properties as array

Question

I want to do something like this without using extra variables:

class className {
  public static function func(){
    return array('true','val2');
  }
}

if(className::func()[0]) {
  echo 'doğru';
} else {
  echo 'Yanlış';
}

PHP does not support array dereferencing this way. Why can't you use an intermediate variable? — Felix Kling, Jan 18 '12 at 16:29
@Felix Kling PHP 5.4 will have that feature: http://css.dzone.com/polls/what-new-feature-php-54 — feeela, Jan 18 '12 at 16:31
possible duplicate of [Access an Array Returned by a Function](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1664362/), [Access array returned by a function in php](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1459377/) — outis, Jan 19 '12 at 10:51

Michael Berkowski · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-10T02:40:29.067

10

className::func()[0] is called array dereferencing, and is not valid syntax in all PHP versions. It ~~will be~~ is available starting in PHP 5.4, ~~currently in beta~~, released March 2012. For earlier PHP version, you will need to use an extra variable somewhere to store the array returned from className::func().

See the PHP 5.4 Array documentation for implementation details.

edited Mar 10 '12 at 02:40

answered Jan 18 '12 at 16:29

Michael Berkowski

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+1 for beating my by 35 seconds ;) – Jason McCreary Jan 18 '12 at 16:53

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 18 '12 at 16:30

7

Array Deferencing is not currently available in PHP. It is on the table for PHP 5.4.

Until then, you would need the extra variable:

$arr = className::func();
if($arr[0]){
    echo 'doğru';
}else{
   echo 'Yanlış';
}

answered Jan 18 '12 at 16:30

Jason McCreary

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score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 18 '12 at 16:46

Well,you can return an object in your method instead. something like:

class className{
      public static function func(){
          return (object)array('true'=>'true','val2'=>'val2');
      }
}

echo className::func()->true;//Extra variables go away =)

Felix Kling · Answer 4 · 2012-01-18T16:45:59.203

1

As the others noted, you currently cannot do it this way. If you really cannot use an temporary variable (although I don't see a reason not to use one) you could use

if(current(className::func())) // or next() or reset()

But make sure you read the documentation about these functions to treat empty arrays properly.

Reference: current

edited Jan 18 '12 at 16:45

answered Jan 18 '12 at 16:34

Felix Kling

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You cannot (or at least, should not) pass the result of an expression directly to `array_shift()` because it takes the input array argument by reference, since it modifies the input array. The same is true of `current()`, but to a lesser extent as I believe this does not modify the input array. – DaveRandom Jan 18 '12 at 16:40
@DaveRandom: And why should this be avoided then? But you are right, `array_shift` does not work. – Felix Kling Jan 18 '12 at 16:43
Because if you look at the docs, it does say that (for some reason) `current()` takes it's argument by reference. This *should* generate an `E_STRICT` as it does with `array_shift()` although I have just tried it and actually it doesn't so it may be that the docs are wrong. – DaveRandom Jan 18 '12 at 16:53

properties as array

4 Answers4