note 49997 added to language.variables

Here's a function to get the name of a given variable. Explanation and examples below. <?php function vname(&$var, $scope=false, $prefix='unique', $suffix='value') { if($scope) $vals = $scope; else $vals = $GLOBALS; $old = $var; $var = $new = $prefix.rand().$suffix; $vname = FALSE; foreach($vals as $key => $val) { if($val === $new) $vname = $key; } $var = $old; return $vname; } ?> Explanation: The problem with figuring out what value is what key in that variables scope is that several variables might have the same value. To remedy this, the variable is passed by reference and its value is then modified to a random value to make sure there will be a unique match. Then we loop through the scope the variable is contained in and when there is a match of our modified value, we can grab the correct key. Examples: 1. Use of a variable contained in the global scope (default): <?php $my_global_variable = "My global string."; echo vname($my_global_variable); // Outputs: my_global_variable ?> 2. Use of a local variable: <?php function my_local_func() { $my_local_variable = "My local string."; return vname($my_local_variable, get_defined_vars()); } echo my_local_func(); // Outputs: my_local_variable ?> 3. Use of an object property: <?php class myclass { public function __constructor() { $this->my_object_property = "My object property string."; } } $obj = new myclass; echo vname($obj->my_object_property, $obj); // Outputs: my_object_property ?> ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.php Edit -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=edit+49997 Delete: added to the manual -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+49997&report=yes&reason=added+to+the+manual Delete: bad code -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+49997&report=yes&reason=bad+code Delete: spam -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+49997&report=yes&reason=spam Delete: useless -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+49997&report=yes&reason=useless Delete: other reasons -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+49997&report=yes Reject -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=reject+49997&report=yes Search -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php