Square brackets with a class name inside in PHP

Question

I'm debugging someone else old code, I think it has been made under php5 and I'm debugging after migrating to php8. The question I have is just about a syntax I haven't seen before, I don't know how to google and I can't test. I found this:

$aSelectedAssignmentFields=$advanced_options[assignment_fields];

And I don't know what it means. The value inside of the square brackets doesn't have a dollar sign or quotes. There is a class with that name but because of other issues I can't run it and check if that's right or wrong. It would be weird that is wrong, it would not that is outdated and in case it's right I would like to know what does it mean.

Thanks

Maybe this help you: stackoverflow.com/questions/14891464/… — Benilson
– Benilson, Commented May 2, 2022 at 17:37
var_dump($advanced_options) and check if it has a key assignment_fields. I guess they just forgot the quotes — user8034901
– user8034901, Commented May 2, 2022 at 17:37

IMSoP · Accepted Answer · 2022-05-02 17:39:29Z

3

It's impossible to do more than guess without more context; and may be impossible to be certain without a time machine to go back and ask the original developer (if you asked them now, I doubt they'd remember). I can think of two possibilities:

It was intended to be a constant, and the definition has got lost somewhere. Most people right constants in upper-case, but there's never been anything in PHP itself to enforce that.
It was intended to be a string, as in $aSelectedAssignmentFields=$advanced_options['assignment_fields']; Prior to PHP 8, there was an odd "feature" where an unquoted name which didn't match a constant would implicitly act like a quoted string. In PHP 5, it would have given a Notice; in PHP 7, a Warning; and in PHP 8, the functionality was removed and you get an error.

answered May 2, 2022 at 17:39

IMSoP

99.7k18 gold badges135 silver badges183 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

2 Comments

arderoma Over a year ago

Sure. I know what you mean. But you answered me already. It is a syntax error under php8. Most probably your second possibility, because I have found that syntax everywhere.

Sammitch Over a year ago

If you turn on error_reporting on your pre-8 app installs you'll likely see a boatload of warning/notice messages. This has never been acceptable, but as of PHP8 it is not longer ignorable. 3v4l.org/67KOM

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Square brackets with a class name inside in PHP

1 Answer 1

2 Comments

Your Answer

Linked

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

1 Answer 1

2 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Linked

Related