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Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2011 15:07:57 +0100
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To: Ben Schmidt <mail_ben_schmidt@yahoo.com.au>
Cc: internals@lists.php.net
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: about class names as values
From: martin@sitevision.dk (Martin Vium)

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I think adding a magic constant or method for getting the class name would
be usefull in many scenarios, when referencing a specific class (e.g.
factories, configurations). It would also work well with namespaces and
refactoring tools e.g.:

$mock =3D $this->getMock('\\My\\Custom\\Namespace\\MyClass');

vs.

use My\Custom\Namespace\MyClass;
$mock =3D $this->getMock(MyClass::CLASS);

On 8 January 2011 11:21, Ben Schmidt <mail_ben_schmidt@yahoo.com.au> wrote:

> I think doing something like this is a good idea for classes and
> interfaces.
>
> Ben.
>
>
>
>
> On 7/01/11 1:16 AM, Martin Scotta wrote:
>
>> Yes, my intention was to only add a magic constant with the class, simil=
ar
>> to this
>>
>> namespace Bar {
>>   class Foo {
>>     const KLASS =3D __CLASS__;
>>   }
>> }
>>
>> namespace Buzz {
>>   use \Bar\Foo as BazFoo;
>>
>>   class Bar extends BazFoo {
>>     const KLASS =3D __CLASS__;
>>   }
>>
>>   $bar =3D new Bar;
>>   $baz =3D new BazFoo;
>>
>>   var_dump( get_class($baz), BazFoo::KLASS);
>>   var_dump( get_class($bar), Bar::KLASS );
>> }
>>
>> This is 100% valid PHP 5.3.3 code, but that includes a lot of effort fro=
m
>> the developer. Someone miss to include the KLASS constant on a class and
>> the
>> result is undefined.
>>
>> If that PHP could add a magic constant --named CLASS or whatever you
>> like--
>> to each class it will reduce the amount of class names hardcoded onto
>> strings, probably to zero.
>>
>> The only issue that I found today is related to interfaces. I'm not sure
>> if
>> they should include this sort of magic constant, but I would rather
>> include
>> them just for consistency but, as I previously said, I'm not sure about
>> this
>> one.
>>
>>  Martin Scotta
>>
>>
>> 2011/1/5 John LeSueur<john.lesueur@gmail.com>
>>
>>
>>>
>>> 2011/1/5 Johannes Schl=FCter<johannes@php.net>
>>>
>>>  On Wed, 2011-01-05 at 21:53 -0300, Martin Scotta wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> $obj =3D newInstance( MyClass ); // notice. undefined constant MyClas=
s
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This describes the major change with your idea.
>>>>
>>>> What happens if a constant MyClass exists?
>>>>
>>>> Another question is something like this:
>>>>
>>>> <?php
>>>> function  factory($class) {
>>>>    return new $class();
>>>> }
>>>>
>>>> factory( SomeClass );
>>>> ?>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> To proper support this we'd have to make classes first class elements.
>>>> For making this consistent it would make sense to make functions first
>>>> class elements. And best drop the $ in front of variables and create a
>>>> new language. Everything else becomes a mess.
>>>>
>>>> johannes
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> PHP Internals - PHP Runtime Development Mailing List
>>>> To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  I think he's actually proposing creating for each class the magic cla=
ss
>>> constant CLASS, so your example becomes:
>>>
>>>
>>> <?php
>>>
>>> function factory($class) {
>>>     return new $class();
>>> }
>>>
>>> factory( SomeClass::CLASS );
>>>
>>> ?>
>>>
>>> This is actually doable without a magic class constant, but requires a
>>> function or class constant to be declared in each class.
>>>
>>> <?php
>>> class SomeClass {
>>>     const CLASS =3D __NAMESPACE__ . '\' . __CLASS__;
>>>     static function getNameWithNSPath()
>>>     {
>>>         return __NAMESPACE__ . '\' . __CLASS__;
>>>     }
>>> }
>>>
>>>
>>> factory( SomeClass::getNameWithNSPath() );
>>> ?>
>>>
>>> Perhaps this could be simplified with traits, if __NAMESPACE__ and
>>> __CLASS__ work in traits that way. In fact, that's an interesting
>>> question,
>>> what is __NAMESPACE__ in a trait defined in one namespace, then used in=
 a
>>> class in a different namespace?
>>>
>>> I think the point is that the factory function could exist without any
>>> knowledge of the namespaces of the classes it would work on. Then,
>>> somewhere
>>> else where the class has been aliased or is otherwise accessible withou=
t
>>> the
>>> full namespace path, the developer wouldn't need to specify the full
>>> namespace path to the factory, but could ask the class itself what it's
>>> full
>>> namespace path was. I don't know that I agree with the idea, but I don'=
t
>>> think it requires making classes first class elements.
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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> PHP Internals - PHP Runtime Development Mailing List
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>
>
>


--=20
Mvh
Martin Vium
Senior System Arkitekt
Sitevision

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