protocolbuffers/protobuf

PHP: better debug info for Message objects in protobuf C-extension

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#14,872 opened on Nov 28, 2023

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Description

See https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/issues/12714 and https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/pull/12718, which resolved this problem for the native library.

When the protobuf c-extension is enabled for PHP, calling var_dump on a protobuf message object does not output any useful information:

// Calling var_dump on a Protobuf message (extension enabled):
php > $timestamp = new Google\Protobuf\Timestamp();
php > $timestamp->setSeconds(12345);
php > var_dump($timestamp);
object(Google\Protobuf\Timestamp)#1 (0) {
}

Ideally this would output something like this:

object(Google\Protobuf\Timestamp)#12 (1) {
  ["seconds"]=>
  int(12345)
}

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the PHP protobuf C extension source code to understand how Message objects are represented internally, then add a ' debugInfo' method or equivalent to output field values on var dump, following the approach taken in PR #12718 for the native library.
Tech stack
php
Domain
apibackend
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
PHPC extension developmentprotobuf
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30