Posted by Jerry Stuckle on 04/10/06 15:13

Tim Martin wrote:
> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>
>> Tim Martin wrote:
>>
>>> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>>>
>>>> Tim Martin wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Used judiciously these sorts of techniques can open up all sorts of
>>>>> possibilities (I've seen generic type containers implemented in
>>>>> pure C using macros), but the general consensus is that the
>>>>> potential for misuse is far too great and modern language
>>>>> constructs have obviated all the genuine needs for such techniques.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What "General consensus"? I haven't heard that.
>>>
>>>
>>> For example, Sutter / Alexandrescu, "C++ Coding standards". They
>>> dismiss macros in no uncertain terms. You could argue about quite how
>>> widely accepted this viewpoint is (not that I have any interest in
>>> such an argument).
>>
>>
>> That's hardly a "general consensus".
>
>
> I quoted that as one example. As I say, I don't have any particular
> interest in arguing over how widely shared this opinion is. I'll gladly
> modify my original statement to "some people believe that..." if it
> makes you happier.
>
>> It's also about C/C++, not PHP.
>
>
> My original comment was about usage of macros in languages that have
> them (i.e. C and C++), so this is an appropriate example. I'm obviously
> not going to find any coding standards that forbid using macros in PHP.
>
> For what it's worth, I've spent a lot of time writing C and I've used
> macros extensively. When used properly I believe they can make code much
> easier to maintain. However, I haven't found the same need in PHP.
>
>> The potential benefits of having them are that they can make coding
>> more understandable and easier to maintain.
>
>
> So you say. I'm yet to see any real examples of situations in PHP where
> macros give a significant benefit and similar behaviour couldn't be
> achieved either by using an existing language construct, or by making a
> small but less significant change to the language.
>
> Tim

Again - read back through other posts in this thread.

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Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
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