[SPAM] Re: Syntactic improvement to array

Ford, Mike wrote:

I don't find:

$a = [1 => ['pears', 'apples'], 2 => ['juice', 'oranges']];

any less readable than:

$a = array(1 => array('pears', 'apples'), 2 => array('juice',
'oranges'));

Quite the opposite actually :)

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.

That is why you have coding standards. Our doucment states that this
should be written as:

$a = array(
1 => array('pears', 'apples'),
2 => array('juice', 'oranges')
);

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 = [
1 => ['pears', 'apples'],
2 => ['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

To view the terms under which this email is distributed, please go to http://disclaimer.leedsmet.ac.uk/email.htm