This was discussed several times already and Pierre put you directly onto
its definition. What more can we say? I think we have a valid technical
You obviously think so, but it doesn't automatically makes it valid. Explaining again: PHP code needs to conform to XML standard *only* if you have files that need to be *both* valid PHP *and* valid XML. Only files I can imagine that need to be both valid PHP and valid XML are XML templates that are passed through PHP parser. It is very rare use case - most of templates are HTML and not XML - and it can be supported even better with my proposal, since with it you can haver *both* XML templates *and* HTML templates with short tags in the same application, without needing any external configuration - while without it you can have only one working, even with configuration.
argument here, where you seem to simply wanting to save a few key strokes.
Sounds like you miss most of what I write, but I will try again, in hope this time I manage to squeeze it through. I do not "simply want to save keystrokes", I want to enable PHP template systems to have functionality that:
1. Is present in *every* popular templating system, including RoR, ASP, JSP, Perl::Mason and probably countless others.
2. Makes PHP templates easy to read even for person not knowing PHP syntax, easy to write and and easy to parse visually.
Now, I see enabling runtime <?= (I couldn't care less for <?) as best way to do it, since it allows to do the above *without* permanently disabling even the very rare XML parsing case - you can easily do templating system that supports both. If there's better way (and <?phpecho isn't since it does not do anything but - yes! - saving one keystroke), then I am willing to consider it.
--
Stanislav Malyshev, Zend Software Architect
stas@zend.com http://www.zend.com/
(408)253-8829 MSN: stas@zend.com