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Date: 05 May 2003 09:01:05 -0400
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Subject: __asType()
From: sterling@bumblebury.com (Sterling Hughes)

Hi,

When developing my SimpleXML extension, I've come to a situation where I
want to have the ability (internally), to convert my object to a base
type, when requested.  I need this when both attributes and xml tags are
identical within the same context, ie:

data.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<name id="20">
 <id type="age">30</id>
</name>

name.php
<?php
$n = new Simple_XML('data.xml');
echo $n->id;
?>

I'd like the ability to provide two modes of access for the object,
array and object.  So, one could do:

$n['id']; // attr

And

$n->id; // node

However, barring that, I'd like the ability to simply cast the object as
a base type, essentially ::

echo $n->id;
echo $n->id->get_attr('type');

And have them both work.  Are either of these a possibility?

-Sterling

-- 
"Reductionists like to take things apart.  The rest of us are 
 just trying to get it together." 
    - Larry Wall, Programming Perl, 3rd Edition