Ford, Mike [LSS] wrote:
On 05 November 2003 17:06, Marco Tabini contributed these pearls of
wisdom:Christian Schneider wrote:
Marco Tabini wrote:
$a = [[1,2,3],[1=>[1,3,2,2], "a"=>[[1,2,3,4],4,[1,2]]];
$a = array(array(1,2,3),array(1=>array(1,3,2,2),
"a"=>array(array(1,2,3,4),4,array(1,2)));Besides my previous points, something even more abominable:
$a = [1,2,$b[11]];
Is that confusing enough for you? ;-)
What's confusing about it?
The fact that $b[11] references an item of an array, while
[1,2,$b[11]] assigns values to the array $a.
That's not confusing -- at least no more so than the different meanings of -
in $b = -$a and $b = $c - $a.
The fact that you (and,
probably, most of us) can't tell right off the bat
Bzzt! Wrong! It was because I could tell right off the bat exactly what
it meant that I asked why it was confusing.
is a clear sign
that this is a bad idea, because it's ambiguous and confusing.
And again, wrong assumption -- I asked what's confusing because to me it
looks completely unambiguous and totally clear.
The same line using the current syntax, btw, would have looked like
this:$a = array (1,3,$b[11]);
Well, I can see true enough that that has the same meaning, but for me it's
harder to read and interpret. I see the () first and start assuming it's a
function, before my eyes and brain have time to digest that the name of the
"function" is array -- result: a moment's confusion whilst I deal with the
ambiguity of using function syntax for a language construct. With the []
syntax, I see the square brackets and they immediately shout ARRAY
CONSTRUCTOR at me -- result: instant understanding and I'm on to the next
line of code in a flash.
Cheers!
Mike
Mike Ford, Electronic Information Services Adviser,
Learning Support Services, Learning & Information Services,
JG125, James Graham Building, Leeds Metropolitan University,
Beckett Park, LEEDS, LS6 3QS, United Kingdom
Email: m.ford@lmu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 113 283 2600 extn 4730 Fax: +44 113 283 3211
Please move this thread to private email.
- Sascha
Sascha,
I don't think it's a private matter. Feel free to delete the emails with
this subject when they come in.
Andi
At 01:30 PM 11/6/2003 +0100, Sascha Schumann wrote:
Please move this thread to private email. - Sascha
Sascha,
I don't think it's a private matter.
If there was anything constructive in that long thread of "I
like it" -- "no, I don't!" I might agree with you, but given
the current contents, the noise exceeds the useful debate by
far.
- Sascha