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Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:20:25 -0500
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] [Discussion] array_get and array_has functions
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From: larry@garfieldtech.com ("Larry Garfield")

On Sat, Apr 11, 2026, at 5:30 AM, Barel wrote:

> After the discussion here and after speaking to other developers, I 
> have decided to drop the dot notation entirely from this RFC and only 
> leave the option to use an array path. Using dot (or similar) notations 
> can be easily achieved using a simple explode or more complex code if 
> we need to do more complex setups like escaping. The main goal of the 
> RFC has always been being able to handle dynamic paths. The 
> implementation has also been updated and is now much simpler
>
> Cheers
>
> Carlos

"4) Using dot or similar notations "

This should be bullet point 3, not no 4.

I agree with Tim that an invalid path segment should error in some way, rather than just using the default.  If a non-int/string path segment is encountered, it 100% of the time means the developer screwed up in some way so they should know to fix it.

One of the most common uses for structure-unclear arrays I run into is (bad) APIs that have a value that is either a primitive or an array of primitives.  Can you include an example showing how these functions would help in that situation?

Eg, this JSON: 

{ "state": "IL" }
vs
{"state": ["IL", "CA", "NY"] }

Presumably you also have some real-world cases in mind that you've run into.  Can you include versions of those in the examples to get a better sense of what usage would look like in practice?

To Tim's naming point, perhaps `array_has_path()` / `array_get_path()`?  (Or maybe `path` first, not sure.)

--Larry Garfield