Generate PHPStan type annotations from var_dump output
A CLI tool that analyzes PHP var_dump() output and generates PHPStan-compatible type annotations, helping you add type hints to legacy code or complex data structures.
🌐 Try hell2shape in your browser - No installation required. Works locally in your browser, no data transferred -- thanks to php-wasm.
composer require --dev feolius/hell2shapeThis allows you to use hell2shape both programmatically in your code and via CLI.
Download the latest hell2shape.phar from the releases page and use it directly:
# Download the PHAR
curl -L https://github.com/Feolius/hell2shape/releases/latest/download/hell2shape.phar -o hell2shape.phar
# Make it executable
chmod +x hell2shape.phar
# Use it
php -r 'var_dump($myArray);' | ./hell2shape.pharOption 3: Use cpx
php -r 'var_dump($myArray);' | cpx feolius/hell2shapeRequirements:
- PHP 8.3 or higher
Use hell2shape directly in your PHP code to generate type annotations:
use Feolius\Hell2Shape\Hell2Shape;
use Feolius\Hell2Shape\Generator\GeneratorConfig;
use Feolius\Hell2Shape\Generator\KeyQuotingStyle;
// Simple usage with default config (generates PSR-5 doc-comment format)
$data = ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30];
$shape = Hell2Shape::generate($data);
// Result: /**
// * array{
// * name: string,
// * age: int,
// * }
// */
// Without doc-comment wrapper
$config = GeneratorConfig::withoutDocComment();
$shape = Hell2Shape::generate($data, $config);
// Result: array{
// name: string,
// age: int,
// }
// Single-line output without doc-comment
$config = GeneratorConfig::withoutDocComment(indentSize: 0);
$shape = Hell2Shape::generate($data, $config);
// Result: array{name: string, age: int}
// With custom formatting (doc-comment is default)
$config = new GeneratorConfig(
keyQuotingStyle: KeyQuotingStyle::SingleQuotes,
indentSize: 2,
);
$shape = Hell2Shape::generate($data, $config);
// Result: /**
// * array{
// * 'name': string,
// * 'age': int,
// * }
// */Pipe any var_dump() output to hell2shape:
# From a PHP script
php script.php | vendor/bin/hell2shape
# From a one-liner
php -r 'var_dump(["name" => "John", "age" => 30]);' | vendor/bin/hell2shapeInput (var_dump):
array(2) {
["name"]=>
string(4) "John"
["age"]=>
int(30)
}
Output (PHPStan type with doc-comment - default):
/**
* array{
* name: string,
* age: int,
* }
*/Output (without doc-comment using --no-doc-comment):
array{
name: string,
age: int,
}Disable PSR-5 doc-comment wrapper around the output (by default, output is wrapped in /** */)
# Default: with doc-comment wrapper
hell2shape
# Output: /**
# * array{...}
# */
# Without doc-comment wrapper
hell2shape --no-doc-comment
# Output: array{...}Control indentation for multi-line output (default: 4 spaces)
# Single-line output
hell2shape --indent=0
# 2-space indentation
hell2shape -i 2
# Default 4-space indentation
hell2shapeControl key quoting style in array shapes
# No quotes (default)
hell2shape --quotes=none
# Output: array{name: string}
# Single quotes
hell2shape --quotes=single
# Output: array{'name': string}
# Double quotes
hell2shape --quotes=double
# Output: array{"name": string}Control how class names are formatted (default: unqualified)
# Unqualified - just the class name (default)
hell2shape --class=uqn
# Output: User
# Qualified - with namespace
hell2shape -c qn
# Output: App\Models\User
# Fully qualified - with leading backslash
hell2shape --class=fqn
# Output: \App\Models\User- ✅ Scalar types (int, string, bool, float, null)
- ✅ Arrays and nested arrays
- ✅ Array shapes with optional keys
- ✅ Objects (class names)
- ✅ stdClass objects as object shapes
- ✅ Lists with union types
- ✅ Complex nested structures
- ✅ Configurable formatting
php -r 'var_dump(["id" => 1, "name" => "Alice"]);' | hell2shapeOutput:
/**
* array{
* id: int,
* name: string,
* }
*/php -r 'var_dump(["user" => ["name" => "Bob", "roles" => ["admin", "user"]]]);' | hell2shapeOutput:
/**
* array{
* user: array{
* name: string,
* roles: list<string>,
* },
* }
*/php -r 'var_dump(["id" => 1, "active" => true]);' | hell2shape --no-doc-commentOutput:
array{
id: int,
active: bool,
}php -r 'var_dump(["id" => 1, "active" => true]);' | hell2shape --no-doc-comment --indent=0Output:
array{id: int, active: bool}When arrays have different structures, hell2shape marks missing keys as optional:
array{
id: int,
name: string,
email?: string
}php -r 'namespace App\Models; class User {} var_dump(new User());' | hell2shapeOutput (default - unqualified):
/** User */With qualified names:
php -r 'namespace App\Models; class User {} var_dump(new User());' | hell2shape -c qnOutput:
/** App\Models\User */With fully qualified names:
php -r 'namespace App\Models; class User {} var_dump(new User());' | hell2shape --class=fqnOutput:
/** \App\Models\User */- var_dump doesn't show all possible values, only the current state
- Union types are inferred from visible data only
- You should review and refine the generated types based on your actual usage
- Empty arrays are typed as
array(notlist<mixed>)
# Run tests
vendor/bin/phpunit
# Run PHPStan
vendor/bin/phpstan analyse
# Run code style checks
vendor/bin/ecs checkMIT License - see LICENSE file for details
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.