# New syntax for multidimensional array loop with foreach - Thread: https://externals.io/message/67945 - Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/67945 - Started by Christian Stoller on 2013-06-27T14:10:17+00:00 - Messages: 15 - Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net - More for agents: search with https://externals.io/search.md?q={query} · JSON API at https://externals.io/api · documentation at https://externals.io/llms.txt --- ## #67945 — Christian Stoller — 2013-06-27T14:10:17+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67945 Hi internals, during my current work I had an idea for shorter array iteration with foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to understand ;-) Maybe you know the case where you have to iterate over all values of a 2D (or more) array: $count = 0; foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray) { foreach ($innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { $count += $value; // and do something with $key and $innerKey } } The new syntax could make it shorter and faster to write... but maybe it's a bit too confusing? $count = 0; foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { $count += $value; // and do something with $key and $innerKey } If the keys aren't needed, you can shorten it to: $count = 0; foreach ($array as $innerArray as $value) { $count += $value; } What do you think? -- Christian Stoller LEONEX Internet GmbH --- ## #67946 — Florin Patan — 2013-06-27T14:18:33+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67946 · In reply to: #67945 > Hi internals, > > during my current work I had an idea for shorter array iteration with foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to understand ;-) > > Maybe you know the case where you have to iterate over all values of a 2D (or more) array: > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray) { > foreach ($innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > } > > The new syntax could make it shorter and faster to write... but maybe it's a bit too confusing? > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > > If the keys aren't needed, you can shorten it to: > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $innerArray as $value) { > $count += $value; > } > > What do you think? > > -- > Christian Stoller > LEONEX Internet GmbH Hi, Quick question, how would the engine then treat this case: $array = array(); $array['level1.1']['level2']['level3'] = 'value'; $array['level1.2'] = new StdClass(); foreach($array as $level1 as $level2 as $level3) { ... } Best regards ---- Florin Patan https://github.com/dlsniper http://www.linkedin.com/in/florinpatan --- ## #67947 — Kingsquare.nl - Robin Speekenbrink — 2013-06-27T14:22:51+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67947 · In reply to: #67946 I'd thought this would have been `solved` by allowing the list statement in foreach ( http://nl3.php.net/manual/en/control-structures.foreach.php#control-structures.foreach.list ) Doesnt that solve your problem already? Kind regards, Robin Speekenbrink 2013/6/27 Florin Patan > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM, Christian Stoller > wrote: > > […] > foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to > understand ;-) > > […] > 2D (or more) array: > > […] > it's a bit too confusing? > > […] > > > Hi, > > > Quick question, how would the engine then treat this case: > > $array = array(); > $array['level1.1']['level2']['level3'] = 'value'; > $array['level1.2'] = new StdClass(); > > foreach($array as $level1 as $level2 as $level3) { ... } > > > Best regards > ---- > Florin Patan > https://github.com/dlsniper > http://www.linkedin.com/in/florinpatan --- ## #67948 — Sebastian Krebs — 2013-06-27T14:24:54+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67948 · In reply to: #67947 2013/6/27 Kingsquare.nl - Robin Speekenbrink > I'd thought this would have been `solved` by allowing the list statement in > foreach ( > > http://nl3.php.net/manual/en/control-structures.foreach.php#control-structures.foreach.list > ) > > Doesnt that solve your problem already? > This is only useable for structs, not for lists, or sets. > > Kind regards, > > Robin Speekenbrink > > > 2013/6/27 Florin Patan > > > […] > to > > […] > -- github.com/KingCrunch --- ## #67949 — Sebastian Krebs — 2013-06-27T14:27:05+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67949 · In reply to: #67946 2013/6/27 Florin Patan > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM, Christian Stoller > wrote: > > […] > foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to > understand ;-) > > […] > 2D (or more) array: > > […] > it's a bit too confusing? > > […] > > > Hi, > > > Quick question, how would the engine then treat this case: > > $array = array(); > $array['level1.1']['level2']['level3'] = 'value'; > $array['level1.2'] = new StdClass(); > > foreach($array as $level1 as $level2 as $level3) { ... } > When I get this right it would fail. As far as I see this is equivalent to foreach ($array as $level1) { foreach ($level1 as $level2) { foreach ($level2 as $level3) { // .. } } } So I'd say they should behave the same. I for myself find this proposal at least interesting. I don't know how many foreach-chains I see every day :( Regards, Sebastian > > > Best regards > ---- > Florin Patan > https://github.com/dlsniper > http://www.linkedin.com/in/florinpatan > > -- > > > > -- github.com/KingCrunch --- ## #67950 — Ralf Lang — 2013-06-27T14:27:52+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67950 · In reply to: #67945 > Hi internals, > > during my current work I had an idea for shorter array iteration with foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to understand ;-) > > Maybe you know the case where you have to iterate over all values of a 2D (or more) array: > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray) { > foreach ($innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > } > > The new syntax could make it shorter and faster to write... but maybe it's a bit too confusing? > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > What do you think? How would a break or continue on this behave? Would it end the inner or the outer circle? -- Ralf Lang Linux Consultant / Developer Tel.: +49-170-6381563 Mail: lang@b1-systems.de B1 Systems GmbH Osterfeldstraße 7 / 85088 Vohburg / http://www.b1-systems.de GF: Ralph Dehner / Unternehmenssitz: Vohburg / AG: Ingolstadt,HRB 3537 --- ## #67953 — Yahav Gindi Bar — 2013-06-27T14:54:04+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67953 · In reply to: #67950 > > > […] > foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to > understand ;-) > > […] > 2D (or more) array: > > […] > it's a bit too confusing? > > […] > > How would a break or continue on this behave? Would it end the inner or > the outer circle? > > I guess that the usage of continue/break with specific number is the best in this case... foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { $count += $value; if ($count % 2 == 0) { // for instance... break 2; // End loop } else if ( $count % 3 == 0 ) { break; // End inner loop } else if ( $count % 4 == 0) { continue 2; // Continue outer loop } continue; // Continue inner loop } Personally, this syntax (the multi-dims loop) seems unreadable... > > -- > Ralf Lang > Linux Consultant / Developer > Tel.: +49-170-6381563 > Mail: lang@b1-systems.de > B1 Systems GmbH > Osterfeldstraße 7 / 85088 Vohburg / http://www.b1-systems.de > GF: Ralph Dehner / Unternehmenssitz: Vohburg / AG: Ingolstadt,HRB 3537 --- ## #67955 — Nikita Popov — 2013-06-27T14:58:13+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67955 · In reply to: #67945 On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM, Christian Stoller wrote: > The new syntax could make it shorter and faster to write... but maybe it's > a bit too confusing? > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > I'm against this feature. It makes the code marginally shorter, but a good bit less readable. Combined with the break/continue issue, I don't think we gain anything by introducing this syntax. Nikita --- ## #67966 — johannes@schlueters.de — 2013-06-27T16:14:17+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67966 · In reply to: #67955 > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM, Christian Stoller wrote: > > > […] > > I'm against this feature. It makes the code marginally shorter, but a good > bit less readable. Combined with the break/continue issue, I don't think we > gain anything by introducing this syntax. +1 Let me add to this: While the pattern pattern exists often there are things to be done in the outer iteration, too. So I think the pure form ofthis double-foreach is not as common as it might seem ... And you can write foreach ($array as $i) foreach ($i as $innerKey => $value) { } it is not that much longer, but way more explicit on what is going on, visually parsing the suggested form needs more concentration. johannes --- ## #67977 — Patrick ALLAERT — 2013-06-27T17:09:46+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67977 · In reply to: #67966 2013/6/27 Johannes Schlüter : > > > […] > > +1 > > Let me add to this: > > While the pattern pattern exists often there are things to be done in > the outer iteration, too. So I think the pure form ofthis double-foreach > is not as common as it might seem ... > > And you can write > foreach ($array as $i) foreach ($i as $innerKey => $value) { > } > it is not that much longer, but way more explicit on what is going on, > visually parsing the suggested form needs more concentration. > > johannes +1 to what Nikita and Johannes said. --- ## #67978 — Pierre du Plessis — 2013-06-27T17:13:43+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67978 · In reply to: #67966 On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 6:14 PM, Johannes Schlüter wrote: > > > […] > it's > > […] > With the addition of array_column in php 5.5, this can be done in a much cleaner way: $array = array( array('value' => 1), array('value' => 2), array('value' => 3), ); $count = 0; foreach(array_column($array, 'value') as $value) { $count += $value; } --- ## #67980 — Tjerk Anne Meesters — 2013-06-27T17:29:52+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67980 · In reply to: #67978 On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 1:13 AM, Pierre du Plessis wrote: > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 6:14 PM, Johannes Schlüter > wrote: > > > […] > > With the addition of array_column in php 5.5, this can be done in a much > cleaner way: > > $array = array( > array('value' => 1), > array('value' => 2), > array('value' => 3), > ); > > $count = 0; > > foreach(array_column($array, 'value') as $value) { > $count += $value; > } > And what about the "// and do something with $key and $innerKey" part? -- -- Tjerk --- ## #67982 — Pierre du Plessis — 2013-06-27T17:36:30+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67982 · In reply to: #67980 On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 7:29 PM, Tjerk Anne Meesters wrote: > On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 1:13 AM, Pierre du Plessis > wrote: > > > […] > stoller@leonex.de > > […] > maybe > > […] > > And what about the "// and do something with $key and $innerKey" part? This is using the original example provided, which didn't do anything with the $key and $innerKey. --- ## #67983 — Tjerk Anne Meesters — 2013-06-27T17:57:58+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#67983 · In reply to: #67982 On Fri, Jun 28, 2013 at 1:36 AM, Pierre du Plessis wrote: > On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 7:29 PM, Tjerk Anne Meesters wrote: > > > […] > > > This is using the original example provided, which didn't do anything with > the $key and $innerKey. > It's good to see how you have developed a keen sense of code optimization; however, that's not doing much good here, because the intention of the shown code is that those variables are actually used, which is what the commented line conveys :) -- -- Tjerk --- ## #68003 — Benjamin Eberlei — 2013-06-28T09:21:29+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/67945#68003 · In reply to: #67945 You can build an iterator to do this for you, doesn't need to be in the language IMHO On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM, Christian Stoller wrote: > Hi internals, > > during my current work I had an idea for shorter array iteration with > foreach. I haven’t seen such a syntax until now, but I think it is easy to > understand ;-) > > Maybe you know the case where you have to iterate over all values of a 2D > (or more) array: > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray) { > foreach ($innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > } > > The new syntax could make it shorter and faster to write... but maybe it's > a bit too confusing? > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $key => $innerArray as $innerKey => $value) { > $count += $value; > // and do something with $key and $innerKey > } > > If the keys aren't needed, you can shorten it to: > > $count = 0; > foreach ($array as $innerArray as $value) { > $count += $value; > } > > What do you think? > > -- > Christian Stoller > LEONEX Internet GmbH