Accessing arrays returned from functions

I was led to believe that it was possible to access an array returned
from a function in php5 without first assigning it to a variable as
follows ;-

....
function setArr()
{
return array( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) ;
}

echo setArr()[ 3 ] ;

However this does not work - it just produces a parse error.
Have I been mis-informed or am I doing it wrong ?
TIA

On Mar 28, 8:18 am, r...@fourfront.ltd.uk wrote:

Quote:

I was led to believe that it was possible to access an array returned
from a function in php5 without first assigning it to a variable as
follows ;-
>
...
function setArr()
{
return array( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) ;
>
}
>
echo setArr()[ 3 ] ;
>
However this does not work - it just produces a parse error.
Have I been mis-informed or am I doing it wrong ?
TIA

What led you to believe that? Where in the documentation does it say
you can do it that way?

rick@fourfront.ltd.uk wrote:

Quote:

I was led to believe that it was possible to access an array returned
from a function in php5 without first assigning it to a variable as
follows ;-
>
...
function setArr()
{
return array( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ) ;
}
>
echo setArr()[ 3 ] ;
>
>
However this does not work - it just produces a parse error.
Have I been mis-informed or am I doing it wrong ?

Hi,

I asked the same question some time ago and was told it is not possible tat
way.
But assigning it to an array will not force a copy of the array, so the
overhead involved is minimal.
So as far as I know you were informed wrong.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

Quote:

TIA

What led you to believe that? Where in the documentation does it say

Quote:

you can do it that way?

If only I could remember where ...
As far as I can remember it was a write up about the functionality
that was going to be available in php5 prior to the actual release.

IMHO it should be valid - it would save a lot of time coding
especially in the following instance ;-

if ( setArr()[ 3 ] === 2 )
{
....
}

instead of

$X = setArr() ;
if ( $X[ 3 ] === 2 )
{
....
}

etc.

The current syntax is a waste of an assignment - even if it is only a
reference.

<rick@fourfront.ltd.ukwrote in message
news:1175087834.747284.228690@b75g2000hsg.googlegr oups.com...

Quote:

>What led you to believe that? Where in the documentation does it say
>you can do it that way?

>
If only I could remember where ...
As far as I can remember it was a write up about the functionality
that was going to be available in php5 prior to the actual release.
>
IMHO it should be valid - it would save a lot of time coding
especially in the following instance ;-
>
if ( setArr()[ 3 ] === 2 )
{
...
}
>
instead of
>
$X = setArr() ;
if ( $X[ 3 ] === 2 )
{
...
}
>

Surely you are joking -- "it would save a lot of time coding"??? It is ONE
line and it makes the code clearer!

What you are saying here reminds me of (way back when) when I first learned
C coding. I found that some smart aleck programmers suffered from what I
called the "Name that Tune Syndrome". They played the game like
-- "I can write that code in 5 lines".
-- "I can write that code in 3 lines".
-- "I can write that code in one line".
-- "Write that code".

All it did was make debugging and maintenance a nightmare. Adding one extra
line for increased clarity? B.F.D.!

Shelly

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