====== PHP RFC: Raise warnings for json_encode() and json_decode() issues ======
  * Version: 0.2
  * Date: 2017-07-28
  * Author: Craig Duncan <php@duncanc.co.uk>
  * Proposed version: PHP 7.3
  * Status: Withdrawn

===== Introduction =====

Whenever ''json_encode()'' or ''json_decode()'' are called, you //must// call ''json_last_error()'' to check if a failure occurred.

This is unnecessarily complicated and is easy to be forgotten leading to bugs in code. Particular with new developers that aren't familiar with error handling techniques.

===== Proposal =====

This RFC proposes changing ''json_encode()'' and ''json_decode()'' to raise E_WARNING whenever a failure occurs.

===== Concerns =====

The functionality of ''json_last_error()'' and ''json_last_error_msg()'' are unaffected and they can still be used in exactly the same way they are today.

===== Backward Incompatible Changes =====

Existing code that is using ''json_last_error()'' for error handling may need changing to handle the E_WARNING instead.

However it is expected that most code is either suppressing warnings, or converting them to exceptions with an exception handler.

It's also worth noting that ''json_decode()'' already has 2 instances it raises E_WARNING.

===== Proposed PHP Version(s) =====

PHP 7.3

===== Proposed Voting Choices =====

Simple Yes/No vote that doesn't change the language itself so requires 50% + 1 votes to get 'accepted'. 

===== Implementation =====

GitHub:
https://github.com/php/php-src/compare/master...duncan3dc:1392440050e0d2a033583be9b4cd72ece782f548

=====References =====

Initial discussion that led to this RFC's creation:
https://externals.io/message/100061

Discussion thread:
https://externals.io/message/100071