Re: Net_FTP design issues

> Tobias Schlitt wrote: > > Hi all! > > > > I recently got a new member for maintainance/development of Net_FTP. A > > friend of Helgi (CC'ed) started implementing the FTP functions provided > > by PHP using sockets and we will develop the new backend together. I would be that guy. > > Now we're hanging at the decision of implementing the new backend in an > > OO or procedural manner. On the one hand I would preffer OO style, since > > all in PEAR is OO. On the other hand, if native FTP is not available one > > can simple include the code (if it's procedural) and will have the > > functions available with the same API. Forethat I'd preffer to have it > > procedural. > > On the other hand, if native ftp is available, one can't include the > code at all. This will make the user's job much more complex. Instead of > > <?php > require_once 'Net/Ftp.php'; > ?> > > we will then have to go > > <?php > if (!function_exists('ftp_whatever')) { > include_once 'Net/Ftp.php'; > } > ?> Net/Ftp.php would need to contain something like this; <?php if (!extension_loaded('ftp')) { if (strtoupper(substr(PHP_OS, 0, 3) == 'WIN')) { @dl('php_ftp.dll'); } else { @dl('ftp.so'); } } if (!extension_loaded('ftp')) { require_once 'Socket.php'; } ?> Earasing any user problems to check for extension. > Also, what if you decide you want to add new functionality later? You > can't. Procedural code is completely inappropriate for a package like > Net_FTP. I belive using "the other hand" way ( procedural ) is more appropriate cause users can now use this class even thou they don't have access to PHPs FTP extension. Going procedural way also allows users to include Net_FTP, even thou they don't want to use that class, and use the ftp functions just as they were loaded into PHP as extension. > > > What do you think? > > > > The procedural way would have another difficulty to ship around: Storage > > of the config stuff and Co., which would have been stored in the object > > in an OO way. I would suggest to store all of that in a global array > > (e.g. $_NET_FTP), which should not affect most of the scripts it would > > be used in. > > This also smacks of greater-than-needed complexity in the > implementation. Better is to expect that speed-hungry users will use > the native ftp functions no matter what, and that everyone else will > welcome the abstraction that allows a redistributable application to run > without the ftp extension dependency. Speed-hungry users don't always get what they want and "expecting users to have something" has never been a good friend to programmers. > > A good compromise solution is to provide a file that has wrapper > functions to the procedural functions. This will satisfy the users who > want to only use the procedural stuff. > > user file: > <?php > require_once 'Net/Ftp/Proecedural.php'; > ?> > > Procedural.php: > <?php > if (!function_exists('ftp_whatever')) { > include_once 'Net/FTP.php'; > $GLOBALS['_NET_FTP_INSTANCE'] = &new Net_FTP; > function ftp_whatever(blahblah) > { > $GLOBALS['_NET_FTP_INSTANCE']->doWhatever(blahblah); > } > } > ?> Interesting solution. Worth looking into. - Hannes