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Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 11:15:51 -0700
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To: ilia@prohost.org
Cc: Lars Torben Wilson <torben@php.net>, internals@lists.php.net
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] variable_exists() patch
From: waboring@3gstech.com (walt boring)

Ilia Alshanetsky wrote:

>Do we really need this function? I see 2 ways of 'implementing' this 
>functionality in PHP without having to add another function. For example:
>(isset($var) || is_null($var)) or gettype($var).
>
>Ilia
>  
>
I for one would like to see something like variable_exists(), as I am 
very annoyed with
the logic of isset() returning false if the variable exists and has a 
value of null. 

  The name of the function in this case doesn't not fit the logic for 
isset().  The variable does exist and it IS in fact set, the value just 
so happens to be null.
I constantly get puzzled looks and confusion, when I explain to folks 
that are new to php, that isset() really doesn't do what it's name 
suggests. 

  I for one would much rather do
  if ( variable_exists($var) ) {}  versus
if (isset($var) || is_null($var)) {}

it's less code to type and is less prone to errors.

So I would like to see the patch in, or something similar in 
functionality, since isset() doesn't do what I'd expect.
Walt