Possible Duplicate:
Do PHP array keys need to we wrapped in quotes?
Is it okay to use array[key] in PHP?
This is the code I am running and I am wondering whether I should quote the word message with single quotes like the second line of code in this post. Which is best practice?
$post = array('message' => $result[message]);
Or this?
$post = array('message' => $result['message']);
Do use strings!
Your first example, $post = array('message' => $result[message]);, would not execute the same if "message" were defined as a constant.
Also, with syntax highlighting,
// this
$post = array('message' => $result['message']);
// or this
$post = array('message' => $result["message"]);
// is more readable than this
$post = array('message' => $result[message]);
I'd recommend the quotes for readability. When someone is reading your code, they might think that [message] is a variable, when in reality it's supposed to be a literal string: 'message'.
Incorrect usage if the message constant is undefined or is defined but does not contain the value "message":
$post = array('message' => $result[message]);
Why?
Writing message (without $ sign) means you are accesing a PHP constant. PHP's default behaviour is to issue a notice that the constant is undefined, then convert the undefined constant's name to a value.
