On Fri, Feb 3, 2023 at 6:19 AM Olle Härstedt <olleharst...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 2023-02-02 15:19 GMT+01:00, someniatko <somenia...@gmail.com>: > > Hi Internals > > > > The main gist: > > -------------- > > > > I suggest to introduce an official type-checker / static analyser / > > preprocessor / transpiler for PHP, somewhat similar to TypeScript in > > the JavaScript world, which will allow to introduce the features > > otherwise impossible for the PHP world, at the cost of including an > > additional transpilation step. > > > > The reasoning: > > -------------- > > > > You all know there are a lot of problems with the language, especially > > large gaps with the current type system, which have large community > > demand to overcome, but still cannot be solved due to the paradigm > > chosen by PHP. And the paradigm is to be statically typed (to some > > extent), but dynamically checked language, which limits the number of > > available options due to performance reasons. > > > > The introduction of static types have gradually eliminated the need of > > using external means of communicating the types (phpdoc @param and > > @return annotations), replacing them with native language constructs, > > making the language more expressive and enterprise-ready. However, > > there are a lot of things still missing, like types of arrays, > > including lists, hash-maps and structure-like arrays, and of course > > generic classes and functions. These are still covered nowadays with > > external means like phpdoc annotations and static analysers / type > > checkers to validate them. This leaves PHP in the odd mixture of > > native types and externally validated annotations via comments. > > > > Paradigm of a dynamically checked language also leaves out the problem > > of type-checking before running the code. Even though the types are > > defined statically, you still have to physically run the code, with > > all possible execution paths, to catch a type error. To avoid that you > > still would have to use an external typechecker / static analyser, > > even if PHP could cover 100% of type demand natively. > > > > Python solves this problem nicely I think. It is dynamically typed, > > but it allows a special syntax for static types and also has a > > separate static type checker. I think this is really a good approach > > and it would be great if PHP followed this path for the beginning, but > > we have what we have already. > > > > There were attempts to create preprocessors for PHP (like PHP++ IIRC), > > which allowed features like generics, but they did not gain enough > > popularity, weren't baked by large enough companies, didn't make their > > way to major IDEs support. I believe the only solution is to make an > > official one. > > > > Therefore, I suggest the following thing: > > 1. Introduce a new #declare directive which will mark the file as > > requiring pre-processing. > > 2. Let PHP introduce special features that only work in such > > "pre-processing required" files, such as typed lists and generics. > > 3. Implement a static type-checker in PHP that will verify those typed > > lists and generics are indeed used in a valid way. > > No need to waste resources implementing a new one when we already have > two very competent already: Psalm and Phpstan? Or why is those not > enough for your use-case? > > "The greatest enemy to a perfect solution is a good enough solution > already in place." ;) > > Olle > > -- > PHP Internals - PHP Runtime Development Mailing List > To unsubscribe, visit: https://www.php.net/unsub.php > > Why not follow the steps of other projects that have been created independently from the core and, at some point, gained enough support/traction that were incorporated into it?
