PHP.language.txt

         
   PHP   
         


VERSION ==>                       #7.1.2
                                  #There is a spec mostly maintained by Zend

PSR ==>                           #PHP standards, developed by PHP-FIG, group composed of members of important PHP frameworks/projects


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             STACK             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


INTERPRETER/VM ==>                #Parse/execute PHP core language
                                  #Main ones:
                                  #  - Zend engine, historical one, interpreter
                                  #  - HHVM, virtual machine
                                  #Expose an API to extensions:
                                  #  - Zend API is in C
                                  #  - HNI is HHVM's, in C++
                                  #Compatibility of HHVM towards Zend:
                                  #  - few PHP core language differences
                                  #  - some extensions are not available
                                  #  - some configuration variables are not available
                                  #  - HNI has a compatibility layer towards Zend API (but not inverse)

EXTENSIONS ==>                    #PHP libraries written in C (using interpreter/VM API)
                                  #Normal "extension" vs "Zend extension": 
                                  #  - only difference is they use different data structure to register to Zend API

CORE/BUNDLED/EXTERNAL EXTENSIONS  #Static libraries:
  ==>                             #  - bundled with interpreter/VM
                                  #     - developed by the interpreter/VM, and regularly updated
                                  #  - must be activated compile-time, i.e. using compile flags
                                  #Types:
                                  #  - core: always enabled by default
                                  #  - bundled: sometimes enabled by default, sometimes not
                                  #  - external: same, but also requires another library to be installed on host, usually binary or shared library

PECL EXTENSIONS ==>               #Dynamic libraries (can be static if needed)
                                  #  - must be downloaded
                                  #  - must be loaded with CONFVAR [zend_]extension
                                  #Standardized:
                                  #  - has a repository
                                  #  - use package format
                                  #  - use CLI tool to facilitate download and compilation

PACKAGE MANAGER ==>               #  - composer:
                                  #     - for PECL extensions or PHP normal library
                                  #     - has its own repository
                                  #  - pickle: for PECL extensions. Not really maintained anymore
                                  #  - PEAR: old deprecated competitor of composer

RUNTIME ==>                       #Software that run PHP interpreter/VM
                                  #Uses SAPI, a C API interface
                                  #Interpreter/VM must support each SAPI implementation, and be built with corresponding compile flag
                                  #Types:
                                  #  - CLI (enabled by default)
                                  #  - CGI:
                                  #     - FastCGI (enabled by default)
                                  #  - Apache
                                  #  - IIS
                                  #  - Java servlet


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:         CONFIGURATION         :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


php.ini                           #CONF file, looked up in:
                                  #  - ENVVAR PHPRC
                                  #  - php -c FILE|DIR
                                  #  - $PWD (unless CLI)
                                  #Can also use:
                                  #  - php -d VAR[=VAL]
                                  #  - extra ini files specified with:
                                  #     - ENVVAR PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR "DIR:..."
                                  #        - for DIR/*.ini
                                  #     - compile-time flag --with-config-file-scan-dir:
                                  #        - overriden by PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR unless specifying empty DIR, e.g. "DIR::DIR2"
                                  #     - can show all the ones parsed with php --ini
                                  #Ini format is usual except:
                                  #  - can use ${VAR} (for CONF.VAR) or ${ENVVAR}
php -n                            #Do not use php.ini


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          BASE SYNTAX          :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


<?php ... [?>]                    #Anything outside is left as is.
                                  #... is parsed by PHP, and replaced by its stdout
                                  #If ?> is end of file, do not use it, to avoid unwanted trailing whitespaces
<?= ... ?>                        #Same as <?php echo ... ?>
<?php STRUCTURE ?>                #Same as: 
...                               #  <?php
<?php ENDSTRUCTURE ?>             #  STRUCTURE
                                  #    echo ...
                                  #  ENDSTRUCTURE
                                  #  ?>
                                  #Usually use colon syntax for structures, but not mandatory

STATEMENT;                        #Semi-colon terminated
VAL_LIT                           #Constant
EXPR                              #Expression, i.e. anything that returns a value, including but not limited to VAL_LIT
VAL                               #Implied unless *_LIT, VAR or $VAR is specified, e.g. STR means STR expression

// COMMENT
# COMMENT                         #Single-line. Stops at next ?>
/* COMMENT */                     #Multiple-line.


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             TYPES             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE SYSTEM ==>                   #Nominative. Class-based OOP.
                                  #Weakly typed + type inferred: 
                                  #  - auto-typecasting, including at definition-time
                                  #  - optional "manifest typing" or "strict typing" on function arguments and return values
                                  #Dynamic/runtime type checking
                                  
(TYPE) VAL                        #Explicit type casting.
                                  #TYPE: string|b[inary], bool[ean], int[eger], float|double|real, array, object, unset (null)


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:           VARIABLES           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


VAR                               #[[:alnum:]_]+, can use Unicode chars. Should not start with __
                                  #FUNC, CLASS, INTERFACE, TRAIT, NS names are case-insensitive
                                  #Keywords, normal variables, const variables and LABEL are case-sensitive

$VAR,...                          #Declaration. Optional.
$VAR = VAL                        #[Declaration +] Assignment, by value
                                  #Is an EXPR, i.e. returns new value
$VAR                              #Dereferencement


define("VAR", VAL[, BOOL])        #"d-constant". Same as global variables except:
                                  #  - read-only
                                  #  - cannot resolve to OBJ
                                  #  - referenced as VAR, not $VAR
                                  #     - i.e. ${EXPR} or $$VAR cannot be used
                                  #     - if undefined, defaults to "VAR" itself, with a notice or (if namespaced) an exception
                                  #  - uppercase by convention
                                  #  - cannot use instanceof
                                  #If BOOL true, VAR name is case-insensitive
const VAR = VAL,...               #"c-constant". Same but evaluated compile-time not runtime.
                                  #This implies following restrictions:
                                  #  - VAL cannot contain FUNC(), but can contain builtin operators like + -
                                  #  - must be top-level scope, and not in any block
                                  #They also have different behavior when it comes to namespaces (see below)


UNDEFINED VALUES ==>              #I.e. not assigned, or after unset()
                                  #Resolves to null. Difference with variables with actual null values:
                                  #  - prints notice when dereferenced, except if rvalue of an assignment by reference
unset(VAR)                        #Removes a variable, i.e. make it undefined


UNDERLYING MODEL ==>              #The spec defines following concepts:
                                  #  - VAR ("VSlot"): pointer to VAL
                                  #  - VAL ("VStore", "zval"): either scalar value or pointer to OBJ|RES|ARR_VAL
                                  #  - OBJ|ARR_VAL ("Hstore") ("zobj"): VARs container


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:      EXPRESSION-ORIENTED      :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


${STR}                            #Can be used like $VAR, but VAR name is STR
$$VAR                             
$$$VAR                            #Same as ${$VAR}, ${${$VAR}}, etc.

$$VAR[NUM]                        #Operator priority (from high to low): {} $ []
${$VAR}[NUM]                      #I.e. first two conceptually mean ($$VAR)[NUM], last means $($VAR[NUM])
${$VAR[NUM]}                      #Same thing for $$VAR->KEY


FUNK                              #"Callable|callback", higher-level FUNC, that can be used anywhere FUNC can.
                                  #Can be:
                                  #  - FUNC, inluding closure
                                  #  - OBJ with OBJ.__invoke()
                                  #  - variable name pointing to one of the above, as:
                                  #     - normal variable: 'VAR'
                                  #     - class variable: [OBJ, '[parent|self|static::]VAR']
                                  #     - class static variable: 
                                  #        - ['CLASS', '[parent|self|static::]VAR']
                                  #        - 'CLASS::[parent|self|static::]VAR'
                                  #  - $VAR containing any of the above


CLASSS                            #Used for static methods, i.e. CLASSS::*, new CLASSS, instaceof CLASSS
                                  #Can be:
                                  #  - CLASS
                                  #  - $VAR containing 'CLASS', and not 'self|parent|static'
                                  #  - OBJ, whose type is CLASS
                                  #Or (not with instanceof CLASSS):
                                  #  - self|parent|static
                                  #Or (not with new CLASSS):
                                  #  - "CLASS"
OBJ->{STR}                        
CLASSS::${STR}
CLASSS::{STR}                     #Using object properties|methods with an EXPR, evaluating to "VAR" or "FUNC". Not for const members.
OBJ->$VAR                         
CLASSS::$$VAR
CLASSS::$VAR                      #Same as OBJ->{$VAR}, CLASSS::${$VAR}, CLASSS::{$VAR}


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          REFERENCES           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


REFERENCE ==>                     #There is no directionality:
                                  #  - $VAR referencing $VAR2 is same as $VAR2 referencing $VAR
                                  #  - i.e. they both point to same content
                                  #Can work either like:
                                  #  - an alias-reference:
                                  #      - VAR (VSlot) reference to VAL (VStore)
                                  #      - references share content but also new assignments
                                  #  - a pointer-reference:
                                  #      - VAL (VStore) reference to OBJ|RES_VAL or ARR[*]_VAL (HStore)
                                  #      - references share only content
                                  #E.g.:
                                  #  - content change: 
                                  #     $a = new stdClass; $b = $a; $a->c = 1; $b->c === 1; $b->c = 2; $a->c === 2;
                                  #  - new assignment:
                                  #     - pointer-reference: $a = new stdClass; $b = $a; $b = null; $a !== null;
                                  #     - alias-reference: $a = new stdClass; $b =& $a; $b = null; $a === null;
                                  #The only way to remove referencing for alias-references is unset(), e.g.:
                                  #  $a = new stdClass; $b =& $a; unset($b); $a !== null;
                                  #Do not use for performance optimization, as the engine automatically does it

VALUE VS REFERENCE ==>            #Arguments|return values|assignment are done:
                                  #  - &-syntax (see below): by alias-reference
                                  #  - OBJ|RES: by pointer-reference
                                  #  - ARR: container by value, but each element by pointer-reference, e.g. after ARR = ARR2:
                                  #     - all ARR2[KEY] and ARR[KEY] are pointer-references to each other
                                  #     - but adding keys to ARR|ARR2 would not add it to other array
                                  #  - others: by value


$VAR =& $VAR2
$VAR = &$VAR2                     #Assignment by alias-reference

function [FUNC]([TYPE] &$VAR,...) #Argument by alias-reference
 {...}                            #FUNC call must use as arguments:
function [FUNC]([TYPE] &...$ARR)  #  - variables: FUNC(&$VAR)
 {...}                            #  - function return values by alias-reference: FUNC(FUNC2())
                                  #  - FUNC(new CLASS)
function (...) use (&$VAR,...)
 {...}                            #Argument by alias-reference

function &[FUNC](...) {...}       #Return value by alias-reference

foreach 
(ARR|OBJ as [$KEY =>] &$VAL) {...}#Assignment by alias-reference. It is recommended to unset($VAL) after the loop.

[&$VAR, ...]                      #By alias-reference.


(&$VAR)                           #Since (...) returns by value, this is same as $VAR (i.e. loses alias-reference)

GLOBAL/STATIC VARIABLES ==>       #Assigning a value by alias-reference to global|static $VAR makes it non-global|static.
                                  #For global, can avoid it by assigning alias-reference to $GLOBALS["VAR"] instead


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:      GARBAGE COLLECTION       :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE ==>                          #Use reference-counting garbage collection, with periodic tracing gargage collection

REFERENCE COUNTING GC ==>         #Increments refcount:
                                  #  - alias-reference ("is_ref=1")
                                  #     - incremented by any VAL assignment by reference:
                                  #        - including $FUNC = function () use (&$VAR) {...}; ($FUNC will carry a reference to $VAR)
                                  #     - if the rval is not a reference yet, it will be made one
                                  #        - i.e. will increment by 2
                                  #        - e.g.:
                                  #           $VAR = "a";    // $VAR      refcount=0, is_ref=0
                                  #           $VAR2 &= $VAR; // $VAR[2]   refcount=2, is_ref=1
                                  #           $VAR3 &= $VAR; // $VAR[2|3] refcount=3, is_ref=1
                                  #  - pointer-reference ("is_ref=0")
                                  #     - incremented by OBJ|RES|ARR assignment by value
                                  #     - when an OBJ|RES becomes a reference, it keeps its pointer-reference (since it actually references a pointer)
                                  #        - e.g.:
                                  #           OBJ = new stdClass; // OBJ    refcount=1, is_ref=0
                                  #           OBJ2 = OBJ;         // OBJ[2] refcount=2, is_ref=0
                                  #           OBJ3 =& OBJ;        // OBJ2   refcount=2, is_ref=0; OBJ[3] refcount=2, is_ref=1
                                  #                               // Because OBJ[3] are 2 references to first pointer, and OBJ2 is second pointer
                                  #Decrements refcount:
                                  #  - on unset()
                                  #  - when out of scope, i.e. exit of function where it was declared
                                  #When refcount === 0:
                                  #  - cleans memory
                                  #  - OBJ|ARR unset() their members

REFERENCE CYCLES ==>              #Reference cycles are not cleared by reference-counting gc, but are by tracing gc
                                  #E.g.: OBJ.self = OBJ; unset(OBJ); // OBJ.self not unset by reference-counting gc, i.e. refcount === 1

TRACING GC ==>                    #Fired:
                                  #  - at program exit
                                  #  - when there are 10000 root objects
enable_gc                         #CONFVAR 0|1 (def: 1)
gc_enable|disable()               #Sets CONFVAR enable_gc
gc_enabled()->BOOL                #
gc_collect_cycles()->NUM          #Forces tracing gc now. Returns number of cycles found


xdebug_debug_zval('VAR',...)      #See XDebug
debug_zval_dump(VAL,...)          #Similar to var_dump(), except also shows refcounts and is_ref (with & symbol)
                                  #Since it makes a copy of VAL, and counts the copy as reference, it gives strange results: prefer xdebug_debug_zval()


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             SCOPE             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


SCOPE ==>                         #Function-level lexical scope.
                                  #No inheritance from parent function, except optional closure "use" structure.

SUPERGLOBAL ==>                   #PHP-defined global variable
$GLOBALS                          #Global scope, as ARR
                                  #I.e. any global variable will available at both $GLOBALS["VAR"] and $VAR
$GLOBALS["GLOBALS"]               #Same as $GLOBALS (recursion)
global $VAR,...                   #Global variable declaration (no assigning)
                                  #Is same to $VAR =& $GLOBALS["VAR"], i.e. this declaration:
                                  #  - must be present in scopes that use $VAR
                                  #  - does not have to be present in parent|global scope

static $VAR [= VAL],...           #Declaration|assignment with a normal (i.e. function) scope, but:
                                  #  - only done during the first current function call
                                  #  - $VAR value is persisted for the next current function calls


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:           FUNCTIONS           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


function [FUNC]                   #Declaration.
([TYPE] $VAR[ = VAL_LIT],...)     #Scope:
[: TYPE2] { ... }                 #  - uses function scope
                                  #  - can be declared after being used, if used in same scope
                                  #  - can be inside a structure or conditional block
                                  #Semicolon optional after }
                                  #Can fire FUNC(...), but not use FUNC as a normal variable
                                  #Cannot redefine already existing functions.
                                  #Arguments:
                                  #  - VAL_LIT: default value
                                  #  - ...ARR:
                                  #     - variadic argument
                                  #     - must be last argument
                                  #     - can use TYPE: refers to each individual argument
return [VAL]                      #Def: null

function (...) [use ($VAR,...)]   #Closure/anonymous function. Difference:
 {...}                            #  - is an EXPR, not a statement, i.e.:
                                  #     - follow normal variable scope|assignment rules
                                  #     - can be used as VAL, including being assigned
                                  #  - is OBJ, of class Closure, immutable
                                  #  - semicolon not optional
                                  #"use" $VAR:
                                  #  - inherits parent scope $VAR
                                  #     - lexical scope, evaluated at definition time
                                  #  - can use $VAR that closure is assigned to, when need recursive closure, i.e.:
                                  #      $VAR = function (...) use ($VAR) {...}
CLOSURE.__invoke(...)             #Same as CLOSURE(...)

STRICT TYPING ==>                 #Using TYPE for function arguments or return value, among:
                                  #  - string, bool, int|float, array
                                  #  - CLASS|self|parent: including descendants
                                  #  - iterable: TRAVERSABLE
                                  #  - callable: FUNK
                                  #  - void: no return statement
                                  #To allow null as well, add null as default value
                                  #DIRECTIVE strict_types 0|1:
                                  #  - effect:
                                  #     - if 0 (def), only "manifest typing", i.e. tries to typecast STR|NUM|BOOL
                                  #     - otherwise, also "strong typing", i.e. only allow INT->FLOAT typecast
                                  #  - must be first statement in file
                                  #  - affects current file, not calling file, i.e.
                                  #     - functions calls parameters, but not function definitions arguments
                                  #     - return value: all definitions, not function calls
                                  #  - not in CLI
                                  #Enforced runtime, by throwing TypeError

FUNK(VAL,...)                     
call_user_func(FUNK, ...)         #Function call
FUNK(...ITERABLE)                 #Same as FUNK(ITERABLE[0],...)


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          STRUCTURES           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


(EXPR)                            #Same as EXPR, but with higher operator precedence

VARIABLE SCOPE ==>                #Are function-scope, not block-scope
                                  #E.g. for ($VAR = VAL;...) {...}, $VAR is still defined after the loop


{
  ...  
}                                 #Same as ...


NO-CURLY BRACE SYNTAX ==>         #Curly braces can be skipped when their content is only a single statement

COLON SYNTAX ==>                  #Can replace:
                                  #  - colon instead of opening brace
                                  #  - endWORD (e.g. endif) instead of last closing brace
                                  #Not for "do while" structures


if (BOOL) { ... } 
elseif (BOOL) { ... } 
else { ... }                      #

while (BOOL) { ... }              #

do { ... } while (BOOL)           #

switch (VAL) {                    
  case VAL2:... ...; break;       #Uses ==
  default: ...; break;            #Can use case VAL2; instead of case VAL2:
}                                 #continue means same as break in switch loop, except start loop again

for ([EXPR,...]; [EXPR2,...];
 [EXPR3,...]) { ... }             #

foreach 
(TRAVERSABL|OBJ as [$KEY =>] $VAL) 
{...}                             #

LABEL: [{ ... }]                  #
goto LABEL;                       #Must be within same function
                                  #Cannot jump inside a structure block (but can jump out)

break [NUM]                       #For any loop. Not for if structures
continue [NUM]                    #NUM (def: 1) is for nesteed loops


BOOL ? [VAL] : VAL2               #VAL defaults to first part (the one that evaluates to BOOL)

VAL ?? VAL2                       #Same as VAL !== null ? VAL : VAL2
                                  #"null coalescing operator"


declare (DIRECTIVE=VAL_LIT) {...} #Sets compiler DIRECTIVE during that block
                                  #Done compile-time
declare (DIRECTIVE=VAL_LIT);      #Same but for all following statements


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             NULL              :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #Cast anything to null


null                              #Case-insensitive


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            STRING             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/



TYPE CASTING ==>                  #To STR:
                                  #  - BOOL: false -> "", true -> "1"
                                  #  - INT: "INT"
                                  #  - FLOAT: 
                                  #     - "FLOAT"
                                  #     - might use exponent notation
                                  #     - decimal point uses locale
                                  #  - NULL: ""
                                  #  - ARR: invalid
                                  #  - OBJ: uses CLASS.__toString()->STR (must be defined, cannot throw exceptions), otherwise invalid
                                  #  - RES: implementation-specific, usually "Resource id #ID"


'...'                             #STR
                                  #Escaping:
                                  #  - \ to escape \ '
                                  #     - \ not considered an escaping character, i.e. kept as is, if not followed by valid character
                                  #  - newlines always escaped
                                  #Can contain any byte, incuding \0, so is used for binary data too.
"..."                             #Like '...', with extra parsing: 
                                  #  - VARR (see below)
                                  #  - backslash-escaping sequences:
                                  #     - among: \n \r \t \v \f \e \[0]N[N[N]] \xN[N] \u{[N[N[N[N[N]]]]]}
                                  #Must escape " $ instead of '

"...$VARR..."                     #Variable expansion. $VARR can be:
                                  #  - $VAR[VAL_LIT]
                                  #  - $VAR->VAR2
"...${VARR}..."                   #Same as $VARR, except it delimitate variable names from surrounding characters
"...{$VARR}..."                   #As opposed to above:
                                  #  - $VAR[VAL] (not VAL_LIT)
                                  #Also $VARR can be:
                                  #  - multidimensional indexing, e.g. VAR[...]->...->...
                                  #  - ${STR} or $VAR->{STR}

<<<["]DELIM["]
...                               
DELIM[;]                          #"Heredoc" (first), "Newdoc" (second)
<<<'DELIM'                        #Like "..." or '...' except no need to escape " or '
...                               #First line should have no trailing whitespaces
DELIM[;]                          #Last line should have no leading|trailing whitespaces


CHARSET/UNICODE ==>               #String operations are byte-wise, not character-wise, except:
                                  #  - if encoding can be specified as argument
                                  #  - if current locale is used

STR[NUM]                          #NUM can be: 
STR{NUM}                          #  - negative: from end of string
                                  #  - overflow: padds with spaces


STR . STR2                        #Concatenation
STR .= STR2                       #

STR++                             #Increment ASCII value:
++STR                             #  - among allowed ones: a-z, A-Z or 0-9
                                  #  - each character remain in its class, i.e. z rotates to a, Z to A, 9 to 0
                                  #  - last non-allowed characters and anything before are never modified
                                  #STR-- and --STR not available

~STR                       
STR << >> & ^ | STR2      
$VAR <<= >>= &= ^= |= STR         #Bitwise operation, using ASCII binary (as opposed to converting to number)


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            BOOLEAN            :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #To BOOL:
                                  #  - STR: "" or "0" -> false, else true
                                  #  - NUM: 0 -> false, else true
                                  #  - ARR: length > 0
                                  #  - NULL: false
                                  #  - OBJ|RES: true


true
false                             #BOOL. Case-insensitive

!BOOL
BOOL and BOOL2
BOOL && BOOL2                     
BOOL or BOOL2
BOOL || BOOL2                     #and|or|xor have lower operator precendence than && || or even =
BOOL xor BOOL2                    #Can be used to chain statements|expressions, but expression will result to boolean

VAL == VAL2
VAL != <> VAL2                    #Type casts
VAL === VAL2
VAL !== VAL2                      #Must be same type (no type cast)
VAL < <= > >= VAL2                #
VAL <=> VAL2                      #Same as VAL < VAL2 ? -1 : VAL > VAL2 ? 1 : 0


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            NUMBERS            :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #To NUM:
                                  #  - STR:
                                  #     - tries to parse as INT first, then as FLOAT
                                  #     - non-numerical characters at end are ignored
                                  #     - otherwise -> 0
                                  #  - BOOL: false -> 0, true -> 1
                                  #  - FLOAT -> INT:
                                  #     - round towards zero
                                  #     - overflow -> not defined
                                  #     - NAN|INF -> 0
                                  #  - NULL: 0
                                  #  - ARR: [] -> 0, otherwise -> 1
                                  #  - RES: resource ID
                                  #  - OBJ: not possible


[-|+]NUM                          #INT (signed integers)
                                  #NUM can be prefixed by 0 (octal), 0x|0X (hex) or 0b|0B (binary)
                                  #Limits:
                                  #  - PHP_INT_SIZE (in bytes), PHP_INT_MIN|MAX
                                  #  - depends if OS is 32 or 64 bits
                                  #  - if overflow, parsed as FLOAT instead

[-|+]NUM[.NUM2][e|E[-|+]NUM3]     #FLOAT
                                  #Size: OS dependent, but at least double
NAN                               #FLOAT
                                  #NAN != NAN
                                  #Case sensitive
[-|+]INF                          #FLOAT
                                  #Case sensitive


+NUM
-NUM                              #
NUM + - * / % NUM2                #Returns INT|FLOAT, depending on result
NUM ** NUM2                       #Exponation

$VAR++ $VAR-- ++$VAR --$VAR       #
$VAR += -= *= /= %= **= NUM       #

~NUM                              
NUM << >> & ^ | NUM2              
$VAR <<= >>= &= ^= |= NUM         #Bitwise


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             ARRAY             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #To ARR:
                                  #  - STR|BOOL|NUM|RES: like [STR|...]
                                  #  - NULL: []
                                  #  - OBJ:
                                  #     - reuse keys|values
                                  #     - special members:
                                  #        - protected OBJ->VAR becomes OBJ->\0*\0VAR
                                  #        - private OBJ->VAR becomes OBJ->\0CLASS\0VAR

COMPARISON ==>                    #Any OBJ > any ARR > any other VAL
                                  #ARR == != <> === !== ARR2:
                                  #  - values + keys deep comparison using the same operator
                                  #ARR < <= => > ARR2:
                                  #  - if same size and same keys, value by value comparison
                                  #  - if different size, length comparison
                                  #  - otherwise, cannot compare


KEY                               #EXPR evaluating to INT|STR. INT prevails.
[[KEY => ]VAL,...]                #ARR
array([KEY => ]VAL,...)           #Is an associative array. As opposed to OBJ, is ordered. 
                                  #Allows mixed types
                                  #Trailing comma allowed.
                                  #If KEY appears several times, last one prevails
                                  #Default KEY: 
                                  #  - 1 + max KEY_INT (including deleted keys)
                                  #  - or 0
                                  #  - i.e. increments
ARR[KEY]                          #Can be assigned
ARR{KEY}                          #If overflow, NULL + notice
ARR[KEY][KEY2]...                 #

ARR[KEY] = VAL                    #If ARR does not exist, creates it (avoid)
ARR[] = VAL                       #Appends

[[KEY => ]$VARR,...] = ARR        #Deconstruction, i.e. $VAR = ARR[KEY]; $VAR2 = ARR[KEY2]; ...
list([KEY => ]$VARR,...) = ARR    #$VARR is same as in "...{$VARR}..."
                                  #Each $VARR can be ommitted
                                  #Can be nested
                                  #Can be used to deconstruct OBJ, by typecasting it to 
                                  
unset(ARR[KEY])                   #Removes key + value


ARR + ARR2                        
ARR += ARR2                       #Union, i.e. merge according to keys, with ARR having priority


ArrayAccess                       #Interface to implement to allow a CLASS to use array operators:
                                  #  - including OBJ[KEY], deconstruction, appending
                                  #  - excluding union
                                  #As opposed to ARR, KEY can also be BOOL|FLOAT|null
ARRAYACCESS.offsetGet(VAL)->VAL2  #OBJ[KEY]
ARRAYACCESS.offsetSet(VAL, VAL2)  #OBJ[KEY] = VAL
                                  #Assignment will properly return VAL
ARRAYACCSS.offsetExists(VAL)->BOOL#isset(OBJ[KEY]) or empty(OBJ[KEY])
ARRAYACCESS.offsetUnset(VAL)      #unset(OBJ[KEY])


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            OBJECTS            :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #To OBJ:
                                  #  - ARR: reuse key|values, but beware of KEY_NUM:
                                  #     - numbers are not proper VAR:
                                  #        - OBJ->{"1"} !== OBJ->{1} 
                                  #        - OBJ->{1} and OBJ->1 are illegal syntax, i.e. cannot be accessed
                                  #     - but can be iterated over
                                  #  - NULL: {}
                                  #  - STR|BOOL|NUM|RES: { scalar: VAL }
stdClass                          #CLASS with no properties.
                                  #Used when typecasting object to CLASS
                                  #Not used as a base class otherwise. There is no base class.

COMPARISON ==>                    #OBJ === OBJ2: true if same instance
                                  #OBJ == OBJ2: deep comparison, i.e. same class, keys and values (using ==), recursively, but not necessarily same instance


[abstract|final] class CLASS 
 [extends CLASS2]
{ 
  VISIBILITY $VAR = VAL,...;
  [VISIBILITY] static $VAR = VAL,...;
  [VISIBILITY] const VAR = VAL,...;
  [final] [VISIBILITY] [static] 
   function FUNC(...) {...}       #Class definition, in current scope
  abstract [VISIBILITY]           #VAL (const, static or normal) is resolved compile-time, i.e.:
   function FUNC(...);            #  - can only resolve to STR|BOOL|NUM|ARR|RES
}                                 #  - cannot contain FUNC(), but can contain builtin operators like + -

STATIC MEMBERS ==>                #Can be:
                                  #  - const VAR: static properties, that behave like const variables (e.g. readonly, etc.)
                                  #  - static $VAR: static properties, that behave like normal variables (e.g. read-write)
                                  #  - static function
                                  #Are inherited by reference for classes|interfaces, by value for traits

CLASS.__*()                       #"Magic methods", i.e. methods given specific names by PHP, that adds behavior to a class
                                  #Cannot be static except __callStatic()
                                  #Cannot be protected|private except __construct|destruct()
                                  
                                  
                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:     OBJECT INSTANTIATION      :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


new CLASSS[(...)]                 #OBJ instantiation, using defined class
new class[(...)] [...] { ... }    #OBJ instantiation, using anonymous class. CLASS is "class@anonymous/RANDOM"
(object) ["VAR" => VAL, ...]      #Emulates anonymous class


clone OBJ                         #Returns copy OBJ2:
                                  #  - shallow copy, i.e. iterate over first level of OBJ, doing OBJ2.VAR = OBJ.VAR
                                  #  - keep alias-references, i.e. if OBJ.VAR alias-reference, does OBJ2.VAR &= OBJ.VAR instead
                                  #Does not call OBJ2 constructor, but could call it from __clone()
CLASS.__clone()                   #Called after clone OBJ completion, if defined
                                  #Can e.g. be used to implement deep copy
CLASS.__construct(...)            #Constructor, i.e. fired by new CLASS
                                  #When redefining inherited constructor, should call parent::__construct(...) first
                                  #VISIBILITY affects "new" accessibility
CLASS.__destruct()                #Destructor, i.e. fired when variable is destroyed, i.e. when refcount === 0
                                  #If reference cycles are present, refcount will only be 0 after tracing gc is triggered.
                                  #When redefining inherited destructor, should call parent::__destruct() last
                                  #Exits will wait for all __destruct() to end, unless exit was called from within a __destruct()
                                  #Cannot throw exception
                                  
VAL instanceof CLASSS             #True if VAL is OBJ whose type is CLASSS (or a descendant)


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:         OBJECT ACCESS         :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


VISIBILITY                        #Can be:
                                  #  - public (def):
                                  #     - "var" (deprecated) is same as public, but only for non-static $VAR properties
                                  #  - protected|private: can only be accessed by class methods
                                  #  - private: will be undefined for descendants' class methods, i.e. out of scope
                              
                                  
OBJ->VAR                          #Accessing a normal property
OBJ->FUNC(...)                    #Accessing a normal function, defined as class definition time
(OBJ->FUNC)(...)
(OBJ->FUNC)->call(OBJ, ...)       #Accessing a normal function, assigned to OBJ after its creation
CLASSS::VAR                       #Accessing a const property
CLASSS::$VAR                      #Accessing a static property
CLASSS::FUNC                      #Accessing a static function


$this                             #Current OBJ
                                  #In static functions:
                                  #  - $this is null
                                  #  - cannot use bind(), call(), etc.
                                  #In dynamically added class methods, $this is null
[static] function (...) {...}     #Closures automatically bind current context, i.e. imply "use (&$this)", unless "static"
CLOSUR.bind(OBJ[,CLASSS])->CLOSUR2#Copies but with different:
Closure::bindTo                   #  - $this OBJ
(CLOSURE, OBJ[, CLASSS])->CLOSURE2#    Can use null to remove binding
                                  #  - VISIBILITY context ("class scope") CLASSS
                                  #     - cannot be "self" or "parent"
                                  #     - "static" (def) means keep current one
CLOSURE.call(OBJ, ...)            #Like CLOSURE.bind(OBJ, get_class(OBJ))(...) except:
                                  #  - OBJ cannot be null nor stdClass instance
                                  #  - faster because does not create copy

parent                            #Used as CLASSS, inside a class method.
self                              #Mean:
static                            #  - parent: parent class
                                  #  - self|static: current class
                                  #When inside a non-redefined inherited method, consider the "current" class to be:
                                  #  - static: the class that inherited that method
                                  #  - parent|self: the class that defined that method


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          INHERITANCE          :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


INHERITANCE ==>                   #Subtyping.
                                  #There is no common ancestor to all CLASS.
                                  #Child must reuse:
                                  #  - return value:
                                  #     - same TYPE, unless not specified
                                  #     - same referencing
                                  #  - arguments:
                                  #     - arity: cannot remove, can only add optional arguments
                                  #     - same TYPE, including not specified
                                  #     - same referencing
                                  #     - optional values: can add|change but not remove
                                  #  - >= VISIBILITY
                                  #  - TYPE comparison:
                                  #     - int !== float
                                  #     - CLASS must be same, parent|child relationship not considered
                                  #  - does not apply to __construct(), except >= VISIBILITY
                                  #If "final":
                                  #  - method: child cannot redefine method (even if private)
                                  #  - class: cannot have children
                                  
                                  
ABSTRACT MEMBERS ==>              #Abstract functions:
                                  #  - no implementation:
                                  #     - cannot be fired
                                  #     - non-abstract descendants classes must redefine it
                                  #  - VISIBILITY cannot be private
                                  #Abstract class:
                                  #  - cannot be instantiated (but non-abstract descendants can)
                                  #  - required if at least one abstract function
interface INTERFACE 
 [extends INTERFACE2,...]         
{                                 #Is exactly like an abstract CLASS (and can be used the same) except:
  [VISIBILITY] const VAR = VAL;   #  - only const variables and abstract functions (do not require "abstract" keyword)
  [VISIBILITY] function FUNC(...);#  - only public VISIBILITY
}                                 #Conceptually, an INTERFACE is like an abstract trait
class CLASS [extends CLASS2]      #Inheritance:
 implements INTERFACE,...         #  - a CLASS inheriting from an INTERFACE must use "implements" instead of "extends"
                                  #  - INTERFACEs can only inherit from other INTERFACEs, but multiple inheritance possible


trait TRAIT {                     #Is exactly like an abstract CLASS (and can be used the same) except:
  ...                             #  - can be multiple inherited, i.e. geared towards generic programming traits
}                                 #  - can only inherit from other TRAITs (i.e. cannot use "extends|implements")
                                  #  - no const VARs
                                  #  - VISIBILITY can be private
                                  #  - is conceptually merged|copied into, as opposed to being a parent reference:
                                  #     - can access class's private members
                                  #     - static members inherited by value instead of reference
                                  #     - can redefine traits members, but not conceptually meant to (as opposed to interfaces):
                                  #        - child redefinition rules (e.g. same arguments arity, TYPE, etc.) do not apply
class|trait ... {
  use TRAIT,...;                  #Short and long syntaxes for inheriting from a trait
  use TRAIT,... {                 #Name conflict:
    TRAIT::FUNC insteadof TRAIT2; #  - priority: current class > trait > parent classes
    TRAIT::FUNC as [VISIBILITY]   #  - can fix for functions only using:
     [FUNC2];                     #     - "TRAIT::FUNC insteadof": override one
  }                               #     - "TRAIT::FUNC as": rename one
}                                 #Can also use "TRAIT::FUNC as" to change visibility


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             PROXY             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


PROXY MEMBERS ==>                 #When accessing undefined members, proxy functions are fired instead of default behavior (throwing an error)
                                  #Proxy functions:
                                  #  - cannot use arguments by alias-reference
                                  #  - are not fired when accessing static|const members (except __callStatic())
                                  #Improperly called "overloading" by PHP
CLASS.__get("VAR")->VAL           #Proxies OBJ->VAR (except assignments)
CLASS.__set("VAR", VAL)           #Proxies OBJ->VAR = VAL
                                  #If defined, assignment will return null, not VAL
CLASS.__isset("VAR")->BOOL        #Proxies isset(OBJ->VAR) or empty(OBJ->VAR)
CLASS.__unset("VAR")              #Proxies unset(OBJ->VAR)
CLASS.__call("FUNC", ARGS_ARR)    #Proxies OBJ->FUNC(ARGS...)
CLASS.__callStatic
 ("FUNC", ARGS_ARR)               #Proxies OBJ::$FUNC(ARGS...)


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:         SERIALIZATION         :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


serialize(VAL)->STR               #PHP serialization format:
                                  #  INT       -> i:INT;
                                  #  FLOAT     -> d:FLOAT;
                                  #  STR       -> s:LEN:"STR";
                                  #  BOOL      -> b:0|1;
                                  #  null      -> N;
                                  #  ARR       -> a:LEN:{KEY;VAL;...}
                                  #  OBJ       -> O:CLASSNAME_LEN:"CLASS":LEN:{KEY;VAL;...}
                                  #  recursion -> r:1
                                  #OBJ:
                                  #  - VISIBILITY is serialized using same syntax as OBJ->ARR typecasting
                                  #  - static|const members not serialized
                                  #STR might contain null bytes
                                  #Cannot serialize anonymous classes, functions|methods, resources
                                  #Prefer JSON serialization:
                                  #  - faster
                                  #  - more portable
                                  #  - more secure, because unserialize() can execute code (through autoloading)
unserialize(STR[, ARR])->VAL      #If error, prints notice and returns false
                                  #ARR.allowed_classes VAL:
                                  #  - "CLASS"_ARR of allowed classes in deserialization
                                  #    If not allowed, will still instantiate but use __PHP_Incomplete_Class CLASS
                                  #  - true (def) or false means all|none
                                  #Does not call constructor, but could call it from __wakeup()
                                  
CLASS.__sleep()->"VAR"_ARR        #If defined, called before serialize(), e.g. for cleanup.
                                  #Returns the names of the members to include in serialization
CLASS.__wakeup()                  #If defined, called after unserialize()

Serializable                      #INTERFACE to implement for custom [un]serialize() behavior
                                  #Makes OBJ serialization -> O:CLASSNAME_LEN:"CLASS":LEN:{CUSTOM_STR}
                                  #Not compatible with __sleep|wakeup()
SERIALIZBL.serialize()->CUSTOM_STR#Called on serialize(OBJ)
SERIALIZBL.unserialize(CUSTOM_STR)#Called on unserialize(STR). __construct() will not be called.


var_dump(VAL,...)                 #Prints to stdout VAL, with a debugging-friendly serialization format
                                  #  INT       -> int(INT)
                                  #  FLOAT     -> float(FLOAT)
                                  #  STR       -> string(LEN) "STR"
                                  #  BOOL      -> bool(BOOL)
                                  #  null      -> NULL
                                  #  ARR       -> array(LEN) { [KEY]=>VAL ... }
                                  #  OBJ       -> object(CLASS)#ID (NUM) { [KEY[:VISIBILITY]]=>VAL ... }
                                  #               or CLASS.__debugInfo()->ARR
                                  #  recursion -> *RECURSION*
                                  #OBJ:
                                  #  - static|const members and methods not serialized
print_r(VAL[, BOOL])              #Similar to var_dump(), but with different format, more human-friendly:
                                  #  INT|FLOAT -> INT|FLOAT
                                  #  STR -> STR (no quotes)
                                  #  BOOL -> 0|1
                                  #  NULL -> nothing
                                  #  ARR -> Array ( [KEY]=>VAL ... )
                                  #  OBJ -> CLASS Object ( [KEY]=>VAL ... )
                                  #         or CLASS.__debugInfo()->ARR
                                  #  recursion -> *RECURSION*
                                  #BOOL: like var_export()


var_export(VAL[, BOOL])           #Prints to stdout VAL, with a serialization format meant to be deserialized with eval(), or copy-pasted into PHP code:
                                  #  ARR       -> array(...)
                                  #  OBJ       -> CLASS::__set_state(array(...))
                                  #  recursion -> null
                                  #  others    -> as is
                                  #If BOOL true, returns instead of printing
                                  #OBJ:
                                  #  - static|const members and methods not serialized
                                  #  - CLASS::__set_state(ARR)->OBJ must be defined for deserialization
                                  #Cannot serialize resources


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:           ITERATION           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


ITERATION ==>                     #Is done with foreach(...) {...}

VISIBILITY ==>                    #Note that when interating over an OBJ, only accessible (according to visibility) members will be interated through.

Traversable                       #Base interface of Iterator and IteratorAggregate
                                  #Implementing either interface allows custom OBJ iteration behavior
                                  #ARR are considered TRAVERSABLE
                                  
Iterator                          #Child of Traversable
ITERATOR.current()->VAL           #Current element value
ITERATOR.key()->VAL               #Current element key, or null if none
ITERATOR.next()                   #Goes to next element. Called in beginning of each loop, except first one
ITERATOR.rewind()                 #Goes to first element. Called in beginning of first loop
ITERATOR.valid()->BOOL            #Should return false when looping is over
                                  #Called after each next|rewind()

IteratorAggregate                 #Child of Traversable
ITERATORAGGREGATE.getIterator()
 ->TRAVERSABLE                    #


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          GENERATORS           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


Generator                         #Implements Iterator
                                  #Special ITERATOR class that iterates over a GENERATOR_FUNC, i.e. a FUNC that uses "yield" statements as a stop.
                                  #Note also:
                                  #  - GENERATOR.rewind():
                                  #     - goes to first yield
                                  #     - can only be fired once
                                  #     - fired at first ITERATOR.*()
                                  #  - cannot be serialized
GENERATOR.getReturn()->VAL        #Returns GENERATOR_FUNC's actual return value (not yield).
                                  #Throws exception if GENERATOR_FUNC has not returned yet.
GENERATOR.send(VAL)               #Make current yield, inside GENERATOR_FUNC, return VAL. Also calls GENERATOR.next()
GENERATOR.throw(EXCEPTION)        #Throws exception from inside GENERATOR_FUNC, where current yield is

GENERATOR_FUNC                    #FUNC containing yield statements
                                  #GENERATOR_FUNC(...) will return an instance of GENERATOR
                                  #Can yield by reference with same syntax as returning by reference
yield [VAL]                       #Current element is VAL (def: null), current key is NUM (0-based index)
yield KEY=>VAL                    #Same but current element is VAL, current key is KEY
yield from TRAVERSABLE|GEN_FUNC   #Does a series of yield, by iterating over argument


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:           RESOURCES           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


TYPE CASTING ==>                  #Not allowed

RES                               #Resource, i.e. handle with an unspecified binary format, extension-specific.
                                  #E.g. file or network connection
                                  #Behaves like OBJ when it comes to assignment, references, etc.


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:          EXCEPTIONS           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


NOTICES ==>                       #PHP errors, printing to stderr
                                  #Are not THROWABLE, i.e. cannot be caught


throw THROWABLE                   #

try { ... } 
[catch (TYPE $VAR) { ... }]...
[finally { ... }]                 #TYPE check uses instanceof

THROWABLE                         #Base INTERFACE for ERROR and EXCEPTION
                                  #User code can only derive from EXCEPTION, not from ERROR
                                  #Cannot be cloned
ERROR|EXCEPTION                   #Child of THROWABLE. Only difference: ERROR is for internal PHP errors, EXCEPTION for user-defined

new ERROR|EXCEPTION
([MESSAGE[, CODE[, THROWABLE2]]]) #THROWABLE2: see THROWABLE.getPrevious()

THROWABLE.__toString()->STR       #Def: "TYPE: MESSAGE in FILE:LINE" + "Stack trace: STR"
ERROR|EXCEPTION.__clone()         #Cannot be cloned

THROWABLE.getMessage()->STR       
ERROR|EXCEPTION.$message          #Must not contain \0

THROWABLE.getCode()->VAL          
ERROR|EXCEPTION.$code             #

THROWABLE.getFile()->STR          
ERROR|EXCEPTION.$file             #

THROWABLE.getLine()->NUM          
ERROR|EXCEPTION.$line             #

THROWABLE.getPrevious()->THROWBL2 #From same exception chain, i.e. if current exception was thrown from another catch block

THROWABLE.getTraceAsString()->STR #
THROWABLE.getTrace()->STACKTRACE  #
STACKTRACE                        #ARR
STACKTRACE.function               #Like __FUNCTION__
STACKTRACE.line                   #Like __LINE__
STACKTRACE.file                   #Like __FILE__
STACKTRACE.class                  #Like __CLASS__
STACKTRACE.object                 #Current OBJ, if a class method
STACKTRACE.type                   #Can be: "::" (static class method), "->" (normal class method), "" (not class method)
STACKTRACE.args                   #Function arguments, as ARR


ErrorException                    #Child of EXCEPTION. For exceptions that signals something went wrong.
new ErrorException([MESSAGE[, CODE
[, SEVERITY[, FILE[, LINE
[, EXCEPTION2]]]]]])              #
ERROREXCEPTION.$severity          
ERROREXCEPTION.getSeverity()->NUM #Should use E_* levels


ParseError                        #Child of ERROR. Thrown on wrong PHP syntax
ArithmeticError                   #Child of ERROR. Thrown e.g. by NUM << -1
DivisionByZeroError               #Child of ARITHMETICERROR


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:           NAMESPACE           :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


NAMESPACE ==>                     #Used for const variables, classes, functions. Not used for normal variables.
                                  #When accessing a variable, namespace resolution:
                                  #  - \NS\VAR: use NS
                                  #  - NS\VAR: use current namespace + NS
                                  #  - VAR: try current namespace, then global namespace
                                  #     - exception: CLASS: does not try global namespace
                                  #Declaring a variable:
                                  #  - name cannot contain namespace, e.g. cannot do: function \NS\FUNC(...) {...}
                                  #  - always use current namespace
                                  #  - the following are considered "access" not "declaration":
                                  #     - extends CLASS2 (but not class CLASS)
                                  #     - define("VAR", ...) (but not const VAR)
NS                                #Namespace, without leading|trailing \
                                  #Case-insentive
                                  #Can contain subpart, \-separated


namespace [NS] {...}              #Sets current namespace inside that block
                                  #Def NS: global namespace
                                  #Must be first statement:
                                  #  - file must start with <?php, with nothing before
                                  #  - no comments before
                                  #  - exception: "declare" statement
                                  #Cannot be nested
namespace NS;                     #Same for the rest of the file. Does not work in CLI


\                                 #Global namespace, e.g. \VAR
                                  #Is the current namespace by default
namespace                         #Current namespace, as a NS
__NAMESPACE__                     #Current namespace, as a STR

CLASS::class                      #Returns "[NS\]CLASS"


use NS [as NS2][,...]             #Aliases, i.e. compile-time substitution. Only meant as a shortcut.
use CLASS [as CLASS2][,...]       #Often used after including a namespaced library, i.e. looks like an import statement (but is just an alias)
use function FUNC [as FUNC2][,...]#First part:
use const VAR [as VAR2][,...]     #  - can contain namespaces
                                  #  - a leading \ is implicitely prepended, so should be omitted
                                  #  - can include {VAL,...} which will expand to several "use ..." with each VAL
                                  #Second part (i.e. aliases declaration):
                                  #  - cannot contain any namespace nor be prepended by \
                                  #  - def: first part without namespaces, e.g. \A\B\C -> C
                                  #Aliases access:
                                  #  - can only be accessed in the same namespace they are declared
                                  #  - cannot be prepended by \, e.g. no \NS2, but can do NS2\...
                                  #Done at compile-time, i.e.:
                                  #  - does not affect dynamic expression-oriented like $VAR()
                                  #  - cannot be inside a structure|block or a function body
use NS\ { ... };                  #Same as use ..., but prepending NS\ to each first part


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             FILES             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


CONF.include_path                 #Same format as Unix $PATH


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            MODULES            :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


include|require[_once] "PATH"     #Include files behave like if they were inserted inline (same scope), except:
                                  #  - new parsing context, i.e. each module must use its own <?php ... ?>
                                  #  - __*__ variables
                                  #  - expressions affecting whole file like declare ...; or namespace ...;
                                  #  - class|const|function declarations are top-level even if include|require is not
                                  #Returns VAL|false on success|error
                                  #PATH is relative to (in order):
                                  #  - CONF.include_path
                                  #  - __DIR__
                                  #  - $PWD
                                  #Only difference between include|require is:
                                  #  - if file cannot be found, emits notice|error
                                  #If "_once" and module was already included, does not include it and returns true
return [VAL];                     #Stops execution of current script, and pass return value
                                  #Def: 1

__FUNCTION__                      #Current function name. "" if top-level
                                  #Prepended by "NS\" if not in global namespace
__CLASS__                         #Current class|trait, when inside a method. "" otherwise
                                  #Prepended by "NS\" if not in global namespace
__TRAIT__                         #On non-redefined inherited methods, uses the class|trait that defined the method, not the one that inherited it
__METHOD__                        #Current method name, i.e. __CLASS__::__FUNCTION__. "" if none

__LINE__                          #Line number. 1 if CLI
__FILE__                          #Current file path. "php shell code" if CLI
__DIR__                           #Current file directory. $PWD if CLI


__autoload('CLASS')               #If defined in current scope, and trying to use undefined CLASS, will be fired.
                                  #Usually does an include. Prefer using spl_autoload*


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \ 
                                            )==:             SHELL             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


`...`                             #Fires ... in current shell
shell_exec("...")->STR            #Return value is:
                                  #  - null if parsing error
                                  #  - otherwise, stdout+stderr
                                  #     - if "" -> null
                                  #`...` works like "..." including for variable expansion


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:              I/O              :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


echo STR,...                      #Prints STR to stdout


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            EVENTS             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


DIRECTIVE tick=NUM                #
register_tick_function(FUNK[,...])#Calls FUNK(...) every NUM statement
unregister_tick_function(FUNK)    #


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:            ENVVAR             :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


$argv                             #ARR of arguments
$_SERVER["argv"]                  #Is global variable
$argc                             #Same as count($argv)
$_SERVER["argc"]                  #Is global variable

$_ENV                             #Global variable???


                                             /=+===============================+=\ 
                                            /  :                               :  \  
                                            )==:             HTTP              :==(   
                                            \  :_______________________________:  /    
                                             \=+===============================+=/


All this chapter: ???

CGI??? Including RFC 3875

$php_errormsg                     #Global

$_SERVER                          #Global ARR. Contains all ENVVAR, plus additional documented here
                                  #Plus others???
$_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT "]        #STR
$_SERVER["PATH_TRANSLATED"]       #STR
$_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]              #STR
$_SERVER["REQUEST_TIME[_FLOAT]"]  #INT|FLOAT
$_SERVER["SCRIPT_FILENAME"]       #STR
$_SERVER["SCRIPT_NAME"]           #STR

$_POST                            #Global ARR with request body variables
$_GET                             #Global ARR with request query variables
$_COOKIE                          #Global
$_FILES                           #Global
$_REQUEST                         #Global ARR with request body|query variables
                                  #Variable names:
                                  #  - dots and spaces are converted to _
                                  #  - can be:
                                  #     - VAR[VAR2]: parsed as ARR
                                  #     - VAR[]: appended to ARR
$http_response_header             #Global

$_SESSION                         #Global