rfc:deprecate_dollar_brace_string_interpolation

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rfc:deprecate_dollar_brace_string_interpolation [2021/03/13 14:30] – Adjust voting title ilutovrfc:deprecate_dollar_brace_string_interpolation [2021/03/13 18:22] – Overhaul language to make it more compelling. crell
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   4. Dynamic variable lookup ("${expr}")   4. Dynamic variable lookup ("${expr}")
  
-Unfortunately, all of these have their drawbacks but options 3 and 4 are by far the worst, particularly because they share the exact same syntax. This RFC proposes to deprecate options 3 and 4 in PHP 8.1 and remove them in PHP 9.0.+All of these have their pros and cons, but in practice options 3 and 4 are easily confused (both by users and the parser) due to the similar syntax, are strictly less capable than the first two options, and are rarely used in practice.  Option 3 is specifically less capable than 2, and option 4 is built on variable-variables with all the complexity and weirdness that brings with it. 
 + 
 +This RFC proposes to deprecate options 3 and 4 in PHP 8.1 and remove them in PHP 9.0.  That leaves only two string interpolation options: direct (simple variable only) and powerful (the one that does the most now).
  
 ===== Status quo ===== ===== Status quo =====
  
-==== Options 1and 3 ====+The first issue is that all four options support different subsets of syntax.  That is needlessly confusingboth for the user and for the parser.
  
-Options 1, 2 and 3 all roughty try to do they same thing: They embed a local variable in a string, sometimes allowing to call a method or access an array offset on that variableAll of these examples are equivalent.+==== Simple variable interpolation ==== 
 + 
 +Options 1, 2and 3 support embedding basic variables Option 4 has no equivalent here.
  
 <code php> <code php>
 $foo = 'foo'; $foo = 'foo';
 +
 var_dump("$foo"); var_dump("$foo");
 var_dump("{$foo}"); var_dump("{$foo}");
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 </code> </code>
  
-All of the three options allow accessing an array offset. Unfortunately, the syntax is not consistent.+==== Array-offset interpolation ==== 
 + 
 +Options 1, 2, and 3 allow accessing an array offset. Unfortunately, the syntax is not consistent.
  
 <code php> <code php>
 $foo = ['bar' => 'bar']; $foo = ['bar' => 'bar'];
 var_dump("$foo[bar]"); var_dump("$foo[bar]");
 +
 var_dump("{$foo['bar']}"); var_dump("{$foo['bar']}");
 var_dump("${foo['bar']}"); var_dump("${foo['bar']}");
 </code> </code>
 +
 +==== Object property interpolation ====
  
 Only syntax 1 and 2 allow accessing properties. Only syntax 1 and 2 allow accessing properties.
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 <code php> <code php>
 $foo = (object) ['bar' => 'bar']; $foo = (object) ['bar' => 'bar'];
 +
 var_dump("$foo->bar"); var_dump("$foo->bar");
 var_dump("{$foo->bar}"); var_dump("{$foo->bar}");
 </code> </code>
 +
 +==== Metehod call interpolation ====
  
 Only syntax 2 allows calling methods. Only syntax 2 allows calling methods.
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 var_dump("{$foo->bar()}"); var_dump("{$foo->bar()}");
 </code> </code>
 +
 +==== Compound interpolation ====
  
 Only syntax 2 allows chaining all of the above. Only syntax 2 allows chaining all of the above.
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 The braces switch from option 3 to 4 because braces are not allowed in option 3. This means ''foo'' is no longer interpreted as a variable but as a constant, and option 4 will then try to find a local variable by the name of that constant. This is incredibly unintuitive. The braces switch from option 3 to 4 because braces are not allowed in option 3. This means ''foo'' is no longer interpreted as a variable but as a constant, and option 4 will then try to find a local variable by the name of that constant. This is incredibly unintuitive.
 +
 +==== Comparison to other languages ====
 +
 +A number of other languages use ''%%${foo}%%'' style string interpolation, most notably bash and Javascript (in template literals).  However, its behavior is different from that in PHP.  In PHP, that syntax means variable-variables.  In Javascript, it supports arbitrary expressions (making it technically a superset of PHP's existing option 2).  In its current form, options 3 and 4 are of limited use, and confusing for users from other nearby languages as they behaves quite differently.
  
 ===== Conclusion ===== ===== Conclusion =====
  
-Options 1, 2 and 3 all try to achieve the same thing. Option 1 is less powerful than option but it is shorter so both have some justification for existing. Option 3 is less powerful than both while not being shorter than any of them. Option 4 is not commonly useful. Option 3 and 4 clash syntax-wise.+Option offers a simple "base case" for the most common situation and is widely used. 
 + 
 +Option 2 offers the most robust syntax currently supported, and is widely used. 
 + 
 +Option 3 offers a subset of the functionality of option 2, and is not widely used. 
 + 
 +Option 4 offers functionality that is rarely if ever usefuland easily confused with option 3.
  
 For all of the reasons above this RFC proposes to deprecate option 3 and 4 in PHP 8.1 and remove them in PHP 9. For all of the reasons above this RFC proposes to deprecate option 3 and 4 in PHP 8.1 and remove them in PHP 9.
rfc/deprecate_dollar_brace_string_interpolation.txt · Last modified: 2022/05/05 08:17 by ilutov