CakePHP 3.7: What's New, Release History & EOL Status

What Is New in CakePHP 3.7

This version introduces several new features, improvements, and deprecations to prepare for the future framework evolution. The table below summarizes the key changes.

How does the new Command class change console work?

The new Cake\Console\Command class replaces the old Shell class for writing console commands. This aligns CakePHP with modern PHP standards, using Symfony's Console component under the hood. In practice, you should extend Command for any new console tasks.

The old Shell class is now deprecated. Existing shells will still work but will trigger deprecation warnings. This change matters because it streamlines argument parsing and output formatting, making commands more consistent and testable.

What mailer features were added?

CakePHP 3.7 integrates the Cake\Mailer\Mailer class directly into the framework core. Previously, it was a separate plugin. This provides a structured, object-oriented way to define and send emails from your application.

You can now create mailer classes that define email layouts, content, and transport configuration. It keeps email logic separate from your controllers and models, which is a cleaner approach for complex applications.

Are there template rendering updates?

Yes, the FormHelper received updates to its template system. New template methods like create() and end() provide more flexibility. The helper now uses the Templater interface consistently.

These changes allow for easier customization of form HTML output. You can override templates per helper instance, which is useful for large projects with multiple form styles.

What database expressions are improved?

The QueryExpression::add() method now accepts an optional third argument for defining the expression type. This improves the ability to build complex SQL conditions programmatically and safely.

It helps the ORM generate more accurate SQL, especially when using nested conditions or custom expression objects. This is a low-level improvement that makes building advanced queries more reliable.

Which deprecated items should I act on first?

Focus on deprecations in code you actively maintain. The old Shell class and related base classes are top priorities for console applications. Also, update any cache configurations using the old Cache::config() method to use Cache::setConfig() instead.

Check uses of deprecated Table methods like addBehavior() and hasField(). The framework will guide you with warnings, but addressing these early reduces upgrade effort for the next major version.