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Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2015 19:44:44 +0000
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To: PHP Internals <internals@lists.php.net>
Subject: Syntactical change to Scalar Type Hints RFC
From: ajf@ajf.me (Andrea Faulds)

Hi,=20

I=E2=80=99m posting this in a new thread since people might (reasonably) =
be ignoring further responses to the [VOTE] thread.

I=E2=80=99m considering a small change to the Scalar Type Hints RFC, =
specifically about syntax. Quite a few people have said they don=E2=80=99t=
 like the declare() syntax, and it=E2=80=99s easy to see why. It=E2=80=99s=
 rather verbose, it has all the quirks of declare() (such as block =
syntax, not respecting scope), and it=E2=80=99s rather ugly.

Instead, I=E2=80=99m wondering if the following might be better:

    <?php strict

Which would be used like so:

    <?php strict

    function foobar(): int {
        return 1.0; // error!
    }

It=E2=80=99d be a per-file directive, so there=E2=80=99d be zero mixing =
of modes within one file, and you=E2=80=99d avoid the quirks of =
declare().

It=E2=80=99s also a lot shorter, and it resembles Hack=E2=80=99s syntax:

    <?hh // strict

Of course, changing this would mean restarting the vote, but it=E2=80=99s =
only been three days, we=E2=80=99re less than a quarter of the way =
through voting.=20

Thoughts? Thanks!

(By the way, I=E2=80=99d appreciate it if this thread didn=E2=80=99t =
turn into yet another discussion of how and whether scalar type hints =
are a bad/good idea. We already have at least four threads on that =
subject. I=E2=80=99m just considering a specific change of syntax.)

--
Andrea Faulds
http://ajf.me/