Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=54243&edit=1
ID: 54243
Updated by: johan...@php.net
Reported by: anil at saog dot net
Summary: Shorter syntax for closures
-Status: Open
+Status: Suspended
Type: Feature/Change Request
Package: *General Issues
Operating System: *
PHP Version: Irrelevant
Block user comment: N
Private report: N
New Comment:
One of the goals of PHP is to have a "verbose enough" syntax. Giving people
ways to search for information if they don't understand it. With the current
syntax people reading the code see the word "function" an can get an idea what
this might be and have a term to put in a search engine.
On the other side sometimes that is changed, like with arrays, initially one
had to use array() to build arrays, nowadays we have the $a = [ ]; as shortcut,
so maybe we'll add a new syntax, but only in the long run, when we see that
anonymous functions really are going mainstream.
Previous Comments:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2012-04-11 09:38:34] ninzya at inbox dot lv
I'm sorry, Anil, but you did not convince me on readability of "Where($($a, $b,
{$a == $b}))".
"Microsoft's way" to define closures in C# linq "Where((a,b) => a == b)", in my
opinion, is far more readable. I read it as "a two argument function "(a,b)"
which results ("=>") in a being equal b ("a == b") or whatever the logic is
defined there. However you can not read "$($a, $b, {$a == $b})" as good as you
read microsoft's code. To me, there are too much dollar characters and they
make
your eyes hurt when you try to really understand which token does the dollar
sing really belong to. You definately don't want readers of your code to
tokenize a lot when the goal is readability :-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2012-03-19 11:54:13] anil at saog dot net
Guys, please calm down. I have no idea why you write these comments in a heat
but this issue is just a wishing. Also, readability is a non-objective property
which generally differs person to person, but the "key" is "shorter means
readable". By the way, did you ever inspect c# - linq syntax?
C# : ...Where((a,b) => a == b)
PHP : ...Where(function($a, $b){ return $a == $b; })
MY : ...Where($($a, $b, {$a == $b}))
readability? yes of course readability... so you think you are better than
microsoft on readability?
If you do not agree of course it is okay just tell it (like a human) otherwise
keep your ignoble and invaluable ideas to yourself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2012-03-19 11:13:20] ninzya at inbox dot lv
I think the proposed syntax is not readable at all. Rather it looks like you
have
been affected by a "wannabe jQuery inventor". How do you come up with a dollar
sign being "readable"? How do you define "readable code"? If you read your
code,
you read it as "dollar, dollar, bracket, dollar, dollar... whatever, dollar".
Is
this what you call "readability"?
However I do agree that the "use()" clause of closures sometimes bloats the
code a
little bit, especially if the closure is importing a lot of variables from its
context.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2012-03-19 09:08:09] danko at very dot lv
Um, no, *that* is unreadable. The original syntax can easily be made readable
if you do care:
$myObject->MyMethod(
'abc',
function ($a) use ($b) {
return $a == $b;
}
);
There you go. As readable as it gets - just add some newlines and tabs. On the
other hand, a soup of brackets and dollar signs can't be readable regardless of
formatting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2011-03-13 16:16:45] anil at saog dot net
Changed package
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The remainder of the comments for this report are too long. To view
the rest of the comments, please view the bug report online at
https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=54243
--
Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=54243&edit=1
