PHP 8.0: XMLWriter objects replace xmlwriter resources

As part of PHP's resource to object migration, XMLWriter extensions primitive resource objects are now converted to accept and return the existing XMLWriter objects.

XMLWriter extension provides both an object-oriented interface and a procedural function interface.

• The XMLWriter class contains all methods to work with the functionality provided by the extension.

• XMLWriter extensions procedural API, however, used xmlwriter resources and the xmlwriter resource must be passed as the first parameter to each function.

$writer = new XMLWriter();
$writer->openMemory();  
$writer->startDocument("1.0");`

The same functionality in procedural code:

$writer_resource = xmlwriter_open_memory();  
xmlwriter_start_document($writer_resource, '1.0');`

In PHP 8.0, the procedural-style functions accept and return XMLWriter instead of resource objects.

Object-oriented interface of XMLWriter extension has not changed in PHP 8.0. Furthermore, the procedural API functions are not deprecated.

Because the procedural-style functions accept XMLWriter objects, it is possible to mix the object-oriented and procedural patterns. Note that this can make the code lose its consistency at no benefit. However, this can ease the migration to object-oriented API as the previous resource objects are inter-changeable with the XMLWriter objects

is_resource

Note that return values from the procedural API of XMLWriter extension will be standard PHP class objects, and will no longer return true for is_resource function calls.

It might be necessary to update existing code to accept XMLWriter objects as well.

- is_resource($xw)
+ is_resource($xw) || $xw instanceof XMLWriter

However, this is an anti-pattern, because failing to create an xmlwriter resource results in a false return value in all PHP versions. A check against false might be more appropriate:

- is_resource($xw) || $xw instanceof XMLWriter
+ !empty($xw)

Backwards Compatibility Impact

Unless there are is_resource checks, this resource to object migration is completely opaque.

The object-oriented API continue to work, and the procedural API is not deprecated either. It not handles XMLWriter objects that can be called interchangeably, as opposed to procedural-specific xmlwriter resources.

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Implementation