[PHP 8.6] Partial Function Application
- Dominant language
- Java
- Stars
- 3.1k
- Forks
- 935
- Avg merge
- 2d 3h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 17
Description
### Description
Support for the upcoming version 8.6 of PHP.
_(Scheduled to be released in late November 2026)_
### Use case/motivation
The [PHP RFC: Partial Function Application (v2)](https://wiki.php.net/rfc/partial_function_application_v2) introduces a native syntax to pre-fill some arguments of a function call while leaving others open for later.
The syntax uses a `?` placeholder for a single open argument (e.g., `str_replace('hello', 'hi', ?)`) and `...` for remaining variadic arguments, completely removing the need to write verbose, custom anonymous arrow functions.
Calling a function this way returns a standard `Closure` object that only expects the remaining missing arguments.
This feature drastically cleans up functional-style programming, making it highly readable when using inline callbacks or chaining operations with the pipe operator.
### Related issues
_No response_
### Are you willing to submit a pull request?
No
Contributor guide
Research direction
No files, tests, or entry points are identified in the issue. Start by reading the linked PHP RFC and inspecting how NetBeans currently handles PHP language-version features; done means PHP 8.6 partial function application syntax is supported without regressions.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- php
- Domain
- tooling
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 38/100