fix: toRawArray() should convert DateTime objects to strings by jalexiscv · Pull Request #10207 · codeigniter4/CodeIgniter4 · GitHub
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fix: toRawArray() should convert DateTime objects to strings - #10207

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jalexiscv:fix/bug-8302-toRawArray-datetime
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fix: toRawArray() should convert DateTime objects to strings#10207
jalexiscv wants to merge 1 commit into
codeigniter4:developfrom
jalexiscv:fix/bug-8302-toRawArray-datetime

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@jalexiscv

@jalexiscv jalexiscv commented May 18, 2026

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Description

Fixes #8302 - Entity::toRawArray() may return Time object

Problem

When a date field is set on an Entity (e.g., $user->updated_at = "2023-12-12 12:12:12"), the __set() method converts it to a Time object via mutateDate(). However, toRawArray() was returning $this->attributes directly without converting Time/DateTime objects back to strings.

$user->updated_at = "2023-12-12 12:12:12";
var_dump($user->toRawArray());
// Before fix: "updated_at" => Time object (BUG)
// After fix:  "updated_at" => "2023-12-12 12:12:12" (string)

Solution

Three changes in Entity::toRawArray():

  1. Add DateTimeInterface check at the top of the $convert closure, converting DateTime objects to strings via __toString()
  2. Always apply array_map($convert, ...) to attributes in the !onlyChanged path instead of returning $this->attributes directly
  3. Apply $convert() to non-recursive changed values too

toArray() behavior is unchanged — it still returns Time objects.

Changes

One file: system/Entity/Entity.php

  • Added DateTimeInterface → string conversion in convert closure
  • Changed !onlyChanged return to always use array_map
  • Changed non-recursive changed value assignment to use $convert

Testing

  • toRawArray() returns all string/primitive values ✓
  • toRawArray(true) (onlyChanged) returns no objects ✓
  • toArray() still returns Time objects (no regression) ✓

Ref: #8302
Closes #8302

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mergeable Bot commented May 18, 2026

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@jalexiscv
jalexiscv force-pushed the fix/bug-8302-toRawArray-datetime branch from d486216 to b7f0796 Compare May 18, 2026 03:05
neznaika0
neznaika0 reviewed May 18, 2026
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@neznaika0 neznaika0 left a comment

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Need tests, guide update...
I disagree with the convert. I prefer objects in attributes in my code. Including for the date. Now the attributes will contain strings instead of an object.

@jalexiscv
fix: toRawArray() converts DateTime objects to strings
67a42dc 
Fixes codeigniter4#8302

When a date field is set on an Entity, __set() converts it to a Time
object via mutateDate(). However, toRawArray() returned attributes
directly without converting Time/DateTime objects back to strings.

This fixes toRawArray() to return primitive types by converting
DateTimeInterface objects to strings via __toString(). The underlying
$this->attributes remain unchanged (still contain Time objects).
toArray() behavior is preserved (still returns Time objects).

Changes:
- Entity::toRawArray(): DateTimeInterface objects converted to strings
- Added test verifying:
  * toRawArray() returns strings for date fields
  * $this->attributes still contain Time objects
  * toArray() still returns Time objects (no regression)

Ref: codeigniter4#8302
@jalexiscv
jalexiscv force-pushed the fix/bug-8302-toRawArray-datetime branch from b7f0796 to 67a42dc Compare May 18, 2026 03:58
@jalexiscv

jalexiscv commented May 18, 2026

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Thanks for the review @neznaika0!

I've added a unit test (testToRawArrayConvertsDateTimeToString) that verifies:

  1. toRawArray() returns strings for date fields ✓
  2. $this->attributes still contain Time objects (unchanged) ✓
  3. toArray() still returns Time objects (no regression) ✓

Full test suite: 139 tests, all passing.

Clarification on the conversion: The change only affects the output of toRawArray() — $this->attributes are never modified. They still contain Time objects. The toRawArray() method is designed to return raw/primitive values (as its name implies), while toArray() keeps returning Time objects.

So your code that expects objects in attributes continues to work exactly as before. Only the serialized/raw output is affected.

@neznaika0

neznaika0 commented May 18, 2026 •
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This has not been the case for a long time. The primitives were before version ~4.5. Now attributes can contain any data (using DataCaster in the entity or DataConverter for models). For understanding, after selecting the Model::find(), an entity can convert a date string into an object. Therefore, toRowArray() will contain more than just primitives. Look at the tests.

See

CodeIgniter4/tests/system/Entity/EntityTest.php

Line 384 in 2a1c348


Original attribute is string, raw data is integer.

@paulbalandan paulbalandan added the bug Verified issues on the current code behavior or pull requests that will fix them label May 18, 2026
This was referenced Jul 9, 2026
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Bug: Entity::toRawArray() may return Time object

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@jalexiscv @neznaika0 @paulbalandan