Cannot use "-" in variable names?

[ross]

The following gives an error:

<?php
$super-man=100;
?>

Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2

I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.
is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable names.

Thanks,
Ross

[Nicholas Sherlock]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

ross wrote:[color=blue]
> The following gives an error:
>
> <?php
> $super-man=100;
> ?>
>
> Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2
>
> I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.
> is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable names.[/color]

No, you cannot use the "-" sign in variables. You can use "_".

Cheers,
Nicholas Sherlock

[Kim André Akerø]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

ross wrote:
[color=blue]
> The following gives an error:
>
> <?php
> $super-man=100;
> ?>
>
> Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2
>
> I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.[/color]

Correct, the "-" sign is considered as a minus sign.
[color=blue]
> is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable
> names.[/color]

Why?

You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.

--
Kim André Akerø
- kimandre@NOSPAM betadome.com
(remove NOSPAM to contact me directly)

[Justin Koivisto]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Kim André Akerø wrote:[color=blue]
> ross wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>The following gives an error:
>>
>><?php
>>$super-man=100;
>>?>
>>
>>Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2
>>
>>I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.[/color]
>
>
> Correct, the "-" sign is considered as a minus sign.
>
>[color=green]
>>is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable
>>names.[/color]
>
>
> Why?
>
> You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
> query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.[/color]

- characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .

--
Justin Koivisto, ZCE - justin@koivi.co m

http://koivi.com

[Kim André Akerø]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Justin Koivisto wrote:
[color=blue]
> Kim André Akerø wrote:[color=green]
> > ross wrote:
> >[color=darkred]
> > > The following gives an error:
> > >
> > > <?php
> > > $super-man=100;
> > > ?>
> > >
> > > Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2
> > >
> > > I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.[/color]
> >
> > Correct, the "-" sign is considered as a minus sign.
> >[color=darkred]
> > > is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable
> > > names.[/color]
> >
> > Why?
> >
> > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it
> > in a query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.[/color]
>
> - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .[/color]

I wasn't aware of that. Then again, I've never had the need/use to have
a "-" in a variable (either in a form or as a query string).

--
Kim André Akerø
- kimandre@NOSPAM betadome.com
(remove NOSPAM to contact me directly)

[Wayne]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

On Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:20:25 -0500, ross <aoxo_oxoa@yaho o.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.
>is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable names.[/color]

Why do you need to have "-" in variable names?!?
(answering this question might help us find you an alternative)

[Ian]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

ross wrote:[color=blue]
> The following gives an error:
>
> <?php
> $super-man=100;
> ?>
>
> Parse error: parse error, unexpected '=' in /test.php on line 2
>
> I understand that the "-" sign is seen as an operator.
> is there a way to get around this? I need to have "-" in variable names.
>[/color]
Why? No one else does.

Ian

[Malcolm Dew-Jones]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Justin Koivisto (justin@koivi.c om) wrote:

: Kim André Akerø wrote:
: >
: > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
: > query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.

: - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .

There must be a config setting to do that, cause I have never observed
that behaviour. The following uses - in the html parameter names.


<?php

echo "the-name = [";
echo $_REQUEST['the-name'];
echo "]\n";


echo "hidden-name = [";
echo $_REQUEST['hidden-name'];
echo "]\n";

?>

<form>

<input type="text" name="the-name" />

<input type="hidden" name="hidden-name" value="a hidden value" />

<input type=submit />

</form>

[Justin Koivisto]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Malcolm Dew-Jones wrote:[color=blue]
> Justin Koivisto (justin@koivi.c om) wrote:
>
> : Kim André Akerø wrote:
> : >
> : > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
> : > query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.
>
> : - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .
>
> There must be a config setting to do that, cause I have never observed
> that behaviour. The following uses - in the html parameter names.
>
>
> <?php
>
> echo "the-name = [";
> echo $_REQUEST['the-name'];
> echo "]\n";
>
>
> echo "hidden-name = [";
> echo $_REQUEST['hidden-name'];
> echo "]\n";
>
> ?>
>
> <form>
>
> <input type="text" name="the-name" />
>
> <input type="hidden" name="hidden-name" value="a hidden value" />
>
> <input type=submit />
>
> </form>
>
>[/color]

Now I wonder if I have that mixed up with something else dealing with
hyphens in the field names of posted forms... (PDF forms perhaps?)

I know it came up once in a script I was debugging a couple years ago,
so maybe it was something from a previous version, or maybe it was if
register_global s = 1

--
Justin Koivisto, ZCE - justin@koivi.co m

http://koivi.com

[Chung Leong]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Malcolm Dew-Jones wrote:[color=blue]
> Justin Koivisto (justin@koivi.c om) wrote:
>
> : Kim André Akerø wrote:
> : >
> : > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it ina
> : > query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.
>
> : - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .
>
> There must be a config setting to do that, cause I have never observed
> that behaviour. The following uses - in the html parameter names.[/color]

I would have sworn to god that that's how it work, at least in the case
of register_global s = 1 and extract(). Yet that's not the behavior when
I tried. Dashes remain dashes in $_GET and the variable isn't set.
Weird...

[Justin Koivisto]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

Chung Leong wrote:[color=blue]
> Malcolm Dew-Jones wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Justin Koivisto (justin@koivi.c om) wrote:
>>
>>: Kim André Akerø wrote:
>>: >
>>: > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
>>: > query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.
>>
>>: - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .
>>
>>There must be a config setting to do that, cause I have never observed
>>that behaviour. The following uses - in the html parameter names.[/color]
>
>
> I would have sworn to god that that's how it work, at least in the case
> of register_global s = 1 and extract(). Yet that's not the behavior when
> I tried. Dashes remain dashes in $_GET and the variable isn't set.
> Weird...[/color]

Good, I'm not completely loosing it them... ;)

--
Justin Koivisto, ZCE - justin@koivi.co m

http://koivi.com

[Chung Leong]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?


Justin Koivisto wrote:[color=blue]
> Chung Leong wrote:[color=green]
> > Malcolm Dew-Jones wrote:
> >[color=darkred]
> >>Justin Koivisto (justin@koivi.c om) wrote:
> >>
> >>: Kim André Akerø wrote:
> >>: >
> >>: > You can safely use "_" (underscore) instead. If you need to use it in a
> >>: > query string or form field, use $_POST, $_GET or $_REQUEST.
> >>
> >>: - characters in those arrays are replaced by _ automagically.. .
> >>
> >>There must be a config setting to do that, cause I have never observed
> >>that behaviour. The following uses - in the html parameter names.[/color]
> >
> >
> > I would have sworn to god that that's how it work, at least in the case
> > of register_global s = 1 and extract(). Yet that's not the behavior when
> > I tried. Dashes remain dashes in $_GET and the variable isn't set.
> > Weird...[/color]
>
> Good, I'm not completely loosing it them... ;)
>
> --
> Justin Koivisto, ZCE - justin@koivi.co m
> http://koivi.com[/color]

Aha, now I remember! It's the period/fullstop that gets automatically
replaced by an underscore, not the dash.

[ross]

Re: Cannot use &quot;-&quot; in variable names?

I "was" parsing a xml file and would like to create variables on the fly
with the same name as the XML tags. some of the xml tags are in the
form "xx-yy" etc.

I now know the xml structure and I am reverting back to xx_yy.