This pull request allows static requests to avoid being forced in to using the namespace + class as the auto table name. Consider the following code and the queries generated:

namespace mynamespace;
class Loser extends Model {
}
class User extends Model {
    public static $_table_use_short_name = true;
}

Model::factory('Loser')->find_Many(); // SELECT * FROM `loser`
Loser::find_many();                   // SELECT * FROM `mynamespace_loser`
Model::factory('User')->find_Many();  // SELECT * FROM `user`
User::find_many();                    // SELECT * FROM `user`

Also updates the docs and adds a test.

P.S. I didn't know that using end(explode('\\', $class_name) would cause a Only variables should be passed by reference error in strict mode. Now I do...

BTW I'm open to changing the static property name - _table_use_short_name was the best I could come up with, but I'm not exactly happy with it.

IMHO it should be a global setting, not a per-class one. The class already has access to _table, which effectively accomplishes the same thing.

The point, I thought, was to prevent having to set _table in each class.

I'm happy being able to set it in a single class that inherits from Model then inherit from that class for the rest of my models.

However, I'll code it as a global option if someone can give me an example of existing global options in Paris. So far, the only global options I have seen are for ORM and as that class is part of Idiorm, this option won't prove relevant there.

A global option could be in addition to the per class option, the flexibility may be warranted.

I'd like to get some direction on this before making any further changes.

I've just seen the Model::$auto_prefix_models option — that looks like an ideal way to implement a global option for Paris.

Still, I'd like some consensus on whether we want to stay per class, go global or have both options.

As an example of the inheritance I was talking about, I would do something similar to the following:

namespace mynamespace;

class MyModel extends Model {
    public static $_table_use_short_name = true;
}

class Loser extends Model {
}

class User extends MyModel {
}
class Post extends MyModel {
}
class Article extends MyModel {
}

Model::factory('Loser')->find_Many(); // SELECT * FROM `loser`
Loser::find_many();                   // SELECT * FROM `mynamespace_loser`
Model::factory('User')->find_Many();  // SELECT * FROM `user`
User::find_many();                    // SELECT * FROM `user`
Post::find_many();                    // SELECT * FROM `post`
Article::find_many();                 // SELECT * FROM `article`

I haven't tested this yet, but I will do and will report back if it works.

I like the idea so I am going to merge it into develop - please do test that branch. Please do consider a further PR for a more global setting like @tag suggests.

Ok.