Newsgroups: php.internals
Path: news.php.net
Xref: news.php.net php.internals:27851
Mailing-List: contact internals-help@lists.php.net; run by ezmlm
Received-SPF: pass (pb1.pair.com: domain leedsmet.ac.uk designates 160.9.128.16 as permitted sender)
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 14:08:13 -0000
Message-ID: <CDA511FF6152D14E922434CE338CE8BB04210155@leedsmet-exch1.leedsmet.ac.uk>
Thread-Topic: [PHP-DEV] [SPAM] Re: [PHP-DEV] Syntactic improvement to array
thread-index: AcdJS+9nCyhnEM+6SM+4Z7+5uYOTagAqpvbg
To: "Brian Moon" <brianm@dealnews.com>
Cc: <internals@lists.php.net>
Subject: RE: [PHP-DEV] [SPAM] Re: [PHP-DEV] Syntactic improvement to array
From: M.Ford@leedsmet.ac.uk ("Ford, Mike")

On 05 February 2007 17:29, Brian Moon wrote:

> Ford, Mike wrote:
> > > I don't find:
> > >=20
> > > $a =3D [1 =3D> ['pears', 'apples'], 2 =3D> ['juice', 'oranges']];
> > >=20
> > > any less readable than:
> > >=20
> > > $a =3D array(1 =3D> array('pears', 'apples'), 2 =3D> array('juice',
> > > 'oranges'));=20
> > >=20
> > > Quite the opposite actually :)
> >=20
> > Me too - I go beyond Edin on this one, as I find the
> array() version actually quite UNreadable and I have
> difficulty picking out what the individual arrays are;
> conversely, the [] version I take in at a glance.
>=20
> That is why you have coding standards.  Our doucment states that this
> should be written as:=20
>=20
> $a =3D array(
> 	1 =3D> array('pears', 'apples'),
> 	2 =3D> array('juice', 'oranges')
> );
>=20
> I believe in either syntax, proper formatting of complex data
> can solve
> the readablity problems.

Solve, no.  Alleviate, yes.

Given the above, the layout tells me there's some kind of structure
going on, but I still have to actually *read* it to discover
that there are arrays involved (and where they start and end).

With this version:

  $a =3D [
 	 1 =3D> ['pears', 'apples'],
 	 2 =3D> ['juice', 'oranges']
	];

I can take one glance and tell there are nested arrays involved, and
what their scopes are -- I'd say my comprehension speed is at least
an order of magnitude faster!

*That* makes this syntax a no-brainer for me, personally ;-)

Cheers!

Mike

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Ford,  Electronic Information Services Adviser,
Learning Support Services, Learning & Information Services,
JG125, James Graham Building, Leeds Metropolitan University,
Headingley Campus, LEEDS,  LS6 3QS,  United Kingdom
Email: m.ford@leedsmet.ac.uk
Tel: +44 113 283 2600 extn 4730      Fax:  +44 113 283 3211=20


To view the terms under which this email is distributed, please go to http:=
//disclaimer.leedsmet.ac.uk/email.htm