Re: Is it *really* an associative array?

what are you trying to do? why do you want to diffirentiate between "99" as a string or as a number? "Chris Boget" <Chris.Boget@wild.net> wrote in message news:4040BBE81A9AD411BD27009027887A7C042E88@tiger.wild.net... > Sample code: > > <script language="php"> > > $array = array( "one", "two", "three" ); > while( list( $key, $val ) = each( $array )) { > if( is_string( $key )) { > echo "Key is a string\n"; > > } > echo "Key: $key => $val :Val\n"; > > } > echo "\n\n"; > > $array = array( "SS" => "one", "15" => "two", > "19" => "three" ); > while( list( $key, $val ) = each( $array )) { > if( is_string( $key )) { > echo "Key is a string\n"; > > } > echo "Key: $key => $val :Val\n"; > > } > > </script> > > Because of the loose typing in PHP, essentially all arrays > are associative arrays. Running the script above produces > the following results: > > ------------------------ BEGIN RESULTS > Key: 0 => one :Val > Key: 1 => two :Val > Key: 2 => three :Val > > > Key is a string > Key: SS => one :Val > Key: 15 => two :Val > Key: 19 => three :Val > ------------------------ END RESULTS > > Anyways, I want to be able to pass an array to a function. > This array can be defined by me as associative (as the > second array in the sample) or regular (as the first). However, > I need to be able to tell one from the other in my function. > As you can see, I can't do it with the is_string() function > because it doesn't realize that the "15" and the "19" I specify > as keys in the second declaration are actually strings that I > added and not actual element numbers. > Is there some way that I can determine if the keys of an array > are user defined (ie, a user defined associative array) and not > the keys PHP defines due to the fact that they are the element > numbers? > > Another, somewhat related issue, notice the funkiness that > happens when you run the following, similar, script: > > <script language="php"> > > $array = array( "one", "two", "three" ); > while( list( $key, $val ) = each( $array )) { > if( is_string( $key )) { > echo "Key is a string\n"; > > } > echo "Key: $key => $val :Val\n"; > > } > echo "\n\n"; > > for( $i = 0; $i < count( $array ); $i++ ) { > echo "Printing element: $i -- " . $array["$i"] . "\n"; > > } > echo "\n\n"; > > $array = array( "SS" => "one", "15" => "two", > "three" ); > while( list( $key, $val ) = each( $array )) { > if( is_string( $key )) { > echo "Key is a string\n"; > > } > echo "Key: $key => $val :Val\n"; > > } > echo "\n\n"; > > for( $i = 0; $i < 20; $i++ ) { > echo "Printing element: $i -- " . $array["$i"] . "\n"; > > } > > </script> > > Any help anyone can provide would be *greatly* appreciated!! > > Chris >