On 23/11/2024 20:27, Rob Landers wrote:
Interesting! I actually found it to be intuitive.
Think of it like this:
function increment(array $array) {
$array[0]++;
}
$arr = [0];
increment($arr);
echo $arr[0]; // is 0
We don't expect $arr to be any different outside of the function because $arr is a value, not a reference.
My mental model, rightly or wrongly, is that passing to a parameter is a bit like an assignment to a local variable:
function increment(array) {
$array = $__args[0];
$array[0]++;
}
(This is explicitly how subroutine parameters work in Perl; I don't know if that's affected my mental model, or just means Larry Wall pictured it the same way.)
You can even assign a new value to it, like any other variable:
function whatever(array $array) {
$array = 'not even an array any more';
}
But in PHP, $this isn't a parameter, and it's never possible to assign a new value to $this; so it feels completely alien to have a method where $this stops referring to the current object, and becomes a local variable.
I think it would be clearer to prevent direct modification of $this:
Not that I disagree (see the records RFC), but at that point, why not make data classes implicitly readonly?
That would still be compatible with Ilija's suggestion, which was to add special "mutating methods":
I actually find this appealing, but it is strange to me to allow this syntax on classes. Is there precedent for that? Or is there a way we can do it using "regular looking PHP"; or are structs the way to go?