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Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2025 08:14:38 +0100
To: internals@lists.php.net
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: blank() Function as a Complement to empty()
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From: imsop.php@rwec.co.uk ("Rowan Tommins [IMSoP]")



On 5 April 2025 21:00:15 BST, Rob Landers <rob@bottled=2Ecodes> wrote:

>I agree with most of these=2E I do not agree that " " (a space) is blank =
though=2E For people without last names, this is often their last name to p=
ass validation on forms=2E=20

This is firmly into "space-bar heating" [https://xkcd=2Ecom/1172/] territo=
ry - failure to trim whitespace before validation is a common bug, and requ=
iring a name in exactly two boxes is a common design/localisation failure, =
but neither justifies the other=2E

I think a function for "string is zero length or contains only whitespace"=
 would potentially be useful, but am not convinced it needs to accept any o=
ther type, or have the error-suppression power of isset/empty - adding ??''=
 inside a function call is not a big burden for new code=2E

That said, I just realised there is a ctype_space function, and I've never=
 used it or seen it used; normally, trim($foo)=3D=3D=3D'' (or trim($foo??''=
)=3D=3D=3D'') seems to be good enough=2E

Rowan Tommins
[IMSoP]