# [PATCH] Make var_export() output "(object)array(..." instead of "stdClass::__set_state(..." for stdClass - Thread: https://externals.io/message/98521 - Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/98521 - Started by Andrea Faulds on 2017-03-14T18:57:34+00:00 - Messages: 10 - Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net - More for agents: search with https://externals.io/search.md?q={query} · JSON API at https://externals.io/api · documentation at https://externals.io/llms.txt --- ## #98521 — Andrea Faulds — 2017-03-14T18:57:34+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98521 Hi everyone, Since stdClass has no __set_state method, `var_export()` produces unusable output if given an object of that class. I wrote a patch that would make `var_export()` produce a cast to object instead, which could be evaluated to get back a stdClass: https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/2420 Any thoughts/comments? If you're wondering about whether a __set_state method should be added to stdClass, I posted some thoughts in the pull request discussion already. Thanks! -- Andrea Faulds https://ajf.me/ --- ## #98522 — Fleshgrinder — 2017-03-14T19:26:42+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98522 · In reply to: #98521 > Hi everyone, > > Since stdClass has no __set_state method, `var_export()` produces unusable > output if given an object of that class. I wrote a patch that would make > `var_export()` produce a cast to object instead, which could be evaluated > to get back a stdClass: > > https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/2420 > > Any thoughts/comments? > > If you're wondering about whether a __set_state method should be added > to stdClass, I posted some thoughts in the pull request discussion already. > > Thanks! I actually already used __set_state occasionally for userland classes. Adding __set_state to stdClass seems to be more consistent with the rest of PHP, rather than special casing it in one method. I cannot see any issues with this to be honest. -- Richard "Fleshgrinder" Fussenegger --- ## #98523 — Marc Bennewitz — 2017-03-14T20:01:04+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98523 · In reply to: #98522 Am 14.03.2017 um 20:26 schrieb Fleshgrinder: > > > […] > > I actually already used __set_state occasionally for userland classes. > Adding __set_state to stdClass seems to be more consistent with the rest > of PHP, rather than special casing it in one method. I cannot see any > issues with this to be honest. > Personally I would like to have a more reasonable way in general. No special case and no magic method. So my proposal then would be to try to add a class cast operator (needs an own RFC) and later to with this approach on var_export. Example: class Foo {} $std = new stdClass; $foo = new Foo; $arr = ['arr' => 'arr']; var_dump((object)$std); // no change var_dump((array)$std); // no change var_dump((Foo)$std); // object of class Foo var_dump((object)$foo); // no change var_dump((stdClass)$foo); // object of class stdClass var_dump((array)$foo); // no change var_dump((array)$arr); // no change var_dump((object)$arr); // no change var_dump((stdClass)$arr); // object of class stdClass var_dump((Foo)$arr); // object of class Foo Thoughts? Marc --- ## #98524 — Derick Rethans — 2017-03-14T22:20:06+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98524 · In reply to: #98521 > Hi everyone, > > Since stdClass has no __set_state method, `var_export()` produces unusable > output if given an object of that class. I wrote a patch that would make > `var_export()` produce a cast to object instead, which could be evaluated to get > back a stdClass: > > https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/2420 > > Any thoughts/comments? As original author of var_export, I approve of this — including not adding __set_state(). cheers, Derick --- ## #98525 — Nikita Popov — 2017-03-14T22:59:35+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98525 · In reply to: #98524 > > > > […] > to get > > […] > > As original author of var_export, I approve of this — including not > adding __set_state(). > > cheers, > Derick > I'm also +1 on this, and also prefer not having __set_state(). An object cast is both more idiomatic and more performant. Additionally I feel that adding methods to stdClass will muddy the waters -- for example, this means that extending stdClass is no longer entirely unreasonable, as you might want to do it to reuse the __set_state() implementation. Not something I want to see happening. Nikita --- ## #98529 — Stanislav Malyshev — 2017-03-15T00:19:57+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98529 · In reply to: #98525 Hi! > Additionally I feel that adding methods to stdClass will muddy the waters > -- for example, this means that extending stdClass is no longer entirely > unreasonable, as you might want to do it to reuse the __set_state() > implementation. Not something I want to see happening. I'm afraid that ship has sailed long ago: https://github.com/search?q=%22extends+stdclass%22&type=Code&utf8=%E2%9C%93 -- Stas Malyshev smalyshev@gmail.com --- ## #98538 — Andrea Faulds — 2017-03-15T15:51:56+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#98538 · In reply to: #98523 Hi Marc, Marc Bennewitz wrote: > > Personally I would like to have a more reasonable way in general. No > special case and no magic method. > > So my proposal then would be to try to add a class cast operator (needs > an own RFC) and later to with this approach on var_export. I've wondered if this would make sense before myself. But I think any such mechanism would need explicit support from the class being casted to, if the resulting internal object state is to make sense. stdClass wouldn't have that support. Thanks. -- Andrea Faulds https://ajf.me/ --- ## #102587 — Christoph M. Becker — 2018-07-04T21:33:02+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#102587 · In reply to: #98521 > Since stdClass has no __set_state method, `var_export()` produces unusable > output if given an object of that class. I wrote a patch that would make > `var_export()` produce a cast to object instead, which could be evaluated > to get back a stdClass: > > https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/2420 > > Any thoughts/comments? > > If you're wondering about whether a __set_state method should be added > to stdClass, I posted some thoughts in the pull request discussion already. FTR: If nobody objects, I'll merge this PR into master on 2018-07-12, so that it goes into PHP 7.3. See . -- Christoph M. Becker --- ## #102634 — Andreas Hennings — 2018-07-07T11:13:56+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#102634 · In reply to: #102587 I do not disagree, just want to make an observation. If multiple properties or array keys reference the same instance of \stdClass, there will be multiple instances with identical values after a round-trip with `var_export()` + eval(). This is not necessarily a problem, just something to be aware of. > > > > […] > already. > > FTR: If nobody objects, I'll merge this PR into master on 2018-07-12, so > that it goes into PHP 7.3. > > See . > > -- > Christoph M. Becker --- ## #102787 — Andrea Faulds — 2018-07-12T11:46:26+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/98521#102787 · In reply to: #102587 Christoph M. Becker wrote: > > > > […] > > FTR: If nobody objects, I'll merge this PR into master on 2018-07-12, so > that it goes into PHP 7.3. > > See . > And so it was done: https://github.com/php/php-src/commit/e4e9cd835550990a6b8df7c61d59b6cc0da9b5b2 Thanks, Cristoph! :) -- Andrea Faulds https://ajf.me/