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Error Identifier: enum.backingType

Every error reported by PHPStan has an error identifier. Here’s a list of all error identifiers. In PHPStan Pro you can see the error identifier next to each error and filter errors by their identifiers.

Code example #

<?php declare(strict_types = 1);

enum Priority: float // error
{
	case Low = 0.5;
	case High = 1.0;
}

Why is it reported? #

PHP backed enums only support int or string as their backing type. Any other type such as float, bool, or array is not allowed by the language. This is a hard constraint enforced by the PHP engine.

How to fix it #

Change the backing type to either int or string:

 <?php declare(strict_types = 1);
 
-enum Priority: float
+enum Priority: int
 {
-	case Low = 0.5;
-	case High = 1.0;
+	case Low = 1;
+	case High = 2;
 }

If you need to associate non-integer/non-string values with enum cases, use a method instead:

<?php declare(strict_types = 1);

enum Priority: string
{
	case Low = 'low';
	case High = 'high';

	public function weight(): float
	{
		return match ($this) {
			self::Low => 0.5,
			self::High => 1.0,
		};
	}
}

Non-ignorable error #

This error cannot be ignored using @phpstan-ignore or the ignoreErrors configuration. Non-ignorable errors indicate code that would cause a crash or a fatal error at runtime, or a fundamental problem in the analysed code that must be addressed.

Rules that report this error #

  • PHPStan\Rules\Classes\EnumSanityRule [1]

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