PHP annotations - experiment

annot.php

<?php

#
@Pepa\B\C
@NovakA(A)
@NovakB("B")
@NovakC(a="b",c="d",e="f")
class Pepa {
	@NovakConst
	const myConst = 1;

	@NovakProp
	public $prop;

	@NovakFceX @NovakFceX2
	public function x() {
		echo "X\n";
	}

	public static function y() {
		echo "Y\n";
	}
}

$pepa = new Pepa();
$pepa->x();


$cls = new ReflectionClass('Pepa');
var_dump($a = $b = $cls->getAnnotations());

notes.md

Annotation character

In PHP, @ character is used as silence operator and thus cannot be reused for annotations - PHP wouldn't know whether it's an annotation or silenced expression (you may guess it from the code, but it has to be obvious soon enough, i.e. immediately after the at sign). I experimented with # character to introduce annotations, which are then defined by normal @ char. When annotating methods or properties, the collision doesn't happen and therefore # is not needed.

output.txt

Pepa has got annotations
array(4) {
  [0] =>
  string(8) "Pepa\\B\\C"
  [1] =>
  array(2) {
    'name' =>
    string(6) "NovakA"
    'params' =>
    array(1) {
      'value' =>
      string(1) "A"
    }
  }
  [2] =>
  array(2) {
    'name' =>
    string(6) "NovakB"
    'params' =>
    array(1) {
      'value' =>
      string(1) "B"
    }
  }
  [3] =>
  array(2) {
    'name' =>
    string(6) "NovakC"
    'params' =>
    array(3) {
      'a' =>
      string(1) "b"
      'c' =>
      string(1) "d"
      'e' =>
      string(1) "f"
    }
  }
}