Add support for Backed Enums (#1171)

* Add support for Backed Enums
Fixes #1012

Also added docs (and docs for matches operator)

4 files changed, 221 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/docs/designers/language-basic-syntax/language-syntax-operators.md b/docs/designers/language-basic-syntax/language-syntax-operators.md
index 98a56538..965327c3 100644
--- a/docs/designers/language-basic-syntax/language-syntax-operators.md
+++ b/docs/designers/language-basic-syntax/language-syntax-operators.md
@@ -50,6 +50,120 @@ separated from surrounding elements by spaces. Note that items listed in
 | is \[not\] odd by  |            | $a is not odd by $b  | \[not\] an odd grouping        | ($a / $b) % 2 != 0 |
 | is in              |            | $a is in $b          | exists in array                | in_array($a, $b)   |
 | is \[not\] in      |            | $a is not in $b      | does not exist in array        | !in_array($a, $b)  |
+| matches            |            | $a matches $b       | regex pattern match            | preg_match($b, $a) |
+
+## Regex Matching Operator
+
+The `matches` operator allows you to test if a string matches a regular expression pattern.
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+```smarty
+{if "hello" matches "/^[a-z]+$/"}
+    String matches the pattern!
+{/if}
+
+{if $email matches "/^[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+$/"}
+    Valid email format
+{else}
+    Invalid email format
+{/if}
+```
+
+### Using Variables
+
+```smarty
+{$pattern = '/^[a-zA-Z0-9]{8,}$/'}
+{if $password matches $pattern}
+    Password meets requirements
+{else}
+    Password must be at least 8 alphanumeric characters
+{/if}
+```
+
+### Pattern Modifiers
+
+The `matches` operator supports all standard PHP regex modifiers:
+
+```smarty
+{* Case insensitive matching *}
+{if "HELLO" matches "/hello/i"}
+    Matches (case insensitive)
+{/if}
+
+{* Multiline mode *}
+{if "line1\nline2" matches "/line2$/m"}
+    Matches in multiline mode
+{/if}
+
+{* Dot matches newlines *}
+{if "hello\nworld" matches "/hello.world/s"}
+    Matches with dotall modifier
+{/if}
+```
+
+### Complex Conditions
+
+The `matches` operator can be combined with other operators:
+
+```smarty
+{if $username matches "/^[a-z]+$/" && $username|length > 3}
+    Valid username
+{else}
+    Username must be lowercase letters and at least 4 characters
+{/if}
+
+{if $input matches "/^[0-9]+$/" || $input matches "/^[a-z]+$/"}
+    Input is either numeric or lowercase letters
+{else}
+    Invalid input format
+{/if}
+```
+
+### Practical Examples
+
+**Email Validation:**
+```smarty
+{if $email matches "/^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$/"}
+    Valid email address
+{else}
+    Please enter a valid email address
+{/if}
+```
+
+**Password Strength:**
+```smarty
+{if $password matches "/^(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z])(?=.*\d).{8,}$/"}
+    Strong password
+{else}
+    Password must contain uppercase, lowercase, numbers and be at least 8 characters
+{/if}
+```
+
+**URL Validation:**
+```smarty
+{if $url matches "/^https?:\/\/(www\.)?[a-z0-9\-]+(\.[a-z]{2,})+/i"}
+    Valid URL format
+{else}
+    Please enter a valid URL
+{/if}
+```
+
+**Numeric Validation:**
+```smarty
+{if $input matches "/^[0-9]+$/"}
+    Valid numeric input
+{else}
+    Please enter numbers only
+{/if}
+```
+
+### Notes
+
+- The `matches` operator uses PHP's `preg_match()` function internally
+- Pattern delimiters must be valid regex delimiters (typically `/`)
+- Invalid patterns will cause PHP warnings but won't break template execution
+- For complex regex patterns, consider using variables for better readability
 
 ## Ternary
 You can use the `?:` (or ternary) operator to test one expression and present the value
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-variables/language-assigned-variables.md b/docs/designers/language-variables/language-assigned-variables.md
index 9465a89c..5dfa3648 100644
--- a/docs/designers/language-variables/language-assigned-variables.md
+++ b/docs/designers/language-variables/language-assigned-variables.md
@@ -123,4 +123,89 @@ this will output:
 ```html
 name:  Zaphod Beeblebrox<br />
 email: zaphod@slartibartfast.example.com<br />
-```
\ No newline at end of file
+```
+
+## Backed Enums (PHP 8.1+)
+
+Smarty supports accessing properties of [backed enums](https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.enumerations.backed.php) introduced in PHP 8.1.
+
+### Accessing Enum Properties
+
+You can access the `name` and `value` properties of backed enum cases:
+
+```smarty
+{* Access enum case properties *}
+<option id="{MyEnum::Foo->name}">{MyEnum::Foo->value}</option>
+```
+
+### Complete Example
+
+```php
+<?php
+use Smarty\Smarty;
+
+// Define a backed enum
+enum Status: string {
+    case Active = 'active';
+    case Inactive = 'inactive';
+    case Pending = 'pending';
+}
+
+$smarty = new Smarty();
+$smarty->assign('currentStatus', Status::Active);
+$smarty->display('template.tpl');
+```
+
+`template.tpl`:
+
+```smarty
+{* Display enum properties *}
+Current status: {$currentStatus->name} (value: {$currentStatus->value})
+
+{* Use in HTML attributes *}
+<select name="status">
+    <option value="{Status::Active->value}" {if $currentStatus->name === 'Active'}selected{/if}>Active</option>
+    <option value="{Status::Inactive->value}" {if $currentStatus->name === 'Inactive'}selected{/if}>Inactive</option>
+    <option value="{Status::Pending->value}" {if $currentStatus->name === 'Pending'}selected{/if}>Pending</option>
+</select>
+```
+
+This would output:
+
+```html
+Current status: Active (value: active)
+
+<select name="status">
+    <option value="active" selected>Active</option>
+    <option value="inactive">Inactive</option>
+    <option value="pending">Pending</option>
+</select>
+```
+
+### Integer-backed Enums
+
+Integer-backed enums work the same way:
+
+```php
+<?php
+enum Priority: int {
+    case Low = 1;
+    case Medium = 2; 
+    case High = 3;
+}
+
+$smarty->assign('priority', Priority::High);
+```
+
+```smarty
+{* Access integer enum properties *}
+Priority level: {$priority->value} ({$priority->name})
+```
+
+Output:
+
+```html
+Priority level: 3 (High)
+```
+
+> **Note**: Backed enum support requires PHP 8.1 or higher. The enum must be registered or available in the current namespace.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/features.md b/docs/features.md
index f9a873be..bab9cd1e 100644
--- a/docs/features.md
+++ b/docs/features.md
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ Some of Smarty's features:
 -   [Template Inheritance](api/inheritance.md) for
     easy management of template content.
 -   [Plugin](api/extending/introduction.md) architecture
+-   Regex pattern matching with the [`matches`](designers/language-basic-syntax/language-syntax-operators.md#regex-matching-operator) operator
+-   Support for PHP 8.1+ [backed enums](designers/language-variables/language-assigned-variables.md#backed-enums-php-81)
 
 ## Separation of presentation from application code
 -   This means templates can certainly contain logic under the condition
diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index e187ffbe..63cf15e0 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -8,6 +8,25 @@ It allows you to write **templates**, using **variables**, **modifiers**, **func
 <p>
     The number of pixels is: {math equation="x * y" x=$height y=$width}.
 </p>
+
+<p>
+    {if $email matches "/^[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+$/"}
+        Valid email address
+    {else}
+        Please enter a valid email
+    {/if}
+</p>
+```
+```html
+<h1>Hello world</h1>
+
+<p>
+    The number of pixels is: 307200.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+    Valid email address
+</p>
 ```
 
 When this template is rendered, with the value "Hello world" for the variable $title, 640 for $width,