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Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 12:10:48 -0700
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] Forbid $this being null in instance methods
From: smalyshev@gmail.com (Stanislav Malyshev)

Hi!

> I'd like to submit a small RFC for your consideration, which ensures
> something that really ought to be a given already: If you use $this in an
> instance method, you should actually get a $this (and not NULL).
> 
>     https://wiki.php.net/rfc/forbid_null_this_in_methods
> 
> As this is targeting PHP 7.1, the RFC is careful to retain compatibility
> with certain legacy PHP 4 code patterns.

Unfortunately, this does not exactly preserve compatibility. Consider:

public function legacyMethod() {
  if(is_null($this)) {
    trigger_error(E_DEPRECATED, "legacyMethod() should be called with an
object now!");
    return self::getDefaultInstance()->legacyMethod();
  }
  print "I am an ugly legacy method!";
  $this->doSomeStuff();
  return true;
}

Unfortunately, I've seen this pattern not once when dealing with APIs
which were grown from PHP 4 code and must maintain BC - e.g. have code
relying on legacyMethod() both being called statically and called on an
object and legacyMethod() being overridden by extending classes. It is
an ugly code and an ugly situation to be in, but it is a real pattern
that happens.

Despite the RFC claiming HHVM does not support this pattern, it does:
https://3v4l.org/1QrY7
Unlike PHP, it doesn't even throw deprecated error in that case.

Given that this RFC does not seem to enable anyone to do anything
additional that couldn't be done before, just removes the features from
language, I see any advantage in doing it so far.

I also do not think enabling using $this as a regular variable is a
particularly good idea. It does not add anything - there's no real need
to name your variables specifically "$this", you can choose any other
name - but it creates potential both for confusion and for weird errors
when you refactor stuff. Again, don't see any real advantage in this.

-- 
Stas Malyshev
smalyshev@gmail.com