Automatically include missing functions? [duplicat

Question

Possible Duplicate:
autoload functions in php

I am working on a PHP framework. I wonder if there is a way to maybe rewrite the error handler when a function doesn't exist to automatically try to include the file stating the function first.

Example:

echo general_foo(); // <-- general_foo() is not yet stated.
                    // A handler tries to include_once('functions/general.php') based on the first word of the function name.
                    // If the function still doesn't exist - throw an error.

The win from this would be to skip compiling unnecessary files or to skip keeping track and state includes here and there.

Simply __autoload for functions rather than classes.

Answer 1

I solved it like this

The class file classes/functions.php:

  class functions {

    public function __call($function, $arguments) {

      if (!function_exists($function)) {
        $function_file = 'path/to/functions/' . substr($function, 0, strpos($function, '_')).'.php';
        include_once($function_file);
      }

      return call_user_func_array($function, $arguments);
    }
  }

The function file functions/test.php

  function test_foo() {
    return 'bar';
  }

The script myscript.php:

  require_once('classes/functions.php');
  $functions = new functions();

  echo $functions->test_foo(); // Checks if function test_foo() exists,
                               // includes the function file if not included,
                               // and returns bar

You could eventually autoload classes/functions.php by using __autoload().

In the end, the syntax for my_function() becomes instead $functions->my_function(). And you can write your own error handlers if functions doesn't exist. ;)

Answer 2

It does not exists and probably will never. Yes, I would like it too... However, this does not prevent you from using classes with static functions and let PHP autoload.

http://php.net/spl-autoload-register