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Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 23:36:46 +0100
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To: Marcus Boerger <helly@php.net>
Cc: Stephane Drouard <stephane.drouard@st.com>,
	internals@lists.php.net
References: <20040122144819.42410.qmail@pb1.pair.com> <125-1581635562.20040122203437@marcus-boerger.de>
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] base class
From: cschneid@cschneid.com (Christian Schneider)

Marcus Boerger wrote:
> Well you design a class tree/framework and should know what you have done.
> If not use reflection.

So to be able to later add a constructor to a base class one would be 
stuck with one of two options:
1) have __construct() in all classes from the start, even if it's empty. 
Ugly and stupid. Not even Java forces one to do that :-)
2) Use reflection in all extending classes to check if a constructor 
exists. Inacceptable, a joke at best.

> A change is a change.

OO is about extending classes without having to touch users of the class 
if the interface remains the same. Arguing that adding a constructor 
changes the interface is silly, especially if it is a parameterless one.

> That would slow down execution ***very*** much and makes absolutely no
> sense at all. If you want a base class for your classes do it. Fell free.

I don't buy that: The place where
zend_error(E_ERROR, "Can not call constructor");
is done could easily just ignore the call.
Maybe it could be turned into E_NOTICE or E_STRICT for people who want 
to be notified about such calls.

I'll post a patch on the WE if noone else is doing it.

- Chris