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In-Reply-To: <CADyq6sJxBQ4Mcu9+LRedfFsV-ksdp26eqfWb_XdvP0EsDKS0Bw@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 21:34:37 +0100
Cc: PHP Internals List <internals@lists.php.net>
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To: Marco Pivetta <ocramius@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Deprecation of func_get_args(), call_user_func_array() and related API
From: ajf@ajf.me (Andrea Faulds)


On 10 Oct 2014, at 21:27, Marco Pivetta <ocramius@gmail.com> wrote:

> While rambling with some code today, I realized that `call_user_func`
> behaves strangely, appearing and disappearing from stack traces =
depending
> on versions of PHP. For an example, compare
> http://3v4l.org/fGpIk#vphp7@20140901, http://3v4l.org/fGpIk#v530 and
> http://3v4l.org/fGpIk#vhhvm-301.

IIRC this is a bug caused by PHP7 eliminating the call to the function =
entirely, and instead inserting a normal function call opcode. See: =
https://github.com/php/php-src/blob/292421d3a1fcefe88c3017ffdb9f889c39a6c8=
c1/Zend/zend_compile.c#L2777

This could possibly be fixed somehow.

> Additionally, it seems like `call_user_func` and similars are =
impacting
> performance in some parts of my codebase (event dispatcher logic).

In PHP 7, due to the function call removal, it should be just the same, =
performance-wise, as a normal function call.

> Therefore, here comes my idea of simply getting rid of =
`call_user_func`,
> `call_user_func_array`, `func_get_args`, `func_num_args` and =
`func_get_arg`.
>=20
> My plan for it would be to add a deprecation (notice? not sure about =
that)
> in PHP 5.7, and a complete removal of those methods in PHP 7.0.
>=20
> BC compatibility is easily achieved as variadics (
> https://wiki.php.net/rfc/variadics) allow for writing cleaner and less
> complex versions:

=93Easily=94 achieved? No. This would break an awful, awful lot of =
existing PHP code with no gain. There=92s no need to deprecate it any =
time soon. The variadics syntax is merely a nicer alternative. We should =
not force people to rewrite existing code to use it. There is absolutely =
no need to get rid of func_get_args.

I would vote against any such proposal, and I hope others on the list =
would join me in doing so.

--
Andrea Faulds
http://ajf.me/