Perhaps if you need traits, you're doing it wrong. Does PHP really need all the added complexity of this? Does it really help solve the problem or did you just add a new maintenance nightmare?
Honestly, what did you expect? The link was called "Traits in PHP." The article described the initial constraint as being "stuck in PHP." This wasn't an article arguing that it's a good idea to do it, but more of an exercise.
So your questions, does PHP really need all the added complexity of this?
That doesn't matter. If you don't need it, don't use it.
Does it really help solve the problem, or did you just add a new maintenance nightmare?
This question is a false dichotomy. First, it wasn't trying to solve any other problem then getting traits to work. So yeah, it solved that problem. Second, new code always adds new maintenance concerns. Whether or not it's a nightmare depends on the quality of code, which seems to be above par in this case.
As Nycto pointed out in this thread, there is a "Traits" patch which seems preferable to this code. It's likely that OP didn't realize it existed and did reinvent the wheel. But still, in terms of an exercise in PHP, I found it quite cool.
I completely agree. If Traits are something you really need, you're using the wrong language. If you need a screw driver, get a screw driver. Don't try to use the claw of a hammer. Developing with something like this will only increase the spaghetti factor. If you are a stickler for code re-use, my suggestion is to favor Composition over Inheritance.
It's also worth noting that PHP will most likely be adding Traits into the core language at some point. A patch has been available since 2008:
