Req->Doc #53940 [Opn->Asn]: ini_get return values are (not) ambiguous

Edit report at http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=53940&edit=1 ID: 53940 Updated by: aharvey@php.net Reported by: colmacnamh at gmail dot com -Summary: ... +Summary: ini_get return values are (not) ambiguous -Status: Open +Status: Assigned -Type: Feature/Change Request +Type: Documentation Problem -Package: *General Issues +Package: Documentation problem Operating System: GNU linux but may be any PHP Version: 5.3.5 -Assigned To: +Assigned To: aharvey Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: The manual is wrong here: ini_get() returns false on error (most commonly when the configuration directive doesn't exist), not an empty string. This means that you can distinguish between ini_get() errors and real configuration values. I'll fix up the manual. Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2011-02-06 17:57:15] colmacnamh at gmail dot com Description: ------------ --- From manual page: http://www.php.net/function.ini-get#Return Values --- Hello everyone! First (since I am from Poland) I have to apologise for my english, it's not very clean or gramatically correct but i'm sure you will understand what i intend to say... I am writing to you in order to make you noticed that the function ini_get() returns value that cannot be properly identified using the comparison operators (==,===,!==,etc) wheter this is an function error or an empty string which implicates that the php.ini configuration directive named 'disable_functions' (and not only this one) is empty which means "not set". --- From manual page: http://www.php.net/function.ini-get#Return Values: The function ini_get returns value of string type in two cases which represents two different states of function: - first it returns empty "string" value when the directive is empty which also means "not set" (it's a neutral state - it's no error neither other 'bad thing') - secondly it returns empty "string" value when function encounters an error during its runtime. The bit operators (===, !==) cannot match wheter the returned value is an error state or an "neutral" state (an empty string) because they're both string type of data and they are both empty... --- I wrote a short script to show you what problem i encounter. If there is any solution which doesn't need rewriting the ini_get function code i would be happy to hear it...below is the script i wrote : Test script: --------------- /*php.ini: making the below directive empty which means not set disable_functions = */ //storing the result into the variable for example $iniget = ini_get('disable_functions'); if($iniget === '') { die('disable_funtions failed'); /* it fails at this point because the $iniget var may contain both the function's error state (as an empty string) and the neutral state (as an empty string) which means that this directive is not set but it's not an error in anyway... */ } Expected result: ---------------- the above script displays "disable_funtions failed" and prevent any futher code from running.(die function) despite the fact that it's not an error altough the php.ini's directive is empty = not set...I hope you can see the problem here. If this is ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=53940&edit=1