Re: Why use PHP? What are the disadvantages?

Kelly Cookson wrote:

When I write a PHP function, I can make up a return variable name on the fly, and it doesn't matter if I'm returning characters, numbers, or arrays. I can also change the type of data the function returns without having to change the variable definitions everywhere the function is called. Similarly, when I call a PHP function, I can make up a variable name on the fly to receive the output, and it doesn't matter what kind of output is being passed back.
But, if you want to call it laziness, guilty as charged. ;-)

Not laziness. Bad design. That may sound harsh, but if you find yourself regularly changing the return value of a function, then you haven't designed the application very well. Changing what a function returns isn't something simple - it will affect every place that function is called. If the calling code expects the function to return a Customer object and you've changed the function to return a date, is it going to work?

It's the same issue I have with folks who insist they need to make database changes often. That just tells me they haven't designed their database very well. Better up-front analysis leads to less back-end changes.

Joe