[drupal-devel] Why is there no designation between hooks and private functions in a module?

[Carl McDade]

When you look at most modules there is or should be a comment that a
function is a hook. This is not really good enough unless you go through
the entire core and memorize all the API functions in the core and
perhaps the use of those functions in core/contrib modules.

fscache_save

is a hook but you don't know this just by looking at it and it may be
called in a place in the code where there is no comment. If not familiar
with it then you have no idea if is part of the core or not. Potentially
one could conflict the code by creating a function of the same name.

fscache_dh_save

it is now apparent that the function used is a hook and that it is part
of a core module. Since non-core functions are not allowed to use the
_dh, there would not be a chance of conflict when writing a module. I
also know it is available for re-use.

I don't think this has to be backwards compatible ,just part of the
coding conventions as a rule.

core functions : must carry _dh (or whatever)in their name

non-core functions: cannot have _dh in their name


I am partial to the way Macromedia does this because I don't have to
know 1500 API functions. I just have to know that anything starting with
mm_ is core.  mm_function_save means that is a core function.

Carl McDade




Bèr Kessels wrote:
> I am not sure if its just me, but I unbderstand nothing of your 
> proposal.
> Could you rephrase this in a differnet, easier way? Remember that 
> probably non 
> of us use macromedea developement IDEs. 
> 
> Also remember that the APIs, Theme and hooks are not maintained as 
> backwards 
> compatible, when we can achieve improvments by not providing that 
> backwards 
> compatibility. This is one of the main "features" of Drupal, something 
> which 
> has brought us wherre we are now. So chances we will become "fully 
> backwards 
> compatible", code-wise are nearly non-existant.
> 
> Bèr
> 
> 
> Op zaterdag 12 maart 2005 16:53, schreef Carl McDade:
>> Maybe gotten spoiled from working with Macromedia products where
>> everything in the core API is set with MM, but why is there no
>> designation between drupal hook functions and private functions?
>> Checking the docs is not useful especially given that the api changes 
> so
>> often. Frequent changes are also the reason that memorization  does 
> not
>> work. Marking core hooks and other would not cost anything and would
>> help in the creation and maintenance of contributed modules.
>>
>> Changing:
>> function mymodule_validate(&$node) {
>>
>> To:
>> function mymodule_dh_validate(&$node) {
>>
>>
>> Or:
>> function mymodule_validate_dh(&$node) {
>>
>>
>> _dh being the core designation would make th process of updating a
>> module easier also.
>>
>> This might be a solution to a naming problem also in that all core 
> code
>> must start with the designation. So anything after that can be used
>> including the underscore character.
>>
>> Changing the hook invoke code has to be done but from the looks of it
>> this is not a big change.
>>
>> Carl McDade
> Regards,
>  Bèr