Keeping Doctrine Entities Honest with DTOs and ObjectMapper

Short summary

Symfony Doctrine entities frequently create conceptual inconsistencies where database constraints don't match PHP's type system, allowing invalid states. The solution separates concerns: DTOs handle incomplete form input, entities enforce valid application data in constructors, and Symfony 7.3's ObjectMapper automates the transformation. Result: entity APIs align with actual constraints, eliminating an entire class of impossible states.

• •Doctrine entities often allow invalid states due to type system mismatches between PHP and database
• •Use DTOs for form input and entities for valid data to separate concerns
• •Symfony 7.3's ObjectMapper automates safe transformation between the two

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