Newsgroups: php.internals
Path: news.php.net
Xref: news.php.net php.internals:79492
Mailing-List: contact internals-help@lists.php.net; run by ezmlm
Received-SPF: pass (pb1.pair.com: domain gmail.com designates 209.85.217.171 as permitted sender)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Sender: nicolas.grekas@gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <CAEp_DRDt21rChTmC506VxxF-RxHpPoMvUMAFhpXHCQSgCOcYHQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAEp_DRDt21rChTmC506VxxF-RxHpPoMvUMAFhpXHCQSgCOcYHQ@mail.gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2014 10:31:22 +0100
Message-ID: <CAOWwgpkTvkAYDLAzfWN2uwhxcLooPb6Bc1LfpZGvNMz2cesPhQ@mail.gmail.com>
To: Bostjan Skufca <bostjan@a2o.si>
Cc: PHP Internals List <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001a11c3561e1397000509c536df
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] New function: spl_object_id() or spl_object_handle()
From: nicolas.grekas+php@gmail.com (Nicolas Grekas)

--001a11c3561e1397000509c536df
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hi


this is a proposal to add new function to PHP core: spl_object_id()
>

IMHO this is a good idea: currently, var_dump has this super-power (and
super-useful) capability of outputting a number that ease recognizing
identical objects in dumps. This power should be transferred to userland
devs so they can build their own tools.

In fact, that's what I've done: since Symfony 2.6, you can dump using a
userland function that (IMHO again) is more powerful than var_dump:

http://symfony.com/doc/current/components/var_dumper/introduction.html

In order to get an object's id, I use a trick that works for now:
https://github.com/symfony/symfony/blob/2.6/src/Symfony/Component/VarDumper/Cloner/VarCloner.php#L258-L282

But I'd prefer replacing this trick by a dedicated function. So, with
Julien Pauli, we worked on such a function. Symfony 2.6 also embeds a PHP
extension that exposes more meta data about variables:
https://github.com/symfony/symfony/tree/2.6/src/Symfony/Component/Debug/Resources/ext

The function implemented in this extension is the root primitive that
enables building a feature-full dumper, without resorting to tricks in PHP.

Any interest in putting this in PHP core? Please feel free to do so, you
have my vote :)

Many thanks,
Nicolas

--001a11c3561e1397000509c536df--