Newsgroups: php.internals
Path: news.php.net
Xref: news.php.net php.internals:67288
Mailing-List: contact internals-help@lists.php.net; run by ezmlm
Received-SPF: pass (pb1.pair.com: domain gmail.com designates 209.85.214.169 as permitted sender)
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <CAHjTTqOwo2RCpT6D=3BAuwZdKv-8rKe6+LVbBFpDq+YETk-R6A@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CADqTB_gkE-2mmnE8AKWCx3rcHf8DVsgxVPO00usErnaoKjAv7g@mail.gmail.com>
 <6245ED6B-2BF7-47B7-80C0-D3B3D8E0B312@strojny.net> <CADqTB_iGghhwuKb7StpjY7xogNM76_47rxL3O7G+T0zOK2Lf3g@mail.gmail.com>
 <CALJZF3hQC09_b=yzOF5F6V1ifC5wG1H4RmkTDg02awm0cC-tWA@mail.gmail.com>
 <CADqTB_gxnPt-PzpaBiTmX5iW81VyssvtZW5Ugto2vOw1NsZGZg@mail.gmail.com>
 <CAH-PCH6oHkTweqYsY3UqeaP9Jdqkrmj1DBhxueUv5uU-U7YrPg@mail.gmail.com>
 <CADqTB_gTVm1TMcg5iaUZ-WTZChdpj7s+-vLaa7BK54FA71T-Sg@mail.gmail.com>
 <51803086.6020002@sugarcrm.com> <518030FD.5030504@lerdorf.com>
 <CAMyk_AY5UCVXMmFALiXZA-JsV=gG2kZPTuxdm7Twugz+fbnY_Q@mail.gmail.com>
 <CADqTB_iDzWw4y0iVz2=MGdCPFPeisE933YKMz2Sm9pmMexfmKw@mail.gmail.com>
 <CADajX4A_mhJoMoDtG=SH9UPqcXUxN0i3EfKkSWn27fJDUGWP_g@mail.gmail.com>
 <CADqTB_hidduzyNhpbmqrS1KZTrG7MUneKOLn1eqUyb=MmaBXMw@mail.gmail.com> <CAHjTTqOwo2RCpT6D=3BAuwZdKv-8rKe6+LVbBFpDq+YETk-R6A@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 3 May 2013 10:24:49 +0200
Message-ID: <CAMyk_AZKpPb77PsDv3+rdZUH6PPJxFWX2TLmDdyU32CiExX2fQ@mail.gmail.com>
To: Bernhard Schussek <bschussek@gmail.com>
Cc: Rasmus Schultz <rasmus@mindplay.dk>, Adam Harvey <aharvey@php.net>, 
	PHP internals <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=047d7b33d004d039f204dbcc1632
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] property de-referencing
From: linepogl@gmail.com (Lazare Inepologlou)

--047d7b33d004d039f204dbcc1632
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

2013/5/2 Bernhard Schussek <bschussek@gmail.com>

> 2013/5/1 Rasmus Schultz <rasmus@mindplay.dk>
>
> >  > One could
> > > write a PropertyReference class right now with literally the only
> > > difference being the lack of a builtin operator (ie new
> > > PropertyReference($obj, 'prop') versus ^$obj->prop): the fact that
> > > nobody seems to have done this in a major framework I know of suggest=
s
> > > that there isn't a strong need for encapsulating the indirection
> > > beyond the $obj->$prop syntax that's worked forever.
> > >
> >
> > Look at the Symfony form-builder example - encapsulating the indirectio=
n
> is
> > *precisely* what they're doing: the object reference is stored in the
> > form-builder, and property-names are added subsequently.
> >
>
> As the developer of the Symfony Form component, I would like to clarify
> that this is not true. At the time the property reference is stored, the
> object it refers to is not (necessarily) known. You could build an abstra=
ct
> form definition for "Author" instances, but only later instantiate a form
> for that definition with a concrete object. So to be really useful in a
> form context, property references need to be separated from object
> instances (something like "^Author::$firstName" could work).
>
> Second, it is important that references can span multiple nodes in an
> object/array graph. In Symfony, we built the PropertyAccess component for
> that [1] which allows references like
>
> "authors[0].personalDetails[firstName]"
>
> which translates to
>
> ->getAuthors()[0]->getPersonalDetails()['firstName']
>
> or
>
> ->authors[0]->getPersonalDetails()['firstName']
>
>

I have an idea regarding the syntax. The suggested ^ operator is
troublesome, because it does not make clear that whatever follows will not
be evaluated. This becomes even more confusing when dealing with multiple
nodes, as the example above, where part of the expression has to be
evaluated.

Let's have something different:

  $obj~>property
  MyClass::~property


This syntax can be easily applied to multiple nodes, without confusion:

  ->getAuthors()[0]->getPersonalDetails()~>firstName

And it can be applied statically:

  Author::~firstName




Lazare Inepologlou
Ing=C3=A9nieur Logiciel

--047d7b33d004d039f204dbcc1632--