PHP can't autoload functions, only classes. Thus if you wrap it in a static function inside a class you can autoload the the function by calling the class, Pipe::new(...), without doing a require "file.php".

You can add a file import to composer, which is built into vendor/autoload.php automatically. I suppose this allows you to load this as a package...

That's not done lazily which is considered bad

That's what I was wondering too, especially considering there is a helper function that just wraps it. Seems rather unnecessary.

   <?php
   
   function pipe(...$args) {
     // Retrive first argument as initial value
     $value = array_shift($args);
   
     // Call the functions passing $value and assign its return
     foreach($args as $func) $value = $func($value);
   
     // Return computed value
     return $value;
   }
   
   echo pipe("10 WAYS to EAT more HEALTHY", 
     fn($s) => strtolower($s), 
     fn($s) => str_replace(" ", "-", $s)
   );

Works just as well.

Passing the first argument as part of the variadic array isn't necessary.

Here's my version in only 66 bytes, what do I win? ;)

  <?php function pipe($v,...$p){foreach($p as$f)$v=$f($v);return$v;}

64! (if you don't mind calling a variable).

    <?php $pipe=fn($v,...$p)=>array_reduce($p,fn($a,$f)=>$f($a),$v);

I guess I was just removing the need for an unnecessary class, but that's fair.

Perhaps you could extend the Pipe class and thus the pipe() method returns an object for chainability? That's the only reason I can immediately think of.

free functions scary