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Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2006 18:10:21 -0700
To: Rasmus Lerdorf <rasmus@lerdorf.com>
Cc: Derick Rethans <derick@php.net>,Marcus Boerger <helly@php.net>,
	internals@lists.php.net
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Missing __toString() part
From: andi@zend.com (Andi Gutmans)

Need to think about that but I remembered after I sent my email that 
I was wrong about something like "num:num" (e.g. "3:4") requiring to 
start with a letter in order not to be auto-converted to a numbered 
index. The reason for the confusion is the behavior of strtol() in:
print "3:4" + 1;

Which will convert "3:4" to "3".

Anyway, will think a bit more about your email and hopefully have 
some more ideas by tomorrow.

Thx.

Andi

At 09:17 AM 6/4/2006, Rasmus Lerdorf wrote:
>Andi Gutmans wrote:
>>Again, I don't think we should have a hash but a unique id which 
>>can be used as an array key and in other things. Difference. Hash 
>>implies that it's not unique, I'm talking about unique. So yes, I'd 
>>take the starting point of Marcus' proposal but:
>>a) Make the value start with a letter so that this isn't 
>>autoconverted but taken as a literal string key. Again, something 
>>like "id=%p:%d"
>>b) Not call it hash because I see this as a unique id and not as a 
>>hash value which is not unique necessarily.
>>c) This should be something outside SPL and part of the engine. 
>>Question is again, whether it's explicit or implicit (back to the 
>>question I had earlier). Do you just want to add a function which 
>>returns this thing or do you want $arr[$obj] to automatically ask for it.
>>These are valid questions and should be answered.
>
>I think if we implement a way to get a hash from an object, or at 
>least a unique identifier that can be used as a hash, then it should 
>be implicit just like other things are implicitly converted when the 
>context is clear.  Of course, you should also be able to force it 
>explicitly.  And I don't think there is any point in doing this 
>unless we also implicitly go the other way.  From unique identifier 
>to object.  As in:
>
>   class foo { function bar($arg) { echo $arg; } }
>   $obj1 = new foo;
>   $obj2 = new foo;
>
>   $a = array($obj1=>1,$obj2=>2);
>   foreach($a as $k=>$v) {
>     $k->bar($v);
>   }
>
>Unless this works, I am not sure there is any point to all this.  To 
>me the end goal is to make it possible to use types other than 
>strings and numbers as array indices which to me also means we 
>should look at doing the same for arrays.
>
>-Rasmus