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Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 09:04:23 +0000
Message-ID: <CAGAGxbYo4FGBfvAVR89fBE0Cqn_MDkotaNOa1JfY-LJP8oEMjg@mail.gmail.com>
To: Crypto Compress <cryptocompress@googlemail.com>
Cc: Marco Pivetta <ocramius@gmail.com>, 
	PHP Developers Mailing List <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Introducing "Array Of" RFC
From: daverandom@php.net (Chris Wright)

On 28 February 2014 08:11, Crypto Compress
<cryptocompress@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Hello List,
>
>
>> So, should we allow nulls in an arrayof-style type hint?
>
>
> No. Null values (optional values) should be allowed within an
> nullable-arrayof-style type hint.
>
> Compare:    function foo(Bar $baz = null)
> and:    function foo(Bar $baz)
>
> This is not the same syntax and null is not a type.
>

Are you suggesting the following?

function foo(Bar[] $bars) // required to pass an array of Bar objects
function foo(Bar[] $bars = null) // required to pass an array of Bar
or null members

...because if so, how do I specify an optional array of Bar objects?
And how do I specify an optional array of Bar or null?

The whole concept of allowing null members seems to completely defeat
the purpose of the ArrayOf hint for me. I can understand wanting to
make the parameter optional, but I cannot see a use case for null
members from the point of view of the caller. I never null out members
of an array, I only omit them from the declaration or remove the
member from the array via e.g. unset() or stack operations (pop(),
shift() etc). YMMV of course, but for me allowing null members just
makes the callee's life more difficult and does not gain anything.