Re: [RFC] [Discussion] array_str_contains() for PHP 8.7

در تاریخ دوشنبه ۳۱ اوت ۲۰۲۶، ۰۰:۵۸ Seifeddine Gmati <azjezz@carthage.software> نوشت: > On Sun, 30 Aug 2026 at 15:19, ‫سپهر محمودی‬‎ <sepehrphpr@gmail.com> > wrote:‬ > > > > Hi everyone, > > > > I'd like to start the discussion for a new RFC proposing the > array_str_contains() function for PHP 8.7. > > Hi Sepehr, > > > Filtering arrays based on substring matching is something many of us > write on a regular basis, usually with boilerplate like: > > $matches = array_filter($array, fn($item) => is_string($item) && > str_contains($item, $needle)); > > I don't recall ever writing something like this. If I did, not > remembering it suggests it isn't that common. > > The RFC also does not include any proof of the "regular basis", and > under same conditions, the same case could be made for > array_str_starts_with, array_str_ends_with, array_preg_match, > array_str_length, and probably few more hunder combinations, I really > don't see how str_contains is in any way special. > > The name array_str_contains is also confusing, it does not tell > me > what this function is doing, there is nothing indicating that it is > filtering. array_str_contains($arr, $str) could mean that every > string is joined with $str so by the end all string entries in > $arr do contain $str? Idk. > > > Thanks, > > Sepehr > > Cheers, > Seifeddine. > -------- Hi Seifeddine, Thank you for your feedback and perspective! Regarding the use-case and frequency: Sub-string filtering on lists of strings is a very common task across many domains — such as autocomplete suggestions, filtering file/directory lists, simple search filters over tag/category arrays, and processing logs or URL lists. While array_filter with a closure can achieve this, it introduces noticeable overhead in userland due to repeated closure invocations and type checks on every element. Implementing this natively in C provides direct memory traversal and immediate performance gains for a very frequent real-world operation. Regarding other variants (starts_with, ends_with, etc.): str_contains is arguably the most general and widely-used substring operation. However, discussing whether a broader set of string-array utilities or a more specific naming convention makes sense is exactly why this RFC is in discussion. Regarding the naming (array_str_contains): You raise a fair point about clarity. Some developers might intuitively expect a boolean return type (similar to in_array or str_contains) or wonder if it acts as a filter. Alternative names like array_filter_contains() or array_grep()-style semantics could also be considered if the community prefers more explicit filtering terminology. I appreciate your insights and look forward to hearing more thoughts from the internals community on both the concept and the ideal naming. Best regards, Sepehr