ID: 34061
Comment by: yaXay at gmx dot net
Reported By: garyb at fxt dot com
Status: Open
Bug Type: Feature/Change Request
PHP Version: 5.1.0b3
New Comment:
I would really like the intoduction of actual arrays, because let's
face it: We're talking about lists here. Sure, lists are superior to
arrays, but only regarding functionality. Most of my algorithms would
work perfectly fine with zero-based arrays as one has to deal with in
C/++, Java, etc. And just rarely I actually need them to be dynamic and
sometimes not even semi-dynamic.
Overall I would love it if there could be two new native types in PHP:
arrays (semi-dynamic) and stacks.
Why make "stack" an actual type you might ask? For performance reasons.
Of course there could be a class "Stack", but having to call
$stack->push($val) and $stack->pop() all the time would be slower
compared to some stack operators.
The reason I'm putting performance in the center of discussion is that
PHP is really slow compared to JSP. Of course that is not just because
Java supports arrays, but also because with PHP you have to lex and
parse the whole script on each call, but still: If I can choose between
PHP and JSP I usually go with JSP, because of performance, stability and
security.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Schulz
Previous Comments:
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[2005-08-10 03:32:58] garyb at fxt dot com
Description:
------------
The list of PHP functions that operate on arrays has grown large, but
could be restructured to fit into a more coherent model.
Multidimensional array operations in any language can be confusing even
in the best situations. PHP's array functions seem to have been
implemented one at a time, as someone saw a need. Some of the
functions are overly specific to a given, rare applicationm and others
are not defined well particularly for multidimensional applications.
It can be difficult to figure out which function(s) to use/combine to
accomplish a particular task. Just as one example, array_slice could
be more useful for multidimensional arrays if an array could be given
for the offset and length This would allow one to slice, for example,
all instances of a particular field in a set of database results.
I would propose a new array function set for a later version of PHP,
that works the same without regard to dimension. In my experience, the
best implementation of array functionality (disregarding the language
syntax) that I have ever used is the one in APL. Every function that
works on arrays (which is most of them) does what's expected regardless
of dimensionality, and in almost all cases every argument can be an
array. Like PHP, APL can view a string as a string or as an array of
char. Later versions supported structured arrays, akin to objects. I
found APL's basic functions to be easier to learn and use than any of
the 'Mathematica' clones. Of course APL just represents one potential
approach.
If nobody else is already working on anything in this line, I'd be
amenable to participating in such a project, perhaps first as an
extension - though I can't say I'd be that much help. It may be that
the APL functions could be used as models for named functions, with
similar monadic/dyadic effects; or an interface to the Octave libraries
could be the best approach.
Reproduce code:
---------------
Example of APL equivalents:
APL :== function()
--> effect or equivalent using PHP syntax
A = iota(6) :== iterate (6)
--> A = range(6);
B = rho (A) :== shape (A)
--> B = count (A);
B = (2 3) rho (A) :== reshape A
--> B = array ( array (0, 1, 2), array ( 3, 4, 5);
--> or B = array (range (0,3), range(3,6));
C = (0 1 0 ) select(A) (I forget the APL name)
--> C = array (array (1), array (4));
--> no simple equiv in PHP
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