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Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2020 13:37:51 -0400
Message-ID: <CAPKYkKy68bGCWuChqFBw0zRnaDF8c=Wmv-c8UVyd5B5jkGdHTA@mail.gmail.com>
To: Sara Golemon <pollita@php.net>
Cc: Benjamin Morel <benjamin.morel@gmail.com>, Sherif Ramadan <theanomaly.is@gmail.com>, 
	PHP Internals <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000b8782205a215e9fe"
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC][DISCUSSION] Change var_export() array syntax to
 use short hand arrays
From: chasepeeler@gmail.com (Chase Peeler)

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On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 1:32 PM Sara Golemon <pollita@php.net> wrote:

> On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 11:39 AM Benjamin Morel <benjamin.morel@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > If "they" don't care about syntax, then why do you?
> >
> >
> > Sorry I was unclear. I was reacting to the argument about broken tests in
> > php-src.
> > I meant: they don't have *expectations* about the syntax, but they'll
> most
> > likely want to be able to read it.
> >
> > And we circle back to the current syntax being perfectly readable. We
> could keep this up all quarantine...
>
> In a more practical example,
> https://github.com/php/web-php/blob/master/include/releases.inc is an
> example of a var_export() generated file that lives in the wild and is
> regularly updated.
>
> I would say it's fairly readable, HOWEVER I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU that it
> would be MORE readable using short array syntax and skipping the index
> numbers.  In fact, I had exactly this thought nearly 3 years ago when I
> started touching this file regularly. (plus the fact that the structure of
> this array is kinda gross).
>
> You'll note though, that I'm not championing making this file more
> reasonable. Because it doesn't matter.  Because accidental damage to
> existing code isn't worth a minor bit of aesthetics by a file which is
> primarily read by machines.  If it really mattered to me in any meaningful
> way, I'd write the dozen or so lines of script needed to output in a
> "pretty" way.  Or I'd go google and find brick/varexporter.
>
> Lastly, there are at least six RMs at any given moment working on PHP's
> release.  Can you imagine if we were updating this file using different
> versions?  The git churn would be horrific.  Do not want.  If we really
> wanted "pretty var_export", then there'd be no real choice BUT to use a
> library script to do the serializing.
>
> -Sara
>

I'm with Sara on this, which shouldn't be a big surprise.

Just out of curiosity, is there any reason we couldn't add an optional
parameter called "$short_array" or whatever that defaults to false? Then
there shouldn't be any backwards compatibility issues.

-- 
Chase Peeler
chasepeeler@gmail.com

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