Suggestion: global variables being accessed in localscope View as Markdown

Christian Schneider wrote:

Please use plain text mail as your messages are a PITA to read, thanks.

I changed the email to send/recieve messages. Hotmail simply doesn't
accept plain text.

You didn't grasp two of the major PHP features (not bugs!):

1. Every variable you access inside a function is local unless
   explicitely imported (through $GLOBALS, global or superglobals) from the
   global scope.
2. Accessing undefined variables is normal and not an error (not
   everybody agrees here but lots of people consider this a big plus).

Changing this would turn PHP into a completely different language so
it's simply not going to happen. If you don't like these basic concepts
it's probably a good idea to switch language.

First of all, I sleep with PHP codes printed everyday... I can't live
without PHP!!!! =D Forget about your suggestion to switch the
language!

Exactly. And I also commented it in my blog ("Maybe this suggestion is
currently too much difficult to achieve.")... this is a drastic
change!
I suggested a similar change, that does the same thing. My suggestion:

Implement a register_superglobal function, that add the variable in a
HashTable... something like this (remember... Compiler class scope):

function register_superglobal( $varName ) {
global $$varName;

$this->symbolTable->registered_superg->hash[ $varName ] = $$varName;

}

And then... in your variable retrieval (I wrote the code in PHP now...
you scared me about that language switch!)... instead of the current
implementation (I removed the fatal error, based on your comment:
"Accessing undefined variables is normal and not an error"):

// Retrieve variable from local scope
$v = $this->symbolTable->getInLocal( $this->lexer->getStringValue() );

if ( $v === null ) {
// ...
}

To something like this:

// Retrieve variable from local scope
$v = $this->symbolTable->getInLocal( $this->lexer->getStringValue() );

if ( $v === null ) {
// Try to retrieve the variable from registered "superglobal" hash
$v = $this->symbolTable->registered_superg->hash[
$this->lexer->getStringValue() ];

if ( $v === null ) {
    // ...
}

}

As you can see... just a little change, and now I do not change the
whole PHP behavior!
And I enabled the possibility to add the function I suggested. The
performance impact is minimal (almost 0).

If you do not accept my idea, I'll understand. I am just trying to
help PHP to be a better and language and also help lots of PHP
developer like to make code easier to write. =)

Best regards,

--
Guilherme Blanco - Web Developer
CBC - Certified Bindows Consultant
Cell Phone: +55 (16) 9166-6902
MSN: guilhermeblanco@hotmail.com
URL: http://blog.bisna.com
São Carlos - SP/Brazil