====== Request for Comments: Named Parameters (obsolete) ======
  * Version: 0.1
  * Date: 2012-04-13
  * Author: Needs an owner & champion else this project will not be considered
  * Status: Draft - no content except a very old decision on the topic
  * Superseded by: [[rfc:named_params|Named Parameters RFC]]

===== Introduction =====

**Note: This RFC has been superseded by another [[rfc:named_params|Named Parameters RFC]].**

This document is a placeholder for a future RFC on implementing Named Parameters.  This project needs an owner.

Named Parameters is a topic that has been raised many times over the years.  The pros and cons
are captured in a variety of emails and (obviously) the feature has not gained support and is not implemented.  

Since the topic continually gets re-raised, and now PHP has an RFC process, the discussion should be recorded in an RFC (**Note this is yet to be done**) so the same arguments don't have to be revisited.

===== Paris Meeting 2005 =====

As a start, a summary is contained in the [[http://www.php.net/~derick/meeting-notes.html#named-parameters|Paris meeting minutes from 2005]]: 


==== Issue ====
The functionality of named parameters was suggested. Named parameters allow you to "skip" certain parameters to functions. If it would be implemented, then it might look like:

  <?php
  function foo ($a = 42, $b = 43, $c = 44, $d = 45)
  {
        // echos 42, 53, 54, 45
        echo "$a $b $c $d\n";
  }
  
  foo(c => 54, b => 53);
  ?>

==== Discussion ====
We don't see the real need for named parameters, as they seem to violate PHP's KISS principle. It also makes for messier code.

==== Conclusions ====

We do not want to add it.

===== Current Discussion =====

**All the pros & cons raised since 2005 need to be extracted from the mail archives and added here.**