In what scenarios would it be more beneficial to create an extension for PHP rather than relying on auto_prepend_file and auto_append_file for global functions?

Creating an extension for PHP would be more beneficial than relying on auto_prepend_file and auto_append_file for global functions when you need to extend the core functionality of PHP itself, such as adding new data types or functions that cannot be achieved through simple includes. Extensions allow for more control and optimization, as well as better integration with PHP's internal structures. 

// Example code for creating a PHP extension to add custom functions

// Define the extension
zend_function_entry my_extension_functions[] = {
    PHP_FE(my_custom_function, NULL),
    PHP_FE_END
};

// Initialize the extension
zend_module_entry my_extension_module_entry = {
    STANDARD_MODULE_HEADER,
    "my_extension",
    my_extension_functions,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    NULL,
    PHP_MY_EXTENSION_VERSION,
    STANDARD_MODULE_PROPERTIES
};

// Register the extension
zend_module_entry *my_extension_module_ptr = zend_register_module_ex(&my_extension_module_entry);

Keywords

extension PHP auto_prepend_file auto_append_file global functions

Related Questions