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Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 00:58:24 +0200
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Subject: Re: Short syntax for array literals [...]
From: sebastian.deutsch@9elements.com (Sebastian Deutsch)

fyi - i added a RFC

http://wiki.php.net/rfc/shortsyntaxforarrays

please add your votes

cheers

Sebastian

Sebastian Deutsch schrieb:
> dont have karma - but I would love it! so +1 here.
> would it make sense to write an RFC?
> 
> cheers
> 
> Sebastian
> 
> Stan Vassilev | FM schrieb:
>> Hi,
>>
>> I hear this often by other developers and I tend to agree with them, 
>> that arrays are used often, and often nested, so that having a long 
>> syntax for array literals tend to produce less legible code than in 
>> other scriping languages.
>>
>> $a = array(array(1,2), array(3,4), 5, 6);
>>
>> $b = array('a' => 1, 'b' =>2);
>>
>> We use arrays in our configurations, in passing complex parameters to 
>> functions, fetching information from databases, basically everything. 
>> So it adds up.
>>
>> Some frameworks have somewhat funny attempts to remedy this by 
>> introducing "shortcuts" like this:   function a() { return 
>> func_get-args(); }. Of course this doesn't work when you need to 
>> specify the key name, and the overhead isn't worth it.
>>
>> It looks as there may not be a specific reason not to allow the JS 
>> syntax as an alternative syntax (while keeping the current one in 
>> parallel):
>>
>> $a = [[1, 2], [3, 4], 5, 6];
>>
>> $b = ['a' => 1, 'b' =>2];
>>
>> There shouldn't be confusion to the parser as the brackets aren't 
>> preceded by an identifier.
>>
>> Was this discussed before on the list?
>>
>> Regards, Stan Vassilev