys, array_values,
  array_combine, array_slice, array_fill, array_splice, strpos, ltrim,
  ctype_digit, str_starts_with, str_ends_with, reset, preg_split, trim,
  is_int, is_array, is_string, count.

---

Other housekeeping

• Removed legacy package.xml (PEAR descriptor, superseded entirely by composer.json).

Release 4.1.2

Performance Improvements in src/

A collection of targeted speed improvements to the NNTP client's hot paths: socket I/O loops, response parsing, and article processing.

All 290 tests pass. PHPStan reports zero errors.

---

Changes

1. Replace preg_replace with str_replace in _sendArticle()

File: src/Protocol/Client.php

The NNTP dot-stuffing substitution ("\n." → "\n..") is a literal string replacement — no regex features are used. str_replace avoids regex compilation overhead entirely.

Before:

@fwrite($this->_socket, preg_replace("|\n\.|", "\n..", $article) . "\r\n.\r\n");
// ...
@fwrite($this->_socket, preg_replace("|\n\.|", "\n..", $header) . "\r\n" . preg_replace("|\n\.|", "\n..", $body) . "\r\n.\r\n");

After:

@fwrite($this->_socket, str_replace("\n.", "\n..", $article) . "\r\n.\r\n");
// ...
@fwrite($this->_socket, str_replace("\n.", "\n..", $header) . "\r\n" . str_replace("\n.", "\n..", $body) . "\r\n.\r\n");

---

2. Reduce redundant trimming in _getStatusResponse()

File: src/Protocol/Client.php

The response was being rtrim'd for logging, then ltrim'd for parsing, then rtrim'd again inside the substr. A single trim() replaces all three operations.

Before:

$this->_logger?->debug('S: ' . rtrim($response, "\r\n"));

$response = ltrim($response);

$this->_currentStatusResponse = [
    (int) substr($response, 0, 3),
    (string) rtrim(substr($response, 4)),
];

After:

$response = trim($response);

$this->_logger?->debug('S: ' . $response);

$this->_currentStatusResponse = [
    (int) substr($response, 0, 3),
    (string) substr($response, 4),
];

---

3. Throttle _clearOpensslErrors() in _getTextResponse()

File: src/Protocol/Client.php

Previously called _clearOpensslErrors() twice per line read (before and after fgets) inside the reception loop. For large multi-line responses over TLS (e.g., overview or article body fetches with thousands of lines), this called openssl_error_string() in a while loop on every single line — a significant overhead.

Now clears once before the loop and only on the error path.

Before:

while (!feof($this->_socket)) {
    if ($hasEncryption) {
        $this->_clearOpensslErrors();
    }
    $received = @fgets($this->_socket, 8192);
    if ($hasEncryption) {
        $this->_clearOpensslErrors();
    }

    if ($received === false) {
        $meta = stream_get_meta_data($this->_socket);
        // ...
    }

After:

// Clear any stale OpenSSL errors once before entering the loop
if ($hasEncryption) {
    $this->_clearOpensslErrors();
}

while (!feof($this->_socket)) {
    $received = @fgets($this->_socket, 8192);

    if ($received === false) {
        if ($hasEncryption) {
            $this->_clearOpensslErrors();
        }
        $meta = stream_get_meta_data($this->_socket);
        // ...
    }

---

4. Limit explode() in group-parsing methods

File: src/Protocol/Client.php

Added a limit parameter to explode() in _parseGroupLines() and cmdListActive() to stop splitting beyond the required number of fields. Avoids unnecessary array allocations, especially for large group lists.

Before:

// _parseGroupLines()
$arr = explode(' ', trim($line));

// cmdListActive()
$arr = explode(' ', trim($line));

After:

// _parseGroupLines()
$arr = explode(' ', trim($line), 4);

// cmdListActive()
$arr = explode(' ', trim($line), 4);

---

5. Disable PHP userspace read buffer on socket

File: src/Protocol/Client.php

Added stream_set_read_buffer($this->_socket, 0) after socket creation to eliminate PHP's internal read buffer, reducing double-buffering with the OS TCP buffer.

Before:

stream_set_timeout($this->_socket, $timeout);

After:

stream_set_timeout($this->_socket, $timeout);
stream_set_read_buffer($this->_socket, 0);

---

6. Fast-path overview parsing with array_combine

File: src/Client.php

When no "full" header fields exist in the overview format (the common case), the per-field strpos/substr loop is now skipped entirely in favor of a single array_combine() call. The slow path with header stripping is only used when actually needed.

Before:

foreach ($overview as $key => $article) {
    $mapped = [];
    for ($i = 0; $i < $fieldCount; $i++) {
        $value = $article[$i] ?? '';
        if (isset($fullIndices[$i])) {
            $pos = strpos($value, ':');
            $value = ltrim(substr($value, ($pos === false ? 0 : $pos + 1)), " \t");
        }
        $mapped[$fieldNames[$i]] = $value;
    }
    $overview[$key] = $mapped;
}

After:

if ($fullIndices === []) {
    // Fast path: no "full" header fields — use array_combine directly
    foreach ($overview as $key => $article) {
        $overview[$key] = array_combine(
            $fieldNames,
            \array_slice($article, 0, $fieldCount) + array_fill(0, $fieldCount, '')
        );
    }
} else {
    foreach ($overview as $key => $article) {
        $mapped = [];
        for ($i = 0; $i < $fieldCount; $i++) {
            $value = $article[$i] ?? '';
            if (isset($fullIndices[$i])) {
                $pos = strpos($value, ':');
                $value = ltrim(substr($value, ($pos === false ? 0 : $pos + 1)), " \t");
            }
            $mapped[$fieldNames[$i]] = $value;
        }
        $overview[$key] = $mapped;
    }
}

---

7. Replace explode + array_filter + array_values chain with preg_split

File: src/Client.php

In getReferences(), three chained function calls (plus a closure allocation per iteration) are replaced with a single preg_split() call using PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY.

Before:

foreach ($references as $key => $val) {
    $references[$key] = array_values(
        array_filter(explode(' ', trim($val)), static fn(string $s): bool => $s !== '')
    );
}

After:

foreach ($references as $key => $val) {
    $references[$key] = preg_split('/\s+/', trim($val), -1, PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY);
}

---

Summary

#	Location	Optimization	Impact
1	Protocol/Client::_sendArticle()	preg_replace → str_replace	Eliminates regex compilation on every article post/transfer
2	Protocol/Client::_getStatusResponse()	Single trim() instead of 3 separate trims	Removes redundant string scans on every NNTP response
3	Protocol/Client::_getTextResponse()	_clearOpensslErrors() moved out of per-line loop	Eliminates 2× openssl_error_string() drain per line in TLS responses
4	Protocol/Client::_parseGroupLines() / cmdListActive()	explode() with limit parameter	Stops splitting beyond required fields on large group lists
5	Protocol/Client::connect()	stream_set_read_buffer($socket, 0)	Reduces double-buffering between PHP and OS TCP buffer
6	Client::getOverview()	array_combine fast-path	Skips per-field loop entirely when no full-header stripping needed
7	Client::getReferences()	preg_split replaces 3-function chain	One call instead of three; no closure allocation per iteration

Release 4.1.1

Full Changelog: 4.1.0...4.1.1

Release 4.1.0

Release v4.1.0

Namespace rename:

• Renamed root namespace from Net\NNTP to DariusIII\NetNntp:
  • Net\NNTP\Client → DariusIII\NetNntp\Client
  • Net\NNTP\Error → DariusIII\NetNntp\Error
  • Net\NNTP\Protocol\Client → DariusIII\NetNntp\Protocol\Client
  • Net\NNTP\Protocol\ResponseCode → DariusIII\NetNntp\Protocol\ResponseCode
• Updated composer.json PSR-4 autoload to "DariusIII\\NetNntp\\": "src/"
• Added autoload-dev PSR-4 entry for test namespace "DariusIII\\NetNntp\\Tests\\": "tests/"
• Updated all source files, tests, docs, and examples to use new namespace

Removed all backward-compatible shims:

• Deleted src/Protocol/Responsecode.php — the define() constants shim file
  • All NET_NNTP_PROTOCOL_RESPONSECODE_* global constants are no longer defined
  • Use the DariusIII\NetNntp\Protocol\ResponseCode enum instead
• Removed files autoload entry from composer.json (no longer needed)
• Removed all deprecated API v1.0 and v1.1 methods from Client:
  • quit() — use disconnect()
  • isConnected() — was deprecated wrapper
  • getArticleRaw() — use getArticle()
  • getHeaderRaw() — use getHeader()
  • getBodyRaw() — use getBody()
  • getNewNews() — use getNewArticles()
  • getReferencesOverview() — use getReferences()
• Removed v1.0 connect shim (passing port as second arg) from both Client and Protocol\Client
• Removed v1.1 class-name-as-string shim from getArticle(), getHeader(), getBody() — $implode is now strictly bool
• Removed v1.0 multi-argument shim from post() — parameter is now string|array
• Removed v1.0 two-argument shim from getOverview()

API tightening:

• getNewGroups() / getNewArticles() $time parameter: mixed → int|string
• _resolveTimestamp() now throws \InvalidArgumentException instead of returning Error
• post() parameter now typed string|array (use mail() for the old multi-arg posting style)
• Removed @package_version@ / @package_state@ PEAR placeholders from X-poster mail header

Tests:

• Added testDeprecatedMethodsRemoved() — verifies all 7 removed methods no longer exist
• Added testLegacyConstantsNoLongerDefined() — verifies global constants shim is gone
• Added type-assertion tests for cleaned-up method signatures ($implode is bool, post() is string|array)
• Removed all legacy constant shim tests (47 removed)
• Removed deprecated method existence tests
• Test suite: 290 tests, 441 assertions

Bugfix release

Full Changelog: 4.0.0...4.0.0.1

Version 4.0.0

Release v4.0.0

Project structure & namespaces:

• Modernized project to PSR-4 standard — source files moved from NNTP/ to src/
• Added PHP namespaces: Net\NNTP, Net\NNTP\Protocol
• Renamed classes from PEAR underscore style to namespaced short names:
  • Net_NNTP_Client → Net\NNTP\Client
  • Net_NNTP_Error → Net\NNTP\Error
  • Net_NNTP_Protocol_Client → Net\NNTP\Protocol\Client
• Updated composer.json autoload from classmap to PSR-4 ("Net\\NNTP\\": "src/")
• Added files autoload entry for Responsecode.php global constants
• Removed all require_once includes from source files (now handled by Composer autoload)
• Removed old NNTP/ directory

PEAR removal:

• Removed all PEAR dependencies, code, and references
• Removed PEAR_LOG_DEBUG constant and all _isMasked() calls from Protocol\Client
• Replaced all PEAR::isError() calls with \Net\NNTP\Error::isError() throughout
• Removed require_once "Log.php" and require_once "PEAR.php" from demo files
• Removed grabPearErrors() / PEAR::setErrorHandling() from demo
• Removed PEAR_Error references from Error class
• Updated X-poster mail header: removed PEAR:: prefix
• Replaced all @link http://pear.php.net/package/Net_NNTP with GitHub URL

PSR-3 logging:

• Added psr/log as a dependency — the library now accepts any PSR-3 compatible logger
• Type-hinted $_logger property and setLogger() parameter with Psr\Log\LoggerInterface
• Made setLogger() public (was protected)
• Removed deprecated setDebug() method from Protocol\Client
• Updated demo Logger class to extend Psr\Log\AbstractLogger

Configuration:

• Added vlucas/phpdotenv as a dependency for demo configuration
• Replaced hardcoded config.inc.php with .env-based configuration using phpdotenv
• Added .env.example with all available settings and documented defaults
• Added .env to .gitignore

Test suite:

• Added comprehensive PHPUnit 13 test suite (117 tests, 253 assertions):
  • tests/Unit/ErrorTest.php — Error class construction, isError(), toString
  • tests/Unit/ClientTest.php — Client instantiation, PSR-3 logger, public API surface
  • tests/Unit/ProtocolClientTest.php — Protocol layer, throwError, _isConnected, _clearOpensslErrors
  • tests/Unit/ResponsecodeTest.php — All 48 NNTP response code constants
  • tests/Unit/AutoloadTest.php — PSR-4 autoloading, namespaces, dependency wiring
  • tests/Unit/ConfigTest.php — .env.example completeness, phpdotenv integration
  • tests/Integration/ServerConnectionTest.php — Live server: connect, groups, articles, overview, disconnect
• Updated phpunit.xml with separate Unit and Integration test suites
• Updated demo and phpdoc examples to use namespaced classes

Enums & code optimization:

• Created Net\NNTP\Protocol\ResponseCode int-backed enum with all 53 NNTP response codes
  • Each case includes a description() method returning the RFC description
  • Supports ResponseCode::from(int) and ResponseCode::tryFrom(int) natively
  • Added 6 new codes not previously defined: DisconnectingRequested (205), DisconnectingForced (400), TlsContinue (382), TlsRefused (580), XgtitleFollows (282), XgtitleUnavailable (481)
• Converted Responsecode.php to a backwards-compatible shim — all define() constants now delegate to ResponseCode::CASE->value
• Replaced all NET_NNTP_PROTOCOL_RESPONSECODE_* references in Protocol\Client with ResponseCode::CASE->value
• Replaced all bare integer response codes (205, 382, 400, 502, 503, etc.) with enum references
• Converted all switch blocks to match expressions throughout Protocol\Client and Client
• Removed all unreachable break statements after return (~50+ instances)
• Removed dead code: if (false) { ... } block, die() calls, unused namespace-level constants
• Removed all vim modelines, {{{ }}} fold markers, and "Local variables" blocks from all source files
• Added declare(strict_types=1) to all source files
• Applied constructor property promotion with readonly to Error class
• Refactored duplicated parsing logic in Protocol\Client into private helper methods:
  _parseGroupSelected(), _parseArticlePointer(), _fetchTextAndLog(), _parseGroupLines(),
  _parseOverviewResponse(), _parseKeyValueResponse(), _parseOverviewFormat(),
  _parseNewsgroupDescriptions(), _logAndReturn(), _handleTlsNegotiation()
• Extracted _resolveTimestamp() helper in Client to deduplicate time parsing
• Used str_ends_with() / str_starts_with() instead of substr() comparisons
• Used null coalescing assignment (??=) throughout
• Used nullsafe operator (?->) consistently for logger calls
• Used union types for _sendArticle(string|array) parameter
• Expanded test suite to 335 tests / 526 assertions (was 117 / 253):
  • Added enum tests: case values, from(), tryFrom(), description(), int-backed verification
  • Added legacy constant shim verification
  • Added ResponseCode autoload and namespace tests

Static analysis:

• Added PHPStan (phpstan/phpstan) as a dev dependency
• Created phpstan.neon configuration at level 8 (strict)
• All source files pass PHPStan level 8 with zero errors
• Added proper type annotations (PHPDoc @return, @param) to all methods throughout Protocol\Client and Client
• Typed all deprecated method parameters and return types (getArticleRaw(), getHeaderRaw(), etc.)
• Changed getArticle(), getHeader(), getBody() $implode parameter from bool to mixed for v1.1 API backward compatibility
• Added @var PHPDoc annotations to all class properties
• Added .phpstan-cache/ to .gitignore
• Added composer scripts: composer analyse, composer test, composer check

Release 3.0.2

What's Changed

• Optimize NNTP hot paths, fix command-length guard, and add XOVER-only integration benchmark by @CicerBro in #4

Full Changelog: 3.0.1...3.0.2

3.0.1

Full Changelog: 3.0...3.0.1

Drop pear dependency

Full Changelog: 2.1...3.0

2.1 - PHP 8.5 support

What's Changed

• Fix syntax errors in switch cases for range checks by @CicerBro in #3

New Contributors

• @CicerBro made their first contribution in #3

Full Changelog: 2.0.1.1...2.1