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Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:38:23 -0500
Message-ID: <1197149903.9893.16.camel@sams-room>
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Subject: Type hinting
From: sam@sambarrow.com (Sam Barrow)

A few weeks ago I wrote a message on this list about my patch for scalar
type hinting. I've been using it for about a month now in a large scale
application im developing with no problems. It allows type hinting for
the following types: int, float, string, bool (boolean), num (int or
float), scalar (int, float, string, or bool), object, and resource.

All of these types have been very useful. Num has been useful for any
mathematical functions, scalar has been the most useful, mostly for
echoing values and interacting with the database (as a database cant
store arrays or objects).

The type hinting is all 100% optional and has caused no problems for me
at all, I use it in most function but some functions I'll use it for one
parameter and not the other, or none at all with no problems.

What is the general opinion on this? Examples below:

<?php

function multiply(num $a, num b) {
	return $a * $b ;
}

multiply(5, 1) ; // works

multiply(3.7, 8.2) // works

multiply("foo", 5) ; // Catchable fatal error: Argument 1 passed to
multiply() must be a number, string given

function displayStuff(scalar $stuff) {
	echo $stuff ;
}

displayStuff('Hello!') ; // works

displayStuff(123) ; // works

displayStuff(array('a' => 'b')) ; // Catchable fatal error: Argument 1
passed to displayStuff() must be a scalar, array given

?>