Accept any object exporter, not just a chain, in Exporter's constructor

ChangeLog.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ All notable changes are documented in this file using the [Keep a CHANGELOG](htt
 
 ### Added
 
-`ObjectExporter` interface, `ObjectExporterChain`, and `ExportContext` for customizing how objects are exported (a chain can be passed to `Exporter`'s constructor and is consulted before the default representation of an object is used)
+`ObjectExporter` interface, `ObjectExporterChain`, and `ExportContext` for customizing how objects are exported (an object exporter can be passed to `Exporter`'s constructor and is consulted before the default representation of an object is used)
 
 ## [8.1.1] - 2026-07-13
 

README.md

@@ -202,16 +202,13 @@ final class MoneyExporter implements ObjectExporter
 }
 ```
 
-Object exporters are registered by passing an `ObjectExporterChain` to `Exporter`'s constructor. They are consulted, in the order in which they are composed into the chain, before the default representation of an object is used. The first object exporter whose `handles()` method returns `true` is asked for the representation:
+An object exporter is registered by passing it to `Exporter`'s constructor. It is consulted before the default representation of an object is used:
 
 ```php
 <?php declare(strict_types=1);
 use SebastianBergmann\Exporter\Exporter;
-use SebastianBergmann\Exporter\ObjectExporterChain;
 
-$exporter = new Exporter(
-    objectExporter: new ObjectExporterChain([new MoneyExporter]),
-);
+$exporter = new Exporter(objectExporter: new MoneyExporter);
 
 // Money (1999 EUR)
 print $exporter->export(new Money(1999, 'EUR'));
@@ -230,6 +227,23 @@ $price->gross = new Money(2379, 'EUR');
 print $exporter->export($price);
 ```
 
+`ObjectExporterChain` composes multiple object exporters into a single one. They are consulted in the order in which they are composed into the chain and the first one whose `handles()` method returns `true` is asked for the representation:
+
+```php
+<?php declare(strict_types=1);
+use SebastianBergmann\Exporter\Exporter;
+use SebastianBergmann\Exporter\ObjectExporterChain;
+
+$exporter = new Exporter(
+    objectExporter: new ObjectExporterChain(
+        [
+            new BasketExporter,
+            new MoneyExporter,
+        ],
+    ),
+);
+```
+
 Enums are objects and are therefore passed to the object exporters as well. When no object exporter handles an object, the default representation is used for it.
 
 ### Repeated Occurrences
@@ -302,10 +316,6 @@ Array &0 [
 ]
 */
 
-$exporter = new Exporter(
-    objectExporter: new ObjectExporterChain([new BasketExporter, new MoneyExporter]),
-);
-
 print $exporter->export(['basket' => new Basket([new Money(1999, 'EUR')])]);
 ```
 

src/Exporter.php

@@ -61,13 +61,13 @@ final readonly class Exporter
      * @var positive-int
      */
     private int $maxLengthForStrings;
-    private ?ObjectExporterChain $objectExporter;
+    private ?ObjectExporter $objectExporter;
 
     /**
      * @param non-negative-int $shortenArraysLongerThan
      * @param positive-int     $maxLengthForStrings
      */
-    public function __construct(int $shortenArraysLongerThan = 0, int $maxLengthForStrings = 40, ?ObjectExporterChain $objectExporter = null)
+    public function __construct(int $shortenArraysLongerThan = 0, int $maxLengthForStrings = 40, ?ObjectExporter $objectExporter = null)
     {
         $this->shortenArraysLongerThan = $shortenArraysLongerThan;
         $this->maxLengthForStrings     = $maxLengthForStrings;

tests/ExporterTest.php

@@ -670,6 +670,20 @@ EOF;
         );
     }
 
+    public function testObjectCanBeExportedByCustomObjectExporterThatIsNotComposedIntoChain(): void
+    {
+        $exporter = new Exporter(
+            0,
+            40,
+            new ObjectExporterThatHandlesEveryObject,
+        );
+
+        $this->assertSame(
+            'stdClass (indentation: 0)',
+            $exporter->export(new stdClass),
+        );
+    }
+
     public function testObjectNestedInArrayCanBeExportedByCustomObjectExporter(): void
     {
         $exporter = new Exporter(