reload() in Python, Possible in PHP? View as Markdown

AFAIK, Python supports the reload() method, which lets you dynamically
control includes while a script is running.

This is conceptually easier to implement in Python because a module is
its own namespace. In PHP, the "stuff" that is included from another
file has no such common organization.

In PHP, even workarounds are tough to create reloadable modules for
scripts, so, what other means are there to reload includes, and
redeclare functions?

If it's not already safe to include() your file multiple times, I
don't think adding a reload() function to PHP is going to improve your
situation all that much. The engine would have to do a fair amount of
work to figure out how to "reload" the contents of the external
script.

You can do this easily enough in an extension. Combine the
function/class tracking stuff that APC performs and internally use the
overide_function() function from APD. Obviously that would require a
bit of glue to get it working, but the primitive facilities are all
there.

I don't see any of that ever making it's way into PHP proper though.

George