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Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2022 15:04:35 -0400
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Cc: PHP internals <internals@lists.php.net>
To: Lynn <kjarli@gmail.com>,
 Kamil Tekiela <tekiela246@gmail.com>
References: <CAPyj-LDVVfrSx1B3DpW+VjOe78twZVbPsGRv+k96MJ=1A3vCAw@mail.gmail.com>
 <20220312031138.5e0669a4@platypus>
 <CANS-=pfAvb2T9HS-+T-CpnUDnnbp-GgSeYnHCive+PRB_sJC5A@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC][Under discussion] Deprecate ${} string
 interpolation
From: mike@newclarity.net (Mike Schinkel)

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> On Mar 12, 2022, at 5:44 AM, Lynn <kjarli@gmail.com> wrote:
>=20
> Variable variables should be removed from PHP asap. It's 2022 and I =
still
> encounter bugs due to this "working" in legacy applications.



> On Mar 12, 2022, at 5:48 AM, Kamil Tekiela <tekiela246@gmail.com> =
wrote:
>=20
> +1 on removing variable variables as soon as possible.



Variable variables provide functionality[1] that if removed would force =
major rewrites of PHP applications that were architected in a way that =
depends on that functionality.=20

And while probably between 90% and 99% of the time when someone uses =
variable variables there are better alternatives, variable variables =
make certain code possible that would be impossible without them.

So, *assuming* removing variable variables is important enough to break =
any the existing code that uses it =E2=80=94 sourcegraph.com reports[2] =
162.2k examples of its use =E2=80=94 PHP should at least add a function =
that would allow getting the variables value by name.  Something like =
`get_variable_value_by_name($name)` but hopefully with a less verbose =
name than I used in my example just now.

#jmtcw

-Mike

[1] =
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16339658/php-variable-value-from-strin=
g =
<https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16339658/php-variable-value-from-stri=
ng>
[2] =
https://sourcegraph.com/search?q=3Dcontext:global+lang:php+%5B%5E:%5C%5C%5=
D%5C%24%5C%7B%5C%24++count:all&patternType=3Dregexp =
<https://sourcegraph.com/search?q=3Dcontext:global+lang:php+[^:\\]\$\{\$++=
count:all&patternType=3Dregexp>


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