====== PHP RFC: Normalize increment and decrement operators ======
  * Version: 0.2
  * Date: 2013-12-19
  * Author: Tjerk Meesters (datibbaw)
  * Status: Inactive
  * First Published at: https://wiki.php.net/rfc/normalize_inc_dec

===== Introduction =====

The current behaviour of increment and decrement operators is not very intuitive:

<code php>
// booleans
$a = false; ++$a; // bool(false)
$a = true; --$a; // bool(true)

// null values
$a = null; --$a; // null
$a = null; ++$a; // int(1)

// empty strings
$a = ''; ++$a; // string(1) "1"

// non-numeric strings
$a = '12d9'; 
++$a; // string(4) "12e0"
++$a; // float(13)
</code>

===== Proposal =====

The proposal is:
  - always treat boolean and null types as an integer, but raise a warning.
  - deprecate alphanumeric increment and introduce ''str_inc()'' and ''str_dec()''.

==== Operation on bool / null ====

<code php>
// booleans
$a = false; 
++$a; // int(1) + warning
++$a; // int(2)
$a = true; 
--$a; // int(0) + warning
--$a; // int(-1)

// null values
$a = null; --$a; // int(-1) + warning
$a = null; ++$a; // int(1) + warning
</code>

==== Operation on alphanumeric strings ====

<code php>
// non-numeric strings
$a = '12d9'; 
++$a; // string(4) "12e0" + Notice: String increment is deprecated, use str_inc() instead in php shell code on line 1
++$a; // float(13)
</code>

Additionally, it makes two new string functions available:

  * ''str_inc($str)'' - to perform the current string increments.
  * ''str_dec($str)'' - the string decrement.

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

Incrementing ''null'' will now raise a warning; incrementing alphanumeric strings will raise a deprecation notice.

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

**PHP 7**

===== Open Issues =====

None.

===== Unaffected PHP Functionality =====

The changes do not affect the following data types:
  * ''array''
  * ''int''
  * ''float''
  * ''object''
  * ''resource''

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

Yay or nay.

===== Patches and Tests =====

Coming soon ...

===== Implementation =====

N/A

===== References =====

[[https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/547|Pull Request]]

The competing proposal:

[[alpanumeric_decrement|Alphanumeric Decrement]]

===== Rejected Features =====

Keep this updated with features that were discussed on the mail lists.