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Subject: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] Add Directive to Make All Namespaced Function Calls
 Global
To: internals@lists.php.net
Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2024 07:42:19 -0400
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From: lists@ageofdream.com (Nick Lockheart)

Good morning all:

When calling functions from the *global* namespace, the PHP parser
creates opcodes that use those functions directly. When those functions
are certain built-in functions, the parser can use special opcodes that
are optimized for those function calls.

When calling functions from *within* a namespace, the parser does not
know at compile time if the function is defined in the current
namespace or if the global function will be used.

Because unqualified function calls are ambiguous, the parser adds an NS
Lookup opcode which performs a runtime check for the function name in
the current namespace, and then falls back to the global namespace if
the function is not defined locally.

This also prevents the parser from using dedicated opcodes for built-in
functions.

This incurs a performance penalty.

In the past, RFCs that aimed to address this issue got too hung up on a
syntax discussion, rather than a simple =E2=80=9Cshould we solve this=E2=80=
=9D question
proposed to the community.

I would like to discuss and then vote on this proposal as a feature,
without getting into any specifics of syntax.

I propose that we vote yes/no on if there should be some way, whatever
that way ends up being, to tell the parser to always treat unqualified
function names as global.

I think it's important to get a =E2=80=9Cclean vote=E2=80=9D on this issue,=
 to separate
out if past objections were objections to the concept, or if only the
syntax proposed in past discussions was disfavored.

To that end, I have created the following RFC:

https://wiki.php.net/rfc/global_function_parser_directive
I am asking that we discuss and vote on the following question:

=E2=80=9CShould there be some way for developers to signal to the parser at
compile time that all unqualified function names found in a namespace
context are global, without a namespace lookup?=E2=80=9D

Yes: We should do this, let's discuss syntax possibilities.

No: This should not be a feature at all.

Thank you for your consideration.