Doc #73925 [Ver]: BC break on array overriding declared string

Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=73925&edit=1 ID: 73925 User updated by: zoeslam at gmail dot com Reported by: zoeslam at gmail dot com Summary: BC break on array overriding declared string Status: Verified Type: Documentation Problem Package: Scripting Engine problem Operating System: Linux PHP Version: 7.1.0 Assigned To: cmb Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: I think that consistency is important, and the fact that the variable ends in a weird state (string "A") is very misleading. In the next days I'm going to write an RFC, and I hoe it could be merged in 7.1 Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2017-01-13 18:39:04] cmb@php.net > Ok, but the doc talk about a fatal error, here instead there is > only an E_NOTICE, a huge difference. Indeed, and that has to be documented in the PHP manual and also in UPGRADING. > May we uniform the behaviour to always raise a fatal error? I don't think that would make sense, but feel free to start the RFC process, see <https://wiki.php.net/rfc/howto>. :-) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2017-01-13 15:02:42] zoeslam at gmail dot com Ok, but the doc talk about a fatal error, here instead there is only an E_NOTICE, a huge difference. May we uniform the behaviour to always raise a fatal error? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2017-01-13 14:28:45] nikic@php.net Correct. The linked section currently only refers to the []= operation, while the same also applies to any [X]=. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2017-01-13 14:14:08] zoeslam at gmail dot com Maybe more linked to https://secure.php.net/manual/en/migration71.incompatible.php#migration71.incompatible.empty-string-index-operator but still an undocumented BC break to me ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2017-01-13 14:06:29] zoeslam at gmail dot com Description: ------------ PHP 7.1.0 changed a behaviour that was there from ages: array access overriding a previously declared string. https://3v4l.org/25AIu As far as I can read the docs, this change is a BC break and is NOT listed in the upgrading guide: https://secure.php.net/manual/en/migration71.other-changes.php Even though is similar to the "Notices and warnings on arithmetic with invalid strings" change. Test script: --------------- $string = ''; $string[0] = array(1); var_dump($string); Expected result: ---------------- array(1) { [0]=> array(1) { [0]=> int(1) } } Actual result: -------------- Notice: Array to string conversion in /in/25AIu on line 4 string(1) "A" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=73925&edit=1