Bug #11472 Updated: function enhancements

ID: 11472 Updated by: hholzgra Reported By: webmaster@cd-lab.com Old-Status: Open Status: Closed Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Operating system: PHP Version: 4.0.5 Assigned To: Comments: hm, where to start ... - please have a single bug report for each issue, even in the feature request department - for requests as vague as the ones here you should use php-dev@lists.php.net instead 1) you would be deep in the function already when you call the func_get_arc() function, so parameter passing has already happend, and the decision to pass by value or by reference had already been taken 2) there is no big gain from having macros in an interpreted language IMHO 3) unrelated functions shouldn't see each others variables, no way inheriting variables from the calling scope without knowing anything about the caller and with the caller not having control over what the called function is able to inherit is a very bad idea as it introduces lots of additional nested functions as available in PASCAL or optionally in gcc would be nice, but would break backwards compatiblity Classes might be what you are looking for ... Previous Comments: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2001-06-13 15:43:47] webmaster@cd-lab.com Hi, I have a few ideas for enhancements to PHP's functions that would make them much more powerful. First, when using variable length argument lists (using func_get_arg, etc.) there should be a way to treat these as references. As of now, it seems to me that only pass by value can be achieved with this mechanism. A simple func_set_arg function would fill this gap nicely. Second, macros would be a nice addition. Third, and most important I believe, there needs to be a mechanism for inheriting scope in a function - rather than choosing between the extremes of global and local. For instance, the following code demonstrates my point: function a() { global $var; $var = 10; } function b() { $var = 5; a(); print $var; # still prints 5 because a()'s $var is global # whereas b()'s var is local. There is NO # way to reference b()'s var in a() as it # stands - the only way to do it would be to # make a() get passed a reference to $var } $var = 5; a(); print $var; # here, however, everything works fine because # the $var here is global The behavior of a() here is, if not downright inconsistent, somewhat frustrating. Now, consider if we had an inherit construct, which inherited the variable from the calling scope. If a() then was defined as function a() { inherit $a; $a = 10; } the behavior would be more consistent to what the writer of function b() intended. With these additions, I think a lot more could be accomplished with functions. Thanks for a great product, Robby Walker CD-Lab www.cd-lab.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATTENTION! Do NOT reply to this email! To reply, use the web interface found at http://bugs.php.net/?id=11472&edit=2