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Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:01:19 -0000
Organization: The Brain Room Ltd.
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Subject: studlyCaps conclusion
From: wez@thebrainroom.com ("Wez Furlong")

<sarcasm>
Lets create an engine level option, lets calls it "coding_convention".
The default is "studlyCaps".

Consider the following code:

$foo->fooBarBaz();

When coding_convention=studlyCaps, the engine will resolve the method
thus (psuedo code):

if (!method_exists($obj, $methodname)) {
    $tmp_method_name = convert_to_underscored_name($methodname);
    if (!method_exists($obj, $tmp_method_name)) {
        error("undefined method $methodname");
    }
    $methodname = $tmp_method_name;
}
$obj->$methodname(...)


When coding_convention=underscores, the engine will resolve it thus:

if (!method_exists($obj, $methodname)) {
    $tmp_method_name = convert_to_studly_name($methodname);
    if (!method_exists($obj, $tmp_method_name)) {
        error("undefined method $methodname");
    }
    $methodname = $tmp_method_name;
}
$obj->$methodname(...)

For the speed concious, there will be a configure option to either
remove the coding convention checks completely.


This approach will keep allow us to keep whichever coding style
we end up deciding on (although I suspect we won't reach a decision
until PHP 7), while meanwhile allowing the end user a transparent
choice of their preference for PHP methods.
</sarcasm>

Let's stop arguing about this stuff--we all have MUCH more important
things to do with our time.

My point of view on this:

- The guideline is to stick with studlyCaps for OO extensions for
  consistency with PEAR.

- New OO extensions SHOULD try to follow the guideline, but are not
  required to (no need to create more work for our limited developer
  resources).

Now, if the authors/maintainers of an OO extension want to change to
studlyCaps, let them do so (I have no objection to SQLite OO api being
changed), but lets not force people that otherwise have no time and
have spent a lot of effort over a long period of time (eg: Georg) to
rewrite their extensions. [keep in mind that one of the reasons that
mysqli was written the way it is to keep it closer to the native
library API; changing that is just re-introducing a nightmare for the
maintainer.]

I've said my piece; lets get over it and get on with it.

--Wez.