Update phpdoc-parser to ^3.0 on Reflection v3 branch

[dmsnell]

This library has been in use to generate the documentation at https://developer.wordpress.org. Unfortunately, a while ago, that processed failed due to new syntax used in WordPress’ codebase. The syntax, which failed in nikic/phpdoc-parser@^1.0 is resolved in nikic/phpdoc-parser@^3.0 with minimal patching here.

Newer versions of the PHP parser require more work to update, while v4 of this library requires substantial change to the WordPress code.

This patch proposes making the minimal changes to Reflection on the old branch which allow WordPress to restart generating its documentation, and it makes it possible not only to parse the source code, but to run the process on newer versions of PHP (which due to the dependencies are currently locked at 7.2).

[jaapio]

Hi @dmsnell,

I understand the challenge you’re facing with WordPress’s documentation generation, and I appreciate you reaching out with this proposal.

That said, I have some concerns about merging this PR. The version you’re targeting is over 10 years old, and while I see the immediate need, I can’t confidently assess the impact of any changes on users still relying on it. Even minimal patches could introduce unexpected issues, and I won’t be able to provide support for any problems that arise from this version.

I want to be upfront: I won’t be making any further changes or patches to this old release. However, I’d be happy to discuss how we can help WordPress transition to a newer version of the library or explore alternative solutions that might work better in the long run. If you’re open to it, let’s talk about how we can move forward together.

Looking forward to your thoughts!