$variable[option] / $variable['option']

[tehQspm]

I don't know if I've used the terms correctly and this is probably a basic php question but what's the difference between something like say $userinfo[username] and $userinfo['username']. Are there specific situations in which you use the apostrophes for this in templates or php files?

[Adrian Schneider]

$userinfo['username'] is proper, because 'username' (string) is key in the $userinfo array. The first one would be correct if username was a constant, or if its being parsed within double quotes (which templates are).

PHP Code:

echo $userinfo['username']; // correct

echo $userinfo[username]; // incorrect [issues notice of unknown constant]

echo "$userinfo['uesrname']"; // parse error

echo "$userinfo[username]"; // correct, but a tad slower than example 1 


[tehQspm]

I think I get you.

So how does this work inside templates? Like with

PHP Code:

<if condition="$something[somethingelse]"></if> 


rather than

PHP Code:

<if condition="$something['somethingelse']"></if> 


?

[Adrian Schneider]

Template conditions are parsed as raw PHP (using ternary opreator) so you will need to quote the array keys. Not doing so can result in some nasty PHP-5 related bugs (like if the key is 'private', since its a new keyword). But, in the rest of the template, you don't need it.