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Date: Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:33:15 +0100
To: =?UTF-8?Q?Tim_D=C3=BCsterhus?= <tim@bastelstu.be>,
 "Gina P. Banyard" <internals@gpb.moe>
Cc: "Alexandre Daubois" <alex.daubois+php@gmail.com>,
 "PHP internals list" <internals@lists.php.net>
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In-Reply-To: <aa3727123e6a47421d39afc8bb11ff2f@bastelstu.be>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Re: [RFC] Add pack()/unpack() support for signed integers with
 specific endianness
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From: rob@bottled.codes ("Rob Landers")

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On Mon, Nov 3, 2025, at 17:09, Tim D=C3=BCsterhus wrote:
> Hi
>=20
> Am 2025-11-03 15:51, schrieb Gina P. Banyard:
> > While the < > syntax to "force" the endianess of a sequence specifie=
r=20
> > is nice.
> > But if this requires rewriting the whole parser as this RFC implies,=20
> > then you are asking someone to commit to a larger amount of work tha=
n=20
> > they signed up, which is considered bad RFC etiquette. [1]
>=20
> I disagree with that claim in the RFC and to put my money where my mou=
th=20
> is, I have spent the 15 minutes of writing the necessary patch for the=20
> pack() function. It is attached to this email and also available as th=
is=20
> gist: https://gist.github.com/TimWolla/d8bca56a6507226e684827d2a7b4482=
9.=20
> Given the time spent, I've only given it light testing, but it passes=20
> all existing `pack()` tests and returns the correct output for:
>=20
>      <?php
>=20
>      var_dump(bin2hex(pack('s<2s>2', 258, -2, 258, -2)));
>      var_dump(bin2hex(pack('a>', 258)));
>=20
> Using `perl -e "print pack('s<2s>2', 258, -2, 258, -2)" |xxd` as a=20
> comparison. I have not created the patch for `unpack()`, but I believe=20
> this is already sufficient demonstration that =E2=80=9Crewriting the w=
hole=20
> parser=E2=80=9D is not necessary at all.
>=20
> Best regards
> Tim D=C3=BCsterhus
>=20
> *Attachments:*
>  =E2=80=A2 0001-pack-Support-endian-specifier.patch

Please don=E2=80=99t do this.=20

For those of us using pack()/unpack(), I don=E2=80=99t really care how m=
uch like or unlike Perl it is, and having to switch strings based on php=
 version because someone wanted it like Perl sounds like a special kind =
of hell. It=E2=80=99s already tricky enough to get pack/unpack right whe=
n dealing with binary data and having to do it twice plus maintain two d=
ifferent versions of the same string=E2=80=A6 no thank you.

It=E2=80=99s also used subtly in all kinds of unexpected places (totp ca=
lculations, encryption polyfills, etc). This kind of change would almost=
 necessitate a major version bump of php.=20

=E2=80=94 Rob
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<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title></title></head><body><div><br></div><d=
iv><br></div><div>On Mon, Nov 3, 2025, at 17:09, Tim D=C3=BCsterhus wrot=
e:</div><blockquote type=3D"cite" id=3D"qt" style=3D""><div>Hi</div><div=
><br></div><div>Am 2025-11-03 15:51, schrieb Gina P. Banyard:</div><div>=
&gt; While the &lt; &gt; syntax to "force" the endianess of a sequence s=
pecifier&nbsp;</div><div>&gt; is nice.</div><div>&gt; But if this requir=
es rewriting the whole parser as this RFC implies,&nbsp;</div><div>&gt; =
then you are asking someone to commit to a larger amount of work than&nb=
sp;</div><div>&gt; they signed up, which is considered bad RFC etiquette=
. [1]</div><div><br></div><div>I disagree with that claim in the RFC and=
 to put my money where my mouth&nbsp;</div><div>is, I have spent the 15 =
minutes of writing the necessary patch for the&nbsp;</div><div>pack() fu=
nction. It is attached to this email and also available as this&nbsp;</d=
iv><div>gist:&nbsp;<a href=3D"https://gist.github.com/TimWolla/d8bca56a6=
507226e684827d2a7b44829">https://gist.github.com/TimWolla/d8bca56a650722=
6e684827d2a7b44829</a>.&nbsp;</div><div>Given the time spent, I've only =
given it light testing, but it passes&nbsp;</div><div>all existing `pack=
()` tests and returns the correct output for:</div><div><br></div><div>&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &lt;?php</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&n=
bsp;&nbsp; var_dump(bin2hex(pack('s&lt;2s&gt;2', 258, -2, 258, -2)));</d=
iv><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; var_dump(bin2hex(pack('a&gt;', 258)));<=
/div><div><br></div><div>Using `perl -e "print pack('s&lt;2s&gt;2', 258,=
 -2, 258, -2)" |xxd` as a&nbsp;</div><div>comparison. I have not created=
 the patch for `unpack()`, but I believe&nbsp;</div><div>this is already=
 sufficient demonstration that =E2=80=9Crewriting the whole&nbsp;</div><=
div>parser=E2=80=9D is not necessary at all.</div><div><br></div><div>Be=
st regards</div><div>Tim D=C3=BCsterhus</div><div><br></div><div><b>Atta=
chments:</b></div><ul><li>0001-pack-Support-endian-specifier.patch</li><=
/ul></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Please don=E2=80=99t do this. </div=
><div><br></div><div>For those of us using pack()/unpack(), I don=E2=80=99=
t really care how much like or unlike Perl it is, and having to switch s=
trings based on php version because someone wanted it like Perl sounds l=
ike a special kind of hell. It=E2=80=99s already tricky enough to get pa=
ck/unpack right when dealing with binary data and having to do it twice =
plus maintain two different versions of the same string=E2=80=A6 no than=
k you.</div><div><br></div><div>It=E2=80=99s also used subtly in all kin=
ds of unexpected places (totp calculations, encryption polyfills, etc). =
This kind of change would almost necessitate a major version bump of php=
.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div id=3D"sig121229152">=E2=80=94 Rob</div>=
</body></html>
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