forceString modifies the variable passed to it

[cgutteridge]

This bit me in the bottom in some code I was wriing. I think forceString( &$resource )should NOT be listed as part of the API and we should add a non-mutating version which does
$string_uri = $graph->FN( $resource_or_string_uri );
whithout modifying the incoming value. Not sure what to call the fn though.

[CloCkWeRX]

I was looking at this, and wondering why we didn't rely on __toString() and (string) in almost all cases. That'll get us around the pass-by-reference behaviour

[cgutteridge]

Ah, because you can't call
$foo = "a string";
$foo = $foo->toString();

Because in some contexts you want to be sure you're using a resource
object, and in some sure you're using a string, but in many it's nice to
not worry about it.
$graph->resource( $x )
will accept a resource object or a string and return a resource.
I think we need the inverse, maybe just
$graph->string( $x )
which will accept either and always return a string of the URI or
literal if a resource is passed, and just the string if $x is a string.

On 27/03/2012 23:47, Daniel O'Connor wrote:

I was looking at this, and wondering why we didn't rely on __toString() and (string) in almost all cases. That'll get us around the pass-by-reference behaviour

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Christopher Gutteridge -- http://id.ecs.soton.ac.uk/person/1248

Graphite PHP RDF Library v1.5 released! http://graphite.ecs.soton.ac.uk/
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You should read the ECS Web Team blog: http://blogs.ecs.soton.ac.uk/webteam/

[CloCkWeRX]

Not toString(); that we've been defining; but __toString() the magical method of magic-ness?
http://au2.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.magic.php#object.tostring

$foo = "a string";
print (string)$foo; // a string

class Foobar { public function __toString() { return "baaaaaa"; } }

$foo = new FooBar();
print (string)$foo; //baa
?

[cgutteridge]

Ah. I have never learned to use casting in PHP.... I didn't actually
realise that was an option! neat.

On 28/03/12 13:08, Daniel O'Connor wrote:

Not toString(); that we've been defining; but __toString() the magical method of magic-ness?
http://au2.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.magic.php#object.tostring

$foo = "a string";
print (string)$foo; // a string

class Foobar { public function __toString() { return "baaaaaa"; } }

$foo = new FooBar();
print (string)$foo; //baa
?

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Christopher Gutteridge -- http://id.ecs.soton.ac.uk/person/1248

/ Lead Developer, EPrints Project, http://eprints.org/
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