Comments on: Bad Signs – PHP’s “Shut Up” (@) Operator http://blog.eval.ca/2009/01/04/bad-signs-phps-shut-up-operator/ Thoughts on Software and Other Things Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:20:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: paul http://blog.eval.ca/2009/01/04/bad-signs-phps-shut-up-operator/comment-page-1/#comment-21 paul Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:54:22 +0000 http://blog.paulosman.com/?p=40#comment-21 Like I mentioned, the fact that exceptions didn't exist when a lot of the standard extension functions were written doesn't change the current reality and it still doesn't excuse an API writing to standard out (that particular "rule" of API design was understood by programmers of procedural languages too). As for Spl, it's surely a step in the right direction but as of yet there has been no move to deprecate analogous standard extension functions like file() so it isn't technically "legacy" yet. file() was an easy example... there are plenty of other functions (i.e. chmod) whose functionality is not covered in Spl. I think you hit the nail on the head describing PHP's function library as the swamp water of APIs. Like I mentioned, the fact that exceptions didn’t exist when a lot of the standard extension functions were written doesn’t change the current reality and it still doesn’t excuse an API writing to standard out (that particular “rule” of API design was understood by programmers of procedural languages too).

As for Spl, it’s surely a step in the right direction but as of yet there has been no move to deprecate analogous standard extension functions like file() so it isn’t technically “legacy” yet. file() was an easy example… there are plenty of other functions (i.e. chmod) whose functionality is not covered in Spl.

I think you hit the nail on the head describing PHP’s function library as the swamp water of APIs.

]]> By: Stewart Lord http://blog.eval.ca/2009/01/04/bad-signs-phps-shut-up-operator/comment-page-1/#comment-20 Stewart Lord Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:46:14 +0000 http://blog.paulosman.com/?p=40#comment-20 "[...] it's a hackish, band-aid fix to a much larger, much more worrisome problem: horrendous API design." ...well, that implies that there was some kind of intelligent design; whereas we all know that PHP's function library is like the swamp water of APIs. Not to mention the fact that PHP had no exceptions at the time that file() was written. Let's just hope that one day the function library takes a back seat to the SPL. Hey, shouldn't you be using SplFileObject anyway!?! Since you're so determined to use the legacy functions, would set_error_handler() not do the job? “[...] it’s a hackish, band-aid fix to a much larger, much more worrisome problem: horrendous API design.”

…well, that implies that there was some kind of intelligent design; whereas we all know that PHP’s function library is like the swamp water of APIs. Not to mention the fact that PHP had no exceptions at the time that file() was written.

Let’s just hope that one day the function library takes a back seat to the SPL. Hey, shouldn’t you be using SplFileObject anyway!?!

Since you’re so determined to use the legacy functions, would set_error_handler() not do the job?

]]>