Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=38508&edit=1
ID: 38508 Comment by: erck0006 at gmail dot com Reported by: doublecompile at gmail dot com Summary: Addition of Magic __toArray() function Status: Closed Type: Feature/Change Request Package: Feature/Change Request PHP Version: * Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: <?php // AS-IS $customers = new Customers(); $lastCustomer = array_pop($customers); // FAIL: array_pop() expects parameter 1 to be array, object given echo $lastCustomer->getName(); // execution never reaches this line // MY APPLICATION'S INTERIM SOLUTION $customers = new Customers(); $lastCustomer = array_pop($customers->__toArray()); // SUCCESS echo $lastCustomer->getName(); // prints the last customer's name since the previous line did not fail since I explicitly called a custom method named __toArray() first // TO-BE $customers = new Customers(); $lastCustomer = array_pop($customers); // SUCCESS echo $lastCustomer->getName(); // prints the last customer's name since array_pop() calls __toArray() internally before failing Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2012-02-27 21:27:32] john at john dot com this magic function would be great to have ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2011-05-23 23:32:13] spark at limao dot com dot br Because of the magic __toString I was able to write a String class with the same methods as the Java String class. I was trying to write an Array class to map the one in Adobe AS3, but then I came across the lack of __toArray. I don't want a __toArray, or even a toString I want classes with reasonable methods and not lots of functions with no naming rules nor parameter order standard. I know it may sound rude but that's how I feel when I see a language getting so far and still not following any coding convetion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2006-08-20 11:12:22] he...@php.net Why not simply have a method asArray() maybe even as par of an interface: interface ArrayConversion { function asArray(); } See, we have __toString as it is supported in language constructs like echo, print and other internal functions. But we decided against an autoconversion for arrays already. So itwill never be supported in any language construct. That said there is no needed for this and nothing you would win against the above interface. In fact you would make it php more complex because you'd add just one more magic feature. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2006-08-19 00:40:17] doublecompile at gmail dot com Description: ------------ Doing this: $newarray = (array)$object; will take the properties of an object and assign them as the values of keys in an array. As of PHP 5.2, doing this: $stringified = (string)$object; will call the magic __toString() function for a user-specified formatting of the object as a string. It would be a great addition to call a magic __toArray() function if an object is cast as an array, instead of converting its public members to array elements. (For instance, the class might not have public members). Classes without the function could use the default method of mapping property names to array keys. Just my two cents. Reproduce code: --------------- <?php class magicExample { public $aoeu = "htns"; function __toArray() { return array('foo'=>'bar'); } } $test = new magicExample(); $array = (array)$test; print_r($array); // should show foo=>bar, not aoeu=>htns ?> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=38508&edit=1