PHP References
References in PHP are a way to access the content in a variable by different names. They are not at all like pointers in C. For instance, you cannot perform pointer arithmetic using them and they are...
View ArticleBackticks, EOL, and Break
While studying up for the Zend PHP Certification exam I came across a few more elements that I’ve never used before. Firstly, there is a backtick operator. This makes it possible to execute a shell...
View ArticleFunction Name Case Sensitivity and Variable-Length Argument Lists
After spending years developing software, I’ve always assumed that most real programming languages are extremely case sensitive in almost every aspect. It turns out that PHP function names are not...
View ArticleDefault Values for By-Reference Parameters
Unlike PHP 4, PHP 5 allows default values to be specified for parameters even when they are declared as by-reference: function command_exists($command, &$output = null) { $output =...
View ArticleComparing Arrays in PHP
Array-to-array comparison is a relatively rare occurrence in the real world of PHP (at least for me), but it can be performed using a set of operators. Like for other types, the equivalence and...
View ArticlePHP Array Cursors
I don’t recommend ever using these functions because a foreach loop is so much simpler and shorter. The only reason I’m writing about these is bacause I have almost never used them and they may just be...
View ArticlePHP Sorting Functions
In all the countless hours I’ve spent with php, I’ve maybe used three or four of these sorting functions. I really had no idea that there is a total of eleven functions used for sorting arrays. Anyway,...
View ArticleStacks, Queues and Sets
Arrays can be used in a number of different ways. This can include stacks, queues, and sets. I personally don’t use these functions very often but It can’t hurt to go over them for before taking the...
View ArticleHeredoc Syntax
Heredoc is a strange but necessary way to create a complex string. The functionality provided is almost identical to double quoted strings except there are no quotes. The heredoc syntax uses the...
View ArticleComparing and Transforming Strings
String functionality and manipulation methods are an enormous part of the PHP language and should be studied heavily. The following functions are by no means an exhaustive list of what can be done with...
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