Map-based autoloader across php and phar resources

⌈⌋ ⎇ branch:  Canonic Autoloader


rfc:function_autoloading

Function autoloading

PHP is a hybrid language. It however unevenly implements autoloading for classes only as of now. There are long-standing feature requests for supporting it with all language symbols. A more recent attempt to bring some systematization here was:

See https://wiki.php.net/rfc/function_autoloading

The ensuing php-dev discussion wasn't overly constructive. (Fatal errors provide a higher performance than autoloading a function). Backhandedly however to prevent functions becoming first class language constructs, due to them implying an unfavored coding paradigm.

Meanwhile PHP 5.6 introduced use function imports - which however are aliases only, thus magnifying the dichotomy only further.

Why is it in shared.phar ?

With shared.phar revisiting the big picture was a design goal, not repeating what's already there.

  • Function autoloading here is a proof-of-concept mostly.
  • Requires little additional effort for the autoloader.
  • And implementing it in the map generator was a trivial by-product of doing things properly anyway.

It still can be be optionalized however, when unneeded.

How can I use it now?

See the attached example, which shows the common class::__callStatic() workaround for current PHP versions. While such a class wrapper bemusingly gets autoloaded itself, it's probably only suitable for e.g. application-level plugin hook schemes.

The lack of core language support makes it unsuitable for autoloading namespaced functions. It can just shoehorn in global functions easily, or else required x::{"pkg\\bundle\\func"}() invocations.


Attachments:

  • x.php [download] added by mario on 2014-02-15 02:24:58. [details]