From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Operating system: All
PHP version: 4.3.0
PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request
Bug description: Named Arguments
I know this can be accomplished in other way and also know this has been
brought up before, but they are messy and require code from the developer
to handle this which seems to go against the php ethos of easy and fast to
develop.
If named arguments could be passed to functions and actually processed by
the php parser, then this would be really great. Especially where
function prototypes have default values in them and you only want to set
one of them. The proposed syntax would be something like this:
function foo ($var1="some value", $var2, $var3="some other value")
{
// function code
}
then to call the function would be like this
foo (var2:="value for argument 2 only");
This would also be great if this feature would extend to the existing
functions in the extensions as well.
mail (to:="[EMAIL PROTECTED]", message:="no message", subject:="subject");
This in my opinion makes the function calls more readable in some
circumstances, particularly when you have to keep going back to the
prototype to figure out what the order of the arguments is. It's kind of
self documenting really when you look at code written in this way.
Bug #2285: default arguments skipping
(http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=2285) was filed with a similar suggestion
and the solution suggested was to use associative arrays.
Becuase it was never explained in any of the other reports as to why this
wasn't going to be implemented, why the above not more preferable to have
than always have to implement the same code this:
function foo ($args)
{
// Named Argument Checks
$var1 = "some value";
$var3 = "some other value";
foreach ($args as $key => $value)
{
$$key = $value;
}
// Do function code here
}
foo (array ("var2"=>"some other value again","var1"=>"variable 1"));
Surely forcing developers into using this messy syntax goes against one of
the main strengths of php which is simple code that's easy to read,
understand and develop.
I'm in no wasy saying the above code was hard, just the first example of
named arguments seems to fit more into the php way than the second
example.
If this is to be rejected like the other requests for it, can you please
provide a reason why the array method is more preferable?
--
Edit bug report at http://bugs.php.net/?id=22216&edit=1
--
Try a CVS snapshot: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=trysnapshot
Fixed in CVS: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=fixedcvs
Fixed in release: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=alreadyfixed
Need backtrace: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=needtrace
Try newer version: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=oldversion
Not developer issue: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=support
Expected behavior: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=notwrong
Not enough info: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=notenoughinfo
Submitted twice: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=submittedtwice
register_globals: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=globals
PHP 3 support discontinued: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=php3
Daylight Savings: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=dst
IIS Stability: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=isapi
Install GNU Sed: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=22216&r=gnused
