Re: request hook ordering

>> I don't think it's impossible, but I think it will be hard - we'd
>> basically
>> need to change the nOrder value in the each hook structure at some point
>> then call apr_hook_sort_* manually.  I might be able to do this when some
>> directive is parsed or it may need to be a request-time operation - I
>> can't
>> be sure without trying it first.  but the whole thing gives me the
>> willies,
>> and I feel like we'd be introducing some magic that might add some
>> instability for very little value.
> 
> 
> It shouldn't be hard at all. You can use server startup -D arguments to
> control that. Look at modperl_register_hooks which pushes -DMODPERL2. At
> the same place you can read ap_server_config_defines array and make
> different decisions on the order. So you could run:
> 
> httpd -DTRANS_REALLY_LAST -DRESPONSE_REALLY_FIRST
> 
> etc...
> 
> so it would be neither a compile time option, nor a configuration
> option, but a program define.

yeah, I had thought about it too.  but I was still leaning toward a
compile-time-only option, since the great, great majority of users will want
the default APR_HOOK_REALLY_FIRST configuration.  and we have never used -D
options before, so it would be something new.

but if you and philippe like that idea better than compile-only, I'll do it
that way - I don't feel strongly about it, so long as users have _some_ way
to control it short of editing generated files :)

oh, and just for the record, this was not what I was really talking about in
the above :)  what I had in mind when saying "it will be hard" is something like

PerlHookTranslation First

<Location /foo>
  PerlHookFixups Last
</Location>

which is what I was thinking about when I said "dynamic."  and I think it's
probably doable, but as I mentioned I'm not sure the cost is worth the added
value, so I'm not likely to invest time in it at this point.

--Geoff