PHP 4.0 Bug #9777: Function/Class prototypes?

From: yohgaki@dd.iij4u.or.jp Operating system: PHP version: 4.0.4pl1 PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Bug description: Function/Class prototypes? I think it would be nice to have function/class prototype only for while developing PHP application. (I guess developers are already come up with similar/better idea for it, though) With prototype, compiler may issue error with invalid parameter or invalid use of function/class and PHP may warn if use of function/class does not match with prototypes at run time. Such as: void function do_something(integer(min, max), resource('file'), array(text,integer), &object('object_name') = null); // Such syntax that specifying expected parameters' range/contents may not a good idea, though. // The same thing can be done with assert() anyway. // It might be good idea enabling assert() in prototype definition. // to specify parameters range/contents to get rid of many assert() // from function itself. like void function($int integer) { assert($int > 0); } // Checking parameter types can be done by assert(). But, it's nice // to have prototypes. class foo { public var pub_var; private var priv_var; public object foo(integer); protected integer bar(array); private void internal_use_only(); } and include prototypes with special include statement like include_prototype('filename'); // development only prototypes require_prototype('filename'); // required prototypes and have a new php.ini entry for prototype prototype.enable = true; // to disable include_prototype like assert(). Currently, PHP function may take any types for a parameter, even if function accepts certain types. This may result in unwanted behaviors as I submitted a foreach bug. (foreach seems to behave really wrong way, if parameter is not an array.) Additionally, if prototype may specify function will not return value, parser can prevent programmers to use implicitly returned NULL value as RVALUE. PHP needs to do additional work for Parse/Compile/Execute with prototypes, but it would be acceptable while developing PHP application. It would be nice to have a ability that programmer can get rid of prototypes for better performance, once she/he is confident with his/her codes. (Inexperience programmers may write code that is not secure w/o prototypes. But they write insecure code w/ or w/o prototypes anyway) -- Edit Bug report at: http://bugs.php.net/?id=9777&edit=1