Re: [RFC] Function autoloading through spl_autoload*

Hi, Am 14.08.2011 15:55, schrieb Derick Rethans:

On Sat, 6 Aug 2011, Ferenc Kovacs wrote:

I would like to introduce this RFC which would provide function autoloading through the spl_autoload facility without userland BC breakage. https://wiki.php.net/rfc/autofunc

I understand the proposal, but I don't see any compelling reasons in the RFC of why we actually need autoloading for functions?

For the same reasons, why class-autoloading is useful: Loading when needed and avoiding unnecessary repetitive include-statements.

For classes it makes sense because there is almost always a class to file mapping. For functions (and constants) that is not the case, so I am wondering how useful this function autoloading actually is.

Like classes there may be also a function-to-filename-mapping, especially now, since namespaces exists. It is very easy to extend the PSR-0 standard (lets say: PSR-0.1 ;)) so functions and constants are covered by it too: - Constants and functions are in a file named after the namespace myNamespace\foo\bar => MyNamespace/foo/bar.php When class-autoloading were introduced there were no ^real^ class-to-file-mapping too. You had to define it yourself the time, when you wrote your __autoload()-function. It's nearly the same with functions/constants now, except that we are away from a single function and that there are already ideas, that may cover such mappings already. Or in my words: I don't see _any_ reason, why function-/constant-autoloading does _not_ exists ;)

cheers, Derick

Regards, Sebastian