Accessing boolean var as array in PHP return NULL

Question

discussing with a friend of my work, we discover something weird about PHP. Let's get the following code:

<?php

$leo = false;
$retorno = $leo[0];
var_dump($retorno);

The return of var_dump() is NULL. Now, the thing is, why is returning NULL, if we are trying to access a bool as array?

The correct behavior isn't throw an exception telling us, that we are trying to access a non-array object as array (in this case a boolean var)?

what you guys think about that?

Until PHP 5.4, if you tried to get a string index of a string, it would cast the string to 0 and get the first letter of the word, i.e. $s = 'asdf'; echo $s['f'];. Now it will give you a warning saying that the offset does not exist. — NobleUplift
– NobleUplift, Commented Jun 12, 2015 at 18:11

Rizier123 · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-12 18:04:04Z

4

Since you are trying to access not a string, but a boolean it returns NULL. As from the manual:

Note: Accessing variables of other types (not including arrays or objects implementing the appropriate interfaces) using [] or {} silently returns NULL.

edited Jun 12, 2015 at 18:04

answered Jun 12, 2015 at 18:01

Rizier123

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l'L'l · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-12 18:04:07Z

0

It's NULL because $leo[0] isn't $leo. You haven't assigned the bool or string to $leo[0], therefore it's empty, and ultimately results in being NULL.

If you were to put:

$retorno = $leo;

Or

$leo[0] = false;

Then you would get the result you are expecting.

answered Jun 12, 2015 at 18:04

l'L'l

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Răducanu Ionuţ · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-12 20:20:21Z

0

$leo = false;
$retorno = array($leo);
var_dump($retorno[0]);

Try this

answered Jun 12, 2015 at 20:20

Răducanu Ionuţ

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