Rip out most of the magic and replace it with ->to() and ->toStatic(). For manager classes the magic remains. Rip out magic from View.php for dynamic with{Word}. ->with('{word}', $param) should be used instead.

Release Notes: Architectural Strictness & Magic Removal

Overview

This release introduces a massive architectural shift focused on strict typing, static analysis compliance, and the eradication of runtime "magic." By removing dynamic method interception and higher-order proxies, the framework provides more transparency to IDEs and static analysis tools (like PHPStan and Psalm).

💥 Breaking Changes

• Higher-Order Proxies Eliminated:
  • All Higher-Order proxy classes (HigherOrderBuilderProxy, HigherOrderCollectionProxy, HigherOrderTapProxy, and HigherOrderWhenProxy) have been permanently deleted.
  • You can no longer omit closures on collection/conditionable methods. Calls like $collection->each->update(...), tap($user)->update(...), or $query->when($condition)->active() must now be written with explicit closures: $collection->each(fn($item) => $item->update(...)).
  • The tap(), when(), and unless() methods now strictly require a callable argument.
• Dynamic View Bindings Removed:
  • The __call magic inside View.php that handled dynamic variable binding has been removed.
  • You can no longer use $view->withTitle('foo'). You must use the explicit syntax: $view->with('title', 'foo').
• Decorator & Wrapper Strictness:
  • Wrapper classes no longer silently forward missing methods via __call.
  • Classes including Cache\Repository, FilesystemAdapter, ViewErrorBag, SentMessage, Optional, InvokableComponentVariable, AbstractPaginator, and AbstractCursorPaginator will now throw a BadMethodCallException if you attempt to call underlying driver methods directly on them. You must now explicitly unwrap them using the ->to() method.
• Global str() Helper Removed:
  • The dynamic str() global helper has been completely removed to enforce strict typing. All string manipulations must now use Str::of().
• Obvious Model Relation Execution:
  • Dynamic relation execution via the model's __call method is now disabled and throws an exception. You must use $model->r->relationName() or $model->callSegregatedRelation('relationName').
• Obvious Builder Proxies Removed:
  • Magic __get intercepts for orWhere, whereNot, and orWhereNot have been removed from the Database Builder.

✨ New Features & Enhancements

• Explicit Unwrapping (->to()) on Managers:
  • Added a strict ->to() method across all core Manager classes (AuthManager, CacheManager, DatabaseManager, LogManager, MailManager, QueueManager, RedisManager, FilesystemManager, BroadcastManager, PasswordBrokerManager, MultipleInstanceManager, and Process\Factory).
  • Calling ->to() explicitly returns the underlying active driver/connection, allowing for perfect static analysis.
  • Note: Manager classes retain their __call fallback logic to prevent widespread application breakage, but ->to() is the recommended standard.
• Static Unwrapping (::toStatic()) on Capsules:
  • Added ::toStatic() to Database\Capsule\Manager and Queue\Capsule\Manager to explicitly retrieve the underlying default connection in static contexts.
• New Forwarding Trait:
  • Introduced ExplicitForwardable trait. This trait standardize the new strict architecture by intercepting __call to throw a clear BadMethodCallException directing developers to use ->to() or ::toStatic() instead.