PHP variable "supernaturally set" - how is this possible???

[Phil Powell]

print_r("From index.php 20: $prefix: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
foreach (array('state', 'country') as $prefix) {
print_r("From index.php 21: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
}


I have never seen anything like this in my 3+ years of PHP coding!
When I ran this code, I get the following output:



From index.php 20: : stateXML =

From index.php 21: stateXML = state


How on earth did $stateXML get set, there is literally NOTHING that
sets it!!! Here is the method getXML():



function getXML($xmlFile Name) { // XML STRING METHOD
global $DOCUMENT_ROOT, $devpath, $basePath;

$path = "$DOCUMENT_ROOT $devpath/image_catalog";

if (!$xmlFileName || !file_exists("$ path/xml/$xmlFileName"))
die("$path/xml/$xmlFileName does not exist");
$fileID = @fopen("$path/xml/$xmlFileName", 'r') or
die("$path/xml/$xmlFileName could not be found");
if (!$fileID) return '';
$xmlStuff = fread($fileID, filesize("$path/xml/$xmlFileName")) ;
fclose($fileID) ;
return $xmlStuff;
}


Again, how is $stateXML existing when there is clearly NO reason for
it to ever exist??

Help!
Phil

[Pedro Graca]

Re: PHP variable &quot;supernatu rally set&quot; - how is this possible???

Phil Powell wrote:[color=blue]
> print_r("From index.php 20: $prefix: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
> foreach (array('state', 'country') as $prefix) {
> print_r("From index.php 21: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
> ${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
> }
>
>
> I have never seen anything like this in my 3+ years of PHP coding!
>
> When I ran this code, I get the following output:
>
>
>
> From index.php 20: : stateXML =
>
> From index.php 21: stateXML = state
>
>
> How on earth did $stateXML get set, there is literally NOTHING that
> sets it!!! Here is the method getXML():[/color]
(snip)


Strange coding, in fact! :)
[ Why print_r() where a simple echo (or print()) would do? ]


This line

${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');

when $prefix='state' is the same as

${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
${'state' . 'XML'} = $this->getXML('stat e' . '.xml');
${'stateXML'} = $this->getXML('state. xml');

$stateXML = $this->getXML('state. xml');


but $stateXML doesn't get set *before* it is printed !!!

The first time through the loop it will print a blank $stateXML, and
_after_ that set it to the contents of ".../xml/state.xml"; the second
time through the loop it will print that data and set $countryXML to the
contents of the file ".../xml/country.xml".


read about 'variable variables' @

http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.variables.variable.php

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[Phil Powell]

Re: PHP variable &quot;supernatu rally set&quot; - how is this possible???

Pedro Graca <hexkid@hotpop. com> wrote in message news:<bu76t0$ep j27$1@ID-203069.news.uni-berlin.de>...[color=blue]
> Phil Powell wrote:[color=green]
> > print_r("From index.php 20: $prefix: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
> > foreach (array('state', 'country') as $prefix) {
> > print_r("From index.php 21: stateXML = $stateXML<P>");
> > ${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
> > }
> >
> >
> > I have never seen anything like this in my 3+ years of PHP coding!
> >
> > When I ran this code, I get the following output:
> >
> >
> >
> > From index.php 20: : stateXML =
> >
> > From index.php 21: stateXML = state
> >
> >
> > How on earth did $stateXML get set, there is literally NOTHING that
> > sets it!!! Here is the method getXML():[/color]
> (snip)
>
>
> Strange coding, in fact! :)
> [ Why print_r() where a simple echo (or print()) would do? ]
>
>
> This line
>
> ${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
>
> when $prefix='state' is the same as
>
> ${$prefix . 'XML'} = $this->getXML($pref ix . '.xml');
> ${'state' . 'XML'} = $this->getXML('stat e' . '.xml');
> ${'stateXML'} = $this->getXML('state. xml');
>
> $stateXML = $this->getXML('state. xml');
>
>
> but $stateXML doesn't get set *before* it is printed !!!
>
> The first time through the loop it will print a blank $stateXML, and
> _after_ that set it to the contents of ".../xml/state.xml"; the second
> time through the loop it will print that data and set $countryXML to the
> contents of the file ".../xml/country.xml".
>
>
> read about 'variable variables' @
> http://www.php.net/manual/en/languag...s.variable.php[/color]


Thanx, however, it still occurs. I traced it to literally occur the
moment I go into the foreach loop *BEFORE* it ever goes to
$this->getXML(). Somehow, for reasons I cannot explain, I found out
that not only is $stateXML existing with the value of 'state', but so
is $state, $xml, $XML, $State, $a, $b, $c, $x, $y, $z, $... literally
every existing combination of valid letters that form a variable all
suddenly not only exist but have a value of 'state'!

Phil