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Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2024 22:32:13 +0100
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [Concept] Flip relative function lookup order (global,
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From: imsop.php@rwec.co.uk ("Rowan Tommins [IMSoP]")

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On 04/08/2024 18:41, Ilija Tovilo wrote:
> * Prefix your calls with namespace\. That's quite ugly, but is the
> syntax we currently offer.


I was thinking about this earlier, and how the migration is pretty much 
the same (and equally automatable) in either direction:

* If unqualified calls become always local, then every global function 
call needs a use statement or prefixing with "\".
* If they become always global, then every local function call needs a 
use statement or prefixing with "namespace\".

But the first option probably requires changes in the majority of PHP 
files in use anywhere; whereas the second only affects a small minority 
of code bases, and a small minority of code in those.


BUT, if people already complain about "\" being ugly, having to write 
"namespace\" is going to make them REALLY grumpy...

So maybe at the same time (or, probably, in advance) we need to come up 
with a nicer syntax for explicitly referencing the current namespace.

Unfortunately, finding unused syntax is hard, which is why we have "\" 
in the first place (and for the record, I think it works just fine), but 
maybe something like "_\" could work? Giving us:

namespace Foo;

$native_length = strlen('hello'); # same as \strlen('hello')
$foo_length = _\strlen('hello'); #  same as \Foo\strlen('hello')


If I had a time machine, I'd campaign for "unqualified means local" in 
PHP 5.3, and we'd all be used to writing "\strlen" by now; but 
"unqualified means global" feels much more achievable from where we are.

-- 
Rowan Tommins
[IMSoP]

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    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 04/08/2024 18:41, Ilija Tovilo
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAPyj-LA4kTJTrQZUkn9kNMvWdH6SsFGU5mBO6EcpuUcRpXesgw@mail.gmail.com">
      <pre>* Prefix your calls with namespace\. That's quite ugly, but is the
syntax we currently offer.</pre>
    </blockquote>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p>I was thinking about this earlier, and how the migration is
      pretty much the same (and equally automatable) in either
      direction:<br>
    </p>
    <p>* If unqualified calls become always local, then every global
      function call needs a use statement or prefixing with "\".<br>
      * If they become always global, then every local function call
      needs a use statement or prefixing with "namespace\".</p>
    <p>But the first option probably requires changes in the majority of
      PHP files in use anywhere; whereas the second only affects a small
      minority of code bases, and a small minority of code in those.<br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p>BUT, if people already complain about "\" being ugly, having to
      write "namespace\" is going to make them REALLY grumpy...</p>
    <p>So maybe at the same time (or, probably, in advance) we need to
      come up with a nicer syntax for explicitly referencing the current
      namespace.</p>
    <p>Unfortunately, finding unused syntax is hard, which is why we
      have "\" in the first place (and for the record, I think it works
      just fine), but maybe something like "_\" could work? Giving us:<br>
    </p>
    <p>namespace Foo;</p>
    <p>$native_length = strlen('hello'); # same as \strlen('hello')<br>
      $foo_length = _\strlen('hello'); #  same as \Foo\strlen('hello')<br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p>If I had a time machine, I'd campaign for "unqualified means
      local" in PHP 5.3, and we'd all be used to writing "\strlen" by
      now; but "unqualified means global" feels much more achievable
      from where we are.</p>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Rowan Tommins
[IMSoP]</pre>
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