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Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2023 11:21:50 +0200
In-Reply-To: <64E00A5D.5010108@adviesenzo.nl>
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To: Juliette Reinders Folmer <php-internals_nospam@adviesenzo.nl>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Access property of object stored in a constant
From: claude.pache@gmail.com (Claude Pache)

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> Le 19 ao=C3=BBt 2023 =C3=A0 02:18, Juliette Reinders Folmer =
<php-internals_nospam@adviesenzo.nl> a =C3=A9crit :
>=20
>=20
> I totally understand that people are trying to do this, but this still =
very much feels like scope creep.
>=20
> IIRC the new in initializers feature was _intended_ only for enums =
(which can't take properties). Now suddenly a "constant" would no longer =
be constant... In which case, what's the point of declaring it as a =
constant ?
>=20
> Smile,
> Juliette

Hi,

It might not be the original intended use. But people are entitled to =
use features if they find them handy for their purpose. (It was the =
reason I end up using PHP rather than Java: because it solved problems =
<https://www.npopov.com/2012/06/29/PHP-solves-problems-Oh-and-you-can-prog=
ram-with-it-too.html>.)

At the time I filed https://github.com/php/php-src/issues/10497, I was =
merely exploring the potential of the new ability to have an object in a =
constant. The potential use I had back in my head was the following. =
Currently, I store some settings in global constants. I was =
contemplating replacing those by properties of a readonly object stored =
in a global constant. (A fatal issue I discovered later in my journey is =
that readonly properties can only be initialised by code inside the =
class itself.)

But in any case, it is good to have regularity in the language. The fact =
that an object is stored in a constant is completely orthogonal with the =
fact that the object is mutable, and the proposed patch does not add new =
capability. (Conversely, the current limitation does not remove any =
capability.)

=E2=80=94Claude



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