Re: PHP 7.1 - Address PHPSadness #28?

Lester Caine wrote on 18/09/2015 16:17:

You don't do much real database coding do you ... NULL is returned for fields that have no entry on a secondary table, so the result set NATURALLY returns NULL.

Why do you keep going on about null? We're talking about non-existent variables, not null!

We have been living with the fact that PHP barf's when trying to check for NULL for a long time.

OK, now you've lost me. I can check for NULLs just fine, using is_null() if I know the variable exists (which I pretty much always do) or isset() if it might not. No barfing necessary.

There are a number of ways those variables can be generated and switching off the notices is currently the only way.

The only way to do what? If you have a variable which is either null or non-existent, and you don't care which, use isset(). That's literally the same as turning off notices and then using is_null().

exists() has a place in SOME coding styles which does not require to find the 'NULL' some other way to avoid the potential notice!

exists() would not be a way of avoiding the notice. exists() would be a way of distinguishing an extra state, quite separate from null. If what you want to write is "if ( ! exists($foo) || is_null($foo) ) { ... }" then that is exactly what "if ( isset($foo) )" will give you, without any notices whatsoever. Regards, -- Rowan Collins [IMSoP]