[Resolved] weird problem with $_REQUEST

ppowell

I have a query string that I'm parsing to set its values within a class method for ease of use.

Consider this:

		foreach ($_REQUEST as $key => $val) { if (!isset(${$key})) ${$key} = $val; print_r("key = $key = ${$key}<P>"); }

	print_r($_REQUEST);
	print_r("content-type = $content-type<P>");

While all other values within $REQUEST are set properly, $REQUEST['content-type'] is not ever retrieved properly:

key = section = application

key = randString = RYc6IvUPha9T5P8X

key = id = 79

key = mode = web

key = success = Application successfully received for \"asdf asdf\"

key = content-type = text/html

key = PHPSESSID = 4f4c0a9fc56edecf7080695f18ad1a80

Array ( [section] => application [randString] => RYc6IvUPha9T5P8X [id] => 79 [mode] => web [success] => Application successfully received for \"asdf asdf\" [content-type] => text/html [PHPSESSID] => 4f4c0a9fc56edecf7080695f18ad1a80 )

content-type = -type

Notice how $content-type turns from "text/html" to "-type". What on earth could be causing that to happen immediately after setting a variable?

Thanx
Phil

Installer

"-" isn't a valid variable character, so the line prints the value of $content (""), then the string "-type".

ppowell

That makes no sense at all! The dash is a valid character in Java, ASP, TCL, ColdFusion, Perl, HTML, XML and XSLT, and I've used it in PHP for years, in fact, it sets $content-type just fine one line before the print_r() statement, so that can't possibly be it.

Phil

Installer

mtmosier

is causing the separation only in your echo statement. It's outputting the value of $content (blank) then the text "-type". Try this (untested)
```
print_r("content-type = ${content-type}<P>");
```
I always do string concatenation myself, so I honestly don't know the syntax. But I think that's it.

ppowell

Ok this is really weird!!!

using ${content-type} everywhere and:

print_r("key = $key = ${$key} = $val<P>");

key = section = application = application

key = randString = Ig8D5jqM3eG63IWs = Ig8D5jqM3eG63IWs

key = id = 81 = 81

key = mode = web = web

key = success = Application successfully received for \"asdf asdf\" = Application successfully received for \"asdf asdf\"

key = content-type = text/html = text/html

key = PHPSESSID = 4f4c0a9fc56edecf7080695f18ad1a80 = 4f4c0a9fc56edecf7080695f18ad1a80

Array ( [section] => application [randString] => Ig8D5jqM3eG63IWs [id] => 81 [mode] => web [success] => Application successfully received for \"asdf asdf\" [content-type] => text/html [PHPSESSID] => 4f4c0a9fc56edecf7080695f18ad1a80 )

content-type =

Installer

Try this:

$content-type = 'test';
echo $content-type;

And read this:

A valid variable name starts with a letter or underscore, followed by any number of letters, numbers, or underscores.

Does that make sense?

ppowell

This works:

${'content-type'}

Honestly, that is just plain not cool. I can use dashes in all other C-derivative languages (even Javascript!), even the non-C-derivative languages I know like ASP and ColdFusion, and I'm being told you can't in PHP?

Phil

mtmosier

PHP is not a C derivative if it makes you feel any better. It borrowed some C-isms, like curly braces, but is far far different from C. Same for javascript.

And yes, each programming language gets to make up it's own rules. I promise this one wasn't made specifically to inconvenience you. It was much more likely to avoid ambiguities with subtraction.

But as you've seen, you can use it if you want. It just won't be easy going.

Installer

A variable may be defined using any uppercase or lowercase character, a numerical digit (0 through 9), and the underscore character (). The first character of the variable may not be a numerical digit or underscore. Variable names are case sensitive.

Java

An identifier is an unlimited-length sequence of Java letters and Java digits...
The Java letters include uppercase and lowercase ASCII Latin letters A-Z (\u0041-\u005a), and a-z (\u0061-\u007a), and, for historical reasons, the ASCII underscore (_, or \u005f) and dollar sign ($, or \u0024).
The "Java digits" include the ASCII digits 0-9 (\u0030-\u0039).

ppowell

If I recall correctly, your quotes illustrate that dashes are NOT forbidden by these languages, thus, you're not saying dashes are NOT allowed, just that the online manuals for these languages only talk about the characters they PREFER that you use, thus, as I said before, the languages I worked with in the past (Java, TCL, ASP, Javascript, ColdFusion, Perl, HTML, etc.), ALLOW for dashes (obviously under special conditions in PHP at the very least) in variable names, but it is not, of course standard.

It's best to drop this at this point as we're beating a dead horse, going off-topic and I solved my problem anyway.

Phil

mtmosier

test.c

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    char *content-type;
}

$ gcc test.c
test.c: In function `main':
test.c:2: error: syntax error before '-' token

Installer

If I recall correctly...

You don't.