Performance -- Eval vs Include

For those of you that have tested eval() vs. including a file many times,
I'd appreciate your comments on which one is better for performance.
My application will have a queue like routine in which I may have to include
a file many time. The file will contain a series of switch/case statements.
Depending on specified criteria, this file will need to be processed from
one time up to X times. I am not really worried about the usual case where
the file will be included less than 3-5 times in one request, however, above
that I have to wonder where to save on performance.

Those of you writing parsers are probably moreso in the know on this one,
however, anyone else that has a clue please feel free to add your 2c.

Thanks,

-Laidbak

*/hack/* wrote:
> For those of you that have tested eval() vs. including a file many times,
> I'd appreciate your comments on which one is better for performance.
> My application will have a queue like routine in which I may have to include
> a file many time. The file will contain a series of switch/case statements.
> Depending on specified criteria, this file will need to be processed from
> one time up to X times. I am not really worried about the usual case where
> the file will be included less than 3-5 times in one request, however, above
> that I have to wonder where to save on performance.
>
> Those of you writing parsers are probably moreso in the know on this one,
> however, anyone else that has a clue please feel free to add your 2c.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Laidbak
>
>
file operations are expensive - keep them to a minimum, mind you so is
eval. Sounds like a design problem

.oO(*/hack/*)

>For those of you that have tested eval() vs. including a file many times,
>I'd appreciate your comments on which one is better for performance.

I try to avoid eval() whenever possible. Sometimes it may look like the
most simple solution, but in most cases there's a much better and faster
way to do something.

>My application will have a queue like routine in which I may have to include
>a file many time.

The same file? Sounds bad. Including a file _one_ time is more than
enough. Consider to use functions.

Micha