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Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:29:33 +0100
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To: Stut <stuttle@gmail.com>
CC: Sebastian Bergmann <sb@sebastian-bergmann.de>, 
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV]  SimpleXML: A bug or just an annoyance?
From: jochem@iamjochem.com (Jochem Maas)

Stut wrote:
> Sebastian Bergmann wrote:
>>  1 <?php
>>  2 $root = simplexml_load_string('<root id="1"><node/></root>');
>>  3
>>  4 $array = array();
>>  5 $array[$root['id']] = 'value';
>>  6
>>  7 $key = (int)$root['id'];
>>  8 $array[$key] = 'value';
>>  9 ?>
>>  Warning: Illegal offset type in /home/sb/test.php on line 5
>>   
> 
> I've not used it much, but I believe you need to cast attributes coming
> out of SimpleXML, in this case probably to an int.

that sounds about right. my experience with SimpleXML is that every is either
a string, an object, an array depending on how you are looking at it and regardless of
the situation auto-casting can be relied on to NOT do what you want/expect ...
the most problematic thing I found with simpleXML was the complete lack of means to
inspect an objects structure/content using funcs like var_dump() [it seems
lots of __toString() magic lays waste to any attempt to look inside the object]

from what I gather the described 'annoyance' is indicative of the prescribed
SimpleXML behaviour.

I personally believe that SimpleXML is too clever and/or intuitive for it's own good
- or maybe I'm just incredibly stupid, either way I decided a while back to stick to
using the DOM extension for anything XML related because I found it so much easier to
use and understand.

I guess nothing in live is ever simple ;-)

> 
> -Stut
>