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To: "Stas Malyshev" <smalyshev@sugarcrm.com>, "Anthony Ferrara"
 <ircmaxell@gmail.com>
Cc: "Brandon Wamboldt" <brandon.wamboldt@gmail.com>, "Andrew Faulds"
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Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 19:05:43 +0200
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Re: array_last_key() function
From: glopes@nebm.ist.utl.pt ("Gustavo Lopes")

Em Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:04:27 +0200, Anthony Ferrara <ircmaxell@gmail.com>  
escreveu:

>> I like this idea. array_first_key would be nice too
>>
>> I am probably missing something, but what those would allow to do that
>> rewind/end+key() doesn't do?
>>
>
> The big thing that it does that end()+key() doesn't do is really what it
> doesn't do (update the internal pointer).
>
> end() modifies the array pointer. So if you try this in user-land:
>
> function array_last_key(array $array) {
>     end($array);
>     return key($array);
> }
>
> It will always force a full copy of the array (at least the hash table).
> Implementing this as a core function however would eliminate that one
> side-effect...

Why is the last key special? Why not a function to get the first or the  
penultimate key?

Of course, there is one aspect where the first and last keys are special  
-- if you have some algorithm where you pop or shift the array  
successively. But in that case the argument about end() + key() having  
side effects is irrelevant because you are changing the array anyway.

-- 
Gustavo Lopes