Replacing common types | typescript-transformer | Spatie

 SPATIE

  TypeScript Transformer
=========================

spatie.be/open-source

  [Docs](https://spatie.be/docs)  [Typescript-transformer](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3)  Getting-started  Replacing common types

 Version   v3   v2   v1

 Other versions for crawler [v3](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3) [v2](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v2) [v1](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v1)

  Replacing common types
- [ Introduction ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/introduction)
- [ Postcardware ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/postcardware)
- [ Installation ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/installation)
- [ Questions &amp; issues ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/questions-and-issues)
- [ Changelog ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/changelog)
- [ About us ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/about-us)

Getting started
---------------

- [ Setting up ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/setting-up)
- [ Running TypeScript Transformer for the first time ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/first-run)
- [ Special attributes ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/attributes)
- [ Typing properties ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/typing-properties)
- [ Replacing common types ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/replacing-types)
- [ Formatters ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/getting-started/formatters)

Laravel
-------

- [ Installation and setup ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/installation-and-setup)
- [ Laravel Data ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/laravel-data)
- [ Controllers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/controllers)
- [ Routes ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/routes)
- [ Route filters ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/route-filters)
- [ Watch mode ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/laravel/watch-mode)

Custom transformers
-------------------

- [ Getting started ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/transformers/getting-started)
- [ Class transformer ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/transformers/class-transformer)
- [ Enum transformer ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/transformers/enum-transformer)

Transformed providers
---------------------

- [ Getting started ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/providers/getting-started)
- [ Using different writers in providers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/providers/writers-in-providers)
- [ Logging in providers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/providers/logging)
- [ Referencing types ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/providers/references)
- [ Helpers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/providers/helpers)

TypeScript nodes
----------------

- [ Introduction ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/typescript-nodes/introduction)
- [ Building your own TypeScript node ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/typescript-nodes/custom-nodes)
- [ Visiting TypeScript nodes ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/typescript-nodes/visitor)
- [ Node reference ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/typescript-nodes/reference)

Watch mode
----------

- [ How does it work? ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/watch-mode/how-it-works)
- [ Setting up the runner ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/watch-mode/setting-up-the-runner)
- [ Watch events ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/watch-mode/watch-events)
- [ PHP Nodes ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/watch-mode/php-nodes)

Advanced
--------

- [ Extensions ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/advanced/extensions)
- [ Managing transformers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/advanced/managing-transformers)
- [ Loggers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/advanced/loggers)
- [ Custom writers ](https://spatie.be/docs/typescript-transformer/v3/advanced/custom-writers)

 Replacing common types
======================

###  On this page

1. [ Replacements ](#content-replacements)

Some PHP classes should be transformed into something atypical, an example of this is the `DateTime` class. When you send such an object to the front it will be represented by a string rather than an object. TypeScript transformer allows you to replace these kinds types with an appropriate TypeScript type.

Replacing types can be done in the config:

```
$config->replaceType(DateTime::class, 'string');
```

Now all `DateTime` objects will be transformed to a string in TypeScript. This also includes inherited classes like `Carbon`, those will also be transformed to a string.

When using an interface like `DateTimeInterface` you can also replace it with a TypeScript type:

```
$config->replaceType(DateTimeInterface::class, 'string');
```

All classes that implement `DateTimeInterface` will be transformed to a string in TypeScript.

Replacements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we've seen before it is possible to replace types by writing them out like you would do in an annotation, this allows you to build complex types, for example:

```
$config->replaceType(DateTimeInterface::class, 'array{day: int, month: int, year: int}');
```

From now on, all `DateTimeInterface` objects will be replaced by the following TypeScript object:

```
{
    day: number;
    month: number;
    year: number;
}
```

It is also possible to define a replacement as an internal TypeScript node(more on that later):

```
$config->replaceType(DateTimeInterface::class, new TypeScriptString());
```

Or use a closure to define the replacement:

```
use Spatie\TypeScriptTransformer\TypeScriptNodes\TypeScriptReference;

$config->replaceType(DateTimeInterface::class, function (TypeScriptReference $reference) {
    return new TypeScriptString();
});
```

 A good
match?
-------------

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- All things Laravel
- Custom frontend components
- Building APIs
- AI-powered features
- Simplifying things
- Clean solutions
- Integrating services

### Not our cup of tea

- WordPress themes
- Cutting corners
- Free mockups to win a job
- "Just execute the briefing"

 In short: we'd like to be a **substantial part** of your project.

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