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Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:19:30 +0000
To: internals@lists.php.net
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] Pipe Operator (again)
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From: imsop.php@rwec.co.uk ("Rowan Tommins [IMSoP]")



On 11 March 2025 09:00:52 GMT, "C=C3=B4me Chilliet" <come@chilliet=2Eeu> w=
rote:
>This would be way better on performances as a single foreach, no?
>I feel like this pipe operator encourages coders to use array_* functions=
 with closures, which is often terrible performances compared to a loop=2E

I think this highlights something that has been mentioned a few times over=
 the years: PHP badly needs more native functions for working with iterator=
s=2E If each stage of the pipeline is lazily consuming an iterator and yiel=
ding each value in turn, one major source of performance impact goes away, =
because we don't have to repeatedly allocate intermediate arrays=2E It also=
 makes it much easier to work with infinite inputs, which obviously can't b=
e flattened to an array=2E

It also highlights why just letting all array functions accept iterable wo=
uld *not* be the right approach: array_map(iterable):array would still have=
 to eagerly iterate its input, so we need a separate iter_map(iterable):Non=
RewindableIterator (or whatever name)=2E Even iter_sum() might shortcut if =
an invalid value was defined as an Error rather than Warning=2E

This feels like one of those cases where different proposals complement ra=
ther than blocking each other: iterator functions make pipes more efficient=
 to use, and pipes make iterator functions more pleasant to use=2E I'd like=
 both please=2E :)

Rowan Tommins
[IMSoP]