Re: Re: DOMXML support should be added to PHP5

On 25 Jul 2004 12:34:15 -0000, Scrumpy <libogen@hotmail.com> wrote: > jasbarne@indiana.edu (Jason Barnett) wrote in > news:20040724003530.27087.qmail@pb1.pair.com: > > > Well you are right that if > > you used the old DOMXML functions in PHP4 that there is no clean way > > to move that code forward without rewriting / supporting two > > infrastructures. I'm not a core developer but my guess is that they > > didn't mind dropping the support completely because in PHP4 it was all > > tagged as "experimental". > > Looking at the two approaches, I preferred using DOMXML and as it was based > on libxml2 & libxslt it seemed to be the better option. I don't get that. The new DOM and XSL extension is still based on libxml2 and libxslt. Actually, the whole XML support in PHP 5 is now based on libxml2 (meaning SimpleXML, ext/xml et al. as well) > Clearly I've learn't my lesson never to use anything tagged as experimental > again unless I'm highly competent with that language and if necessary, be > willing and able to code everything myself. Transitioning from DOMXML/PHP4 to DOM/PHP5 isn't really that complicated. You have to change some methods and most if it can be done with find&replace (for example create_element() to createElement() ). Some functions are not anymore available in DOM, so you have to invest a little bit more, but the logic of you're whole application doesn't have to be changed (one such example is new_child(), which has to be replaced with createElement/appendChild). I agree that writing code, which should work on PHP4 and PHP 5 is a little bit more complicated, but feasible as well (see http://alexandre.alapetite.net/doc-alex/domxml-php4-php5/ for a start (reposting this link, because I think the first message by me to this topic didn't made it to the lists..)) > > It's unfortunate for you, but I think making the change now makes > > sense because of the new DOM / SimpleXML support. > > To a 'certain' extent the timing of the change is out of my hands as, like > the majority of users, my website is hosted on a shared web server whose > settings are out of my control. But he will inform you some time in advance, right? ;) [...] > > In the future a transitional approach in PHP to replacing any function > should be implemented. IMO, that is part of good project/life-cycle > management. It's usually the approach of PHP, but due to the chaotic and nonstandard API of DOMXML/PHP4, it was decided to make a clear cut and not invest any time in that, but instead really concentrate on DOM/PHP5. Furthermore it was marked (as you realized) experimental, so "we" warned you ;) It won't happen again. DOM/PHP5 follows the standards established by the W3C, so there's no reason to break backwards compatibility again... And it's not marked as experimental anymore. > > My hope for the future is that PHP remains accessible and attractive to new > users. It could be all too easy for the core PHP 'guru' developers to > become blase about this aspect of the language. Drop your "guru" conspiracy, please ;) The PHP core team is usually very concerned about BC (backwards compatibility) and as you maybe realized, 99% of PHP 4 scripts run on PHP 5 without any problems at all. The one big exception is DOMXML, for the reasons stated above. chregu > > Cheers, > Scrumpy :) > > -- > PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > > -- christian stocker | Bitflux GmbH | schoeneggstrasse 5 | ch-8004 zurich phone +41 1 240 56 70 | mobile +41 76 561 88 60 | fax +41 1 240 56 71 http://www.bitflux.ch | chregu@bitflux.ch | gnupg-keyid 0x5CE1DECB