Re: echo returnArray()['a']; // workaround

Nathan Nobbe wrote:

all, as we have discussed previously, php does not have support for retrieving array values on the same line in which they are returned. i have created a simple workaround, and would like to share. first there is the class (w/ other features omitted for the post) <?php class ArrayClass {

    private $theArray = null;

    private function __construct($theArray) {
        if(!is_array($theArray)) {
            throw UnexpectedValueException('theArray must be an array!');
        }
        $this->theArray = $theArray;
    }

    public static function create($theArray) {
        return new ArrayClass($theArray);
    }

    public function __get($name) {
        if($this->isValidKey($name)) {
            return $this->theArray[$name];
        }
    }

    private function isValidKey($name) {
        $isValidKey = false;
        if(array_key_exists($name, $this->theArray)) {
            $isValidKey = true;
        }
        return $isValidKey;
    }

} ?> and then there is the example, <?php include('ArrayClass.php'); function sillyFunc() {

    return array('a' => 1, 'b' => 2, 'c' => 3, 'd' => 4);

} echo ArrayClass::create(sillyFunc())->a . PHP_EOL; ?> notice what would be echo sillyFunc()['a'] . PHP_EOL; becomes what you see above. -nathan ps. sorry for all the extra newlines; im trying to work w/ the alterations the list server is applying to my posts so bear w/ me :D

That's pretty cool. I wasn't sure if it would work with numerically indexed arrays, so I tried: // sillyFunc returns array(0=>1, 1=>2); ArrayClass::create(sillyFunc())->{"0"} I just tested it, and that works. If you leave off the curly braces and quotes, then you obviously get a parse error. The curly braces are necessary. -- Ray Hauge www.primateapplications.com