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Thread-Topic: [PROPOSAL] Bare name array literals (again)
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Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2021 16:54:26 +0000
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Subject: [PROPOSAL] Bare name array literals (again)
From: tysonandre775@hotmail.com (tyson andre)

Hi internals,=0A=
=0A=
In every place where `key` is a valid php identifier=0A=
(e.g. can be used in PHP 8.0's named parameters),=0A=
I propose to allow `[key: expr]` to be used instead of `['key' =3D> expr]`.=
=0A=
(including `list(key: expr)` and `array(key: expr)`=0A=
(This can be mixed anywhere with existing key/value syntax such as `$key =
=3D> $value`, `...`, etc)=0A=
=0A=
The implementation can be found inathttps://github.com/php/php-src/pull/663=
5=0A=
=0A=
This is useful for shortening long arrays where the keys are known literals=
,=0A=
e.g.=0A=
=0A=
```php=0A=
return [success: true, data: $data, cursor: $cursor];=0A=
// is equivalent to the following, but shorter:=0A=
return ['success' =3D> true, 'data' =3D> $data, 'cursor' =3D> $cursor];=0A=
```=0A=
=0A=
This uses a similar syntax to named parameter invocations,=0A=
making it unlikely to cause future parser conflicts.=0A=
=0A=
```php=0A=
// Invoking a function with PHP 8.0 named parameters.=0A=
process_api_result(success: true, data: $data);=0A=
```=0A=
=0A=
This can also be used in the older `array()` value and `list()` destructuri=
ng=0A=
syntaxes. Forbidding `key: value` there seemed like=0A=
an unnecessary restriction that would make=0A=
the language harder to remember and a language specification a bit longer.=
=0A=
=0A=
I haven't written up an RFC yet, but an older RFC for PHP 5 https://wiki.ph=
p.net/rfc/bare_name_array_literal=0A=
includes most of the arguments I plan to make, as well as the PR descriptio=
n. Things that have changed since then include:=0A=
=0A=
- In php 8.0, named parameters were already added, so the `key: expr` synta=
x is not likely to cause conflicts with future syntax.=0A=
- Users would already be familiar with this syntax and its meaning due to n=
amed parameters.=0A=
- There are better open source static analyzers to detect misuse of array k=
eys or passing unexpected types to arrays (Phan, Psalm, PHPStan) when code =
is properly annotated=0A=
=0A=
https://wiki.php.net/rfc/named_params#shorthand_syntax_for_matching_paramet=
er_and_variable_name mentioned this among the future scope.=0A=
It had also suggested `:$var` or `=3D$var` as shorthand for `var: $var`, bu=
t this is going to be left out of this feedback - https://externals.io/mess=
age/101698 has mostly negative feedback on a recent proposal (and there are=
 multiple syntax candidates)=0A=
=0A=
Any feedback?=0A=
=0A=
Thanks,=0A=
Tyson=