Why Do Single Quotes In Array Keys Cause Parse Errors?

[Fergal 0]

I'm asking this question based on the section on p.57, "Receiving Form Data in PHP".

 

When a form uses method="post" why does

 

print "($_POST['name'])";

 

cause an error, whilst

 

print "fe'rg'al";

 

doesn't? Both statements have single quotes inside double quotes.

 

Thanks!

[Jonathon 255]

It isn't the single quotes that causes the problem. The bottom is just a string, as long as you match the quotes properly it's all good. The top line is an associative array and can't be called as such.

print "{$_POST['name']}"

should work. print() doesn't need to take the parenthesis and to call an associative array inside a print or echo you need to wrap it in curly brackets. As far as I know

[Fergal 0]

Thanks for the reply Jonathon, I'm not familiar with curly brackets yet, but will hopefully get to them soon.

 

As regards to using print with arrays, like the one I referred to above, Larry wrote the following in the book;

 

When used within double quotation marks, the single quotation marks around the key will cause parse errors

[Jonathon 255]

Well in that case it is the single quotes I just assumed it was because you're accessing an array rather than a string.

[Antonio Conte 426]

Correct: print $_POST['name'];

Correct: print 'I have some text before '.$_POST['name'].' and some text after';

Correct: print "I have some text before {$_POST['name']} and some text after":

 

Edit: Removed ( & ).

[Larry 433]

You don't actually need the curly brackets in the second example (when doing concatenation) and you don't need parentheses in the first.

 

As for why this is a problem, I don't know: just the way PHP works, I guess.

[Fergal 0]

Thanks for the replies everyone!