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Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2025 13:36:14 +0000 (GMT)
To: =?UTF-8?Q?Tim_D=C3=BCsterhus?= <tim@bastelstu.be>
cc: "Rowan Tommins [IMSoP]" <imsop.php@rwec.co.uk>, internals@lists.php.net
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] [Discussion] Stringable Enums
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From: derick@php.net (Derick Rethans)

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On Thu, 4 Dec 2025, Tim D=C3=BCsterhus wrote:

> Hi
>=20
> Am 2025-12-04 09:01, schrieb Rowan Tommins [IMSoP]:
>
> > And is it even a good name for those methods? In the date-time=20
> > package, for instance, it would be better named toEnglishName() or=20
> > getFullEnglishName(), as its docblock explicitly says. In the=20
> > framework code, it seems to be used for a property called=20
> > $displayValue, so the obvious name for the method would be=20
> > getDisplayValue().
>=20
> I fundamentally disagree with the proposal for reasons similar to those t=
hat
> Rowan mentioned. More specifically, I consider implementing `__toString()=
` to
> be a mistake, unless it is for a debug representation.

I agree, and also:

We usually have a `__debugInfo()` method for debugging purposes. Instead=20
of allowing `__toString()` to be added, I think I would rather see=20
`__debugInfo()` being allowed.=20

It must continue to be not possible to treat enums as strings.

cheers,
Derick
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