[drupal-devel] PHP 101: isset() does not check for zero length (empty) strings

Larry Garfield larry at garfieldtech.com
Fri Oct 14 06:26:13 UTC 2005


+1 on having some recommendations on how to handle these, especially if we 
want to make Drupal E_STRICT compliant.  (I do, anyway. <g>)

Is there some PHP best practices guideline regarding this?  Does PEAR have a 
recommended standard that we could borrow?

On Friday 14 October 2005 02:04 am, Robert Douglass wrote:
> /me blushes and admits the same fuzziness.
>
> Nedjo Rogers wrote:
> > Awhile back I posted a similar question, see below.  We have a need for
> > some standard guidelines on when to use which test for empty, null, or
> > set variables, arrays, and object properties.
> > _______
> >
> > I find I'm sometimes not sure which types of test I should apply to test
> > if a variable (or array key) is null or empty.
> >
> > Looking at the code, I see various usages:
> >
> > if (is_null($variable))
> > if (empty($variable))
> > if ($variable == NULL)
> > if ($variable === NULL)
> > if ($objectname->propertyname)
> > if (array_key_exists($key, $arrayname))
> > if ($arrayname['key'])
> > etc.
> >
> > Can anyone point to or suggest a limited set of tests that we should use,
> > and guidelines for when each should be applied?  This would be a useful
> > addition to the coding standards, http://drupal.org/node/318.  Thanks!

-- 
Larry Garfield			AIM: LOLG42
larry at garfieldtech.com		ICQ: 6817012

"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of 
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which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to 
himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession 
of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it."  -- Thomas 
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