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Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2022 11:54:51 -0500
To: "php internals" <internals@lists.php.net>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] [Under Discussion] Auto-implement Stringable for string
 backed enums
From: larry@garfieldtech.com ("Larry Garfield")

On Wed, Jun 22, 2022, at 12:26 PM, Larry Garfield wrote:

> So I am firmly against making it easier to (mis)use enums in a 
> situation where constants are already the superior solution by every 
> metric.  The only argument I see is making case 1, transitioning from a 
> string to an enum for a genuinely limited-case, easier.  But in that 
> case, the transition is going to have to happen eventually anyway, and 
> that means the type is going to change at some point, and the same BC 
> issue will appear, just at a different time.  Unless the intent is to 
> then never change the type and keep the function incorrectly typed 
> (from the POV that it's logically an enum, even though string typed was 
> the best/correct type for years) forever, in which case... use a set of 
> constants.  
>
> --Larry Garfield

As promised, a blog post on the topic that folks are welcome to link to when telling people no: 

https://peakd.com/hive-168588/@crell/on-the-use-of-enums

--Larry Garfield