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Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:24:56 +0200
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: alternative callback syntax
From: ivan.enderlin@hoa-project.net ("Ivan Enderlin @ Hoa")


On 19/09/12 20:21, Steve Clay wrote:
> On 9/19/12 2:01 PM, Andrew Faulds wrote:
>>> Some other ideas:
>>>
>>> $cb =3D (callable) $obj->bar;
>> Ah, but (callable) that won't work for global functions, since=20
>> (callable) is a cast, and
>
> (callable) is not usable as a cast (at least in 5.4.7):
>
> $a =3D (callable)'str'; // Parse error: syntax error, unexpected=20
> 'callable' (T_CALLABLE)
>
> This could work, and it makes sense to me at least.
>
>
>> $cb =3D {mysql_real_escape_string};
>> $cb =3D &{mysql_real_escape_string};
These notations are just horrible.

PHP has recently introduced ::class to resolve a classname (namespace=20
Foo; A::class // Foo\A). The =93::=94 was originally a resolution operato=
r=20
for calls, but now, it is also used for names (which sounds good for=20
me). Here, you propose the new notation ::function, which can be=20
understood as: =93resolve this function or method as a callable=94. We st=
ay=20
in a resolution context. It is consistent regarding to the evolution of=20
this operator.

Another consistent notation is the cast: (callable) $obj->bar;.

However, having { } around with & is absolutely horrible. It is an awful =

blend between references and dynamic variables, it is not consistent and =

error-prone when reading.

Cheers :-).

--=20
Ivan Enderlin
Developer of Hoa
http://hoa.42/ or http://hoa-project.net/

PhD. student at DISC/Femto-ST (Vesontio) and INRIA (Cassis)
http://disc.univ-fcomte.fr/ and http://www.inria.fr/

Member of HTML and WebApps Working Group of W3C
http://w3.org/