Returning array from funciton

[lindsayvine]

If i have this function:

function abc()
{
$a = new array();
$a["key"] = "value";
return $a;
}

Then this will work:

$c = abc();
echo $c["key"];

( "value" will be outputted. )

But this will not:

echo abc()['key'];

( You will get a parse error. )

Why is this? And is there anything i can do about it?

Lindsay

[LordShryku]

Because abc() doesn't know it's an array until after it's called. Putting a key on the function call will naturally blow up since at this point, it has no idea that's it's supposed to be an array.

[lindsayvine]

is there some way i can get it to evalute the funciton first?

something like:

echo (abc())["key"];

• or some equivalent that actually works?

[tekky]

if you know that its the FIRST or LAST key in the array... you can do something like....

$c = end(abc()); //set c to LAST array value
$c = current(abc()); //set c to FIRST array value

if I remember right those methods work... since code would be evaluated LIFO

[edit-- since you are trying to echo... --]

echo end(abc()); //last array value
echo current(abc()); //first value in array

and since it appears you are ONLY using 1 key... either of those should work.... if you are using more than one indice it becomes messier...