Damien Seguy and Jon Purvis just launched PHPenomenal 8.6, a community challenge to build something with PHP 8.6 before it ships. It runs until PHP 8.6 is due on November 19, and the best entries win an elePHPant.
With PHP 8.6 RC2 out, it's a good excuse to install a pre-release build and try the new features on real code instead of reading about them.
The Rules
There's one rule: share at least one working app, with its source code, before the deadline. The code has to compile on PHP 8.6. Beyond that, the app should take some input, output something, and finish in a reasonable time. It also has to run on a single machine, so no pulling in remote datasets.
The main features to use are:
- Partial function application
- Time\Duration
clamp()#[\Override]on constants- Writes to objects held in constants
- Readonly property defaults
- The
SortDirectionenum
A second, optional list includes the polling API, the new stream error handling, doc comments on parameters, __debugInfo() on enums, and the form feed change to trim().
"Useful" is up to you. The README suggests anything from echoing the arguments back to fizz-buzz with algebraic numbers, and funny entries get bonus points.
How to Enter
Open a pull request on the repo to declare your entry, with a README explaining what you're building, and keep updating it until the deadline. The organizers also encourage dev diaries and sample output. The challenge closes just after midnight UTC on November 19, 2026.
Head over to the PHPenomenal repo to get started, and have fun with it!
