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To: <internals@lists.php.net>,
	"Nathan Rixham" <nrixham@gmail.com>
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Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:23:38 +0200
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Dots and spaces in variable names are converted to underscores.
From: sv_forums@fmethod.com ("Stan Vassilev")

> Dots and spaces in variable names are converted to underscores. For
> example <input name="a.b" /> becomes $_POST["a_b"].
>
> Any reason why? and any way to modify this behaviour to preserve dots
> and spaces? (dots specifically)

I'm also using dots for this reason, so I feel your pain. What I ended up 
doing is converting dot syntax to PHP array syntax as I compile my 
templates.
So when I type this:  <input ... name="a.b.c.d"> what I get actually 
compiled and sent to the browser is this:  <intput ... name="a[b][c][d]">

The reason for this quirk is register_globals. The symbols not suitable for 
symbol names, such as dots, are replaced with underscores, so that you can 
access your POST variable "foo.bar" as $foo_bar in global space. Of course 
it never made sense the conversion is applied to the superglobals like 
$_COOKIE/GET/POST, but it was, and now there are claims that it'll break 
backwards compatibility if changed.

I hope PHP6 will remove this processing as register_globals will be 
completely removed at that point.

Regards,
Stan Vassilev