Re: Character range syntax ".." for character masks

Note that the "..." operator is unary, so there is no syntax conflict when using two floats: ``` echo 0...1; // 00.1 ```   However, in the case of the ".." operator, it is assumed to be a binary operator, so problems with grammar ambiguity may arise: ``` echo 0 ..1; // 00.1 echo 0.. 1; // 01 ```   * Note: The syntax you suggest is widely used in at least Ruby ( https://ruby-doc.org/core-2.5.1/Range.html ) and CoffeeScript. * Note: There is also a trim, ltrim and rtrim functions   >Суббота, 9 июля 2022, 2:56 +03:00 от mickmackusa <mickmackusa@gmail.com>: >  >I've discovered that several native string functions offer a character mask >as a parameter. > >I've laid out my observations at >https://stackoverflow.com/q/72865138/2943403 > >In a nutshell, not all character masks offer ranges via "double dot" >syntax. Or should I refer to ".." as the "string spread operator" to avoid >naming conflict with "..." -- the better known "spread operator" (array >spread operator)? > >Rowan/@IMSoP informed me that the current division between the haves and >the have-nots appears to be based on the source language from which PHP >pulled. Essentially, if from C, the double dot does not represent a range. >https://chat.stackoverflow.com/transcript/11?m=54864842#54864842 > >Character ranges are not yet supported for: >- strcspn() >- strpbrk() >- strspn() > >Before I fire off an RFC, I would like to know: > >1. Are there any reasonable objections to consistently implementing >character range expressions for all character masks? >2. Are there any native functions that I did not mention my Stack Overflow >answer? >3. Is it true that only single-byte characters can be used in all >scenarios? If so, must it remain that way? >4. Is there already an official or widely-used term that I should be using >for the two-dot operator? > >I should also mention that I initially considered requesting that all >character mask parameters be named $mask (instead of $separators, $token, >or $characters), but I later resigned to the fact that changing to a name >that describes the texture of the string would remove the more >vital/intuitive purpose of the string. I suppose the best that can be done >to inform developers is to explicitly mention in the documentation when >character range expressions are implemented and demonstrate their usage in >an example (not just as a user comment at the bottom; this isn't In-N-Out >Burger -- put your offerings on the frickin' menu!). > >mickmackusa     -- Kirill Nesmeyanov