#[MapTo] and #[MapFrom] attributes

The #[MapTo] and #[MapFrom] attributes allow you to define the mapping between a property of the source and the target object.

Respectively, the #[MapTo] attribute is used on a property of the source object, and the #[MapFrom] attribute is used on a property of the target object.

They both allow the same arguments, but since you can map to or from a generic data structure, they may be needed depending on the context.

Usage

They can be used on :

• a public or private property (also in promoted properties)

class Entity
{
    #[MapTo(property: 'name')]
    public string $title;
}

• a public or private method

class EntityDto
{
    private string $name;

    #[MapFrom(property: 'title')]
    public function setName($name): void
    {
        $this->name = $name;
    }
}

• a class (to add virtual properties)

#[MapTo(property: 'virtualProperty')]
class Entity {}

Specifying the target or source

The #[MapTo] and #[MapFrom] attributes allow you to specify on which target or source this attribute should be applied. You can use this attribute multiple times on the same property to handle behavior for different targets or sources.

class Entity
{
    #[MapTo(target: EntityDto::class, property: 'name')]
    #[MapTo(target: 'array', property: 'title')]
    public string $title;
}

class EntityDto
{
    #[MapFrom(source: Entity::class, property: 'title')]
    #[MapFrom(source: 'array', property: 'name')]
    public string $name;
}

You can also pass an array to the target or source argument to specify configuration for multiple targets or sources.

class EntityDto
{
    #[MapFrom(source: Entity::class, property: 'title')]
    #[MapFrom(source: 'array', property: 'name')]
    public string $name;

    #[MapFrom(source: [Entity::class, 'array'], property: 'bar')]
    public string $foo;
}

In case there is multiple attributes that match the same target (not source), you can use the priority argument to specify which one should be used first. The default priority is 0.

class Entity
{
    #[MapTo(ignore: true)]
    public string $title;
}

class EntityDto
{
    #[MapFrom(source: Entity::class, ignore: false, priority: 10)]
    public string $title;
}