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Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2017 19:20:59 +0200
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Subject: [RFC] Deprecate the extract function in PHP 7.3
From: ilija.tovilo@me.com

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Hi=21

The =60extract=60 function takes an associative array and puts it into th=
e local symbol table.
http://php.net/manual/en/function.extract.php

=60=60=60
=24array =3D =5B
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =E2=80=98foo=E2=80=99 =3D> =E2=80=98foo=E2=80=99,
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =E2=80=98bar=E2=80=99 =3D> =E2=80=98bar=E2=80=99,
=5D;

extract(=24array);

print =24foo; // =22foo=22
=60=60=60

As a second parameter the =60extract=60 function takes some options to ma=
ke this function less dangerous, like =60EXTR=5FSKIP=60 that prevents an =
existing local variable of being overwritten. There=E2=80=99s a few more =
options, go ahead and take a look at the documentation. =60EXTR=5FOVERWRI=
TE=60 is the default one though. You can also pass a prefix for the varia=
ble names as a third argument.

I seriously doubt the usefulness of this function, especially looking at =
the potential risks. The fact that overwriting the local variables is the=
 default behaviour doesn=E2=80=99t make it any better. I suggest deprecat=
ing it in PHP 7.3 and removing it in 8.

In a whole Symfony-Stack (3.4) with all of it=E2=80=99s dependencies I co=
uld only find two usages of this function, both of which could be easily =
rewritten in vanilla PHP:
https://github.com/symfony/symfony/blob/master/src/Symfony/Component/Temp=
lating/PhpEngine.php=23L148
https://github.com/symfony/symfony/blob/master/src/Symfony/Component/Temp=
lating/PhpEngine.php=23L158

Only downside: A polyfill is probably impossible since you cannot mutate =
the local symbol table of the callee (as far as I=E2=80=99m aware).

Any thoughts=3F

Regards



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