On Sat, Jan 12, 2013 at 7:34 AM, Ben Ramsey <ram...@php.net> wrote: > On 1/12/13 9:19 AM, Derick Rethans wrote: > >> I'm liking this, why start with an function alias already when >> introducing a new feature? >> > > I figured this would be a frequent question, and I was right. :-) > > In earlier discussions (June 2012), when I first introduced > array_column(), much of the discussion revolved around the name and not the > functionality. I agreed with arguments for array_column() and arguments for > array_pluck(), so I added an alias. > > Here's why I think the alias should be considered: > > 1) Userland PHP developers instantly recognize array_column(). It's > self-descriptive, and they know what it means. > > 2) Developers coming from other languages (Ruby, JavaScript, etc.) will > instantly recognize array_pluck(). It's what they'll be looking for to do > the same thing, but they won't be looking for array_column(). >
As an alternative to an alias, what about a manual page for whichever name isn't used that redirects or (like delete <http://php.net/delete>) refers to the one that is used? Of course, this wouldn't help when someone is searching or browsing through code. For #2, were you envisioning the developer looking for a "pluck" function in the manual, browsing source and coming across the function, searching (grep &c) the code for a "pluck" function, or something else?
