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Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:53:40 +0000
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=wY_djZ=4ZKW7sV4zKpr_X_uEo3iqkA+pSDCsy@mail.gmail.com>
To: president@basnetworks.net
Cc: internals@lists.php.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: C-sharp style property get/set syntax for PHP
From: rquadling@gmail.com (Richard Quadling)

On 28 November 2010 23:18,  <president@basnetworks.net> wrote:
> Link to the RFC:
> http://wiki.php.net/rfc/propertygetsetsyntax
>
> Thanks,
> Dennis Robinson

I'd really like this feature to be part of PHP.

I don't particularly like the use of what looks like a closure for the set/get.

I used to code in Delphi and I always like the way in which their
properties were defined.

Essentially, the setter and getter are normal methods which are cherry
picked for a property [1].

<?php
class TimePeriod
{
    protected $seconds;

    public property Hours read getHours write setHours;

    protected function getHours()
    {
        return $this->seconds / 3600;
    }

    protected function setHours()
    {
        $this->seconds = $value * 3600;
    }

    // This property is read-only
    public property Minutes read getMinutes;

    protected function getMinutes()
    {
        return $this->seconds / 60;
    }

    public property Milliseconds read getMilliseconds write setMilliseconds;

    public function getMilliseconds()
    {
        // This method is public
        return $this->seconds * 60;
    }

    protected function setMilliseconds()
    {
        // This method is protected
        $this->seconds = $value * 3600;
    }
}

For me, the advantage here is that I can independently the methods
from the property. If I want to force a subclass to implement a
setter/getter, then I can abstract the function in the base class.
Sure, some may say that I should be using an interface. I disagree as
I probably don't want the methods to be public. Protected or even
private and/or final.

The classic example is one of shapes. Every shape has a public $area
property, but the value would be provided by an abstract protected
TShape::getArea(); method. I can also finalise them, so, for example,
a triangle shape could have a final protected getArea() method and all
sub classes of triangles (scalene, isosceles, equilateral) would not
implement their own getArea() method.

The downside is certainly that the code is more verbose than I would
guess many people would like.

Regards,

Richard.

[1] http://www.delphibasics.co.uk/RTL.asp?Name=Property
-- 
Richard Quadling
Twitter : EE : Zend
@RQuadling : e-e.com/M_248814.html : bit.ly/9O8vFY