[Mapserver-dev] Next Generation MapScript API

[Daniel Morissette]

Frank Warmerdam wrote:
> 
> I have hadn't been thinking of changing the PHP side, though in the 
> longer term
> we do need to think about how to keep the PHP reasonably in sync with the
> SWIG based MapScript implementations.
> 

I think that to be consistent we should always try to keep the PHP and 
SWIG API's in sync and think of them this way... I think this is already 
the way most of the developers think, so we should continue in that route.

This means that any change proposal that can't (or wouldn't) be applied 
to both needs to be reconsidered.

> I would be amendable to deferring "next generation" SWIG MapScript roll out
> to post-4.2 release.    Currently (as I understand it) the default is to 
> not
> use the next generation api stuff.
> 

The only way those changes can work for us (DM Solutions) is if there is 
a compatibility mode as was suggested somewhere in this thread. DM 
Solutions is probably the group with the largest amount of PHP code 
relying on the current MapScript APIs, and any single function or object 
change is a major issue for us.

However, if major changes must happen, then I think a good timing for us 
(talking for DM Solutions again) would be to make any API changes 
coincide with a switch to PHP5 since some important work may be involved 
in php_mapscript to take full advantage of many of PHP5's new features. 
While we're at it we would probably attempt a switch to SWIG-PHP as well.

Um... I guess if we know we'll make major changes anyway when we go to 
PHP5, and we know that we may be going with SWIG at that time, then it's 
not that much of an issue if SWIG-MapScript takes a different route than 
PHP MapScript today... but I would still urge you to wait until after 
the 4.2 release, and possibly even after a 4.4 release if we plan to do 
one in June.

My 0.02$

Daniel
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  Daniel Morissette               dmorissette at dmsolutions.ca
  DM Solutions Group              http://www.dmsolutions.ca/
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