ID: 20548
Comment by: lew at mailduct dot com
Reported By: prgallier at yahoo dot com
Status: Wont fix
Bug Type: Scripting Engine problem
Operating System: Linux 2.4
PHP Version: 4.3.2-dev
New Comment:
"IMO, using unitialized variables should cause a FATAL error. Just
initialize the variables you use."
You miss the point. This is not about uninitialized variables. It is
about a GROSS difference between how the increment and decrement
operators work!
Either *both* operations should fail with uninitialized variables (for
consistency and sanity), or *both* operations should succeed (again,
for the same reason).
By simply saying, "initialize your variables" you avoid looking at the
underlying problem and instead apply a band-aid. Band-aids are not a
good thing... they come back to bite you later.
If "plus" works a certain way, you'd expect "minus" to work the same
(meaning, within the same framework of rules). All we are saying is,
make them consistent!
Previous Comments:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2003-09-27 20:01:38] prgallier at yahoo dot com
There are plenty of workarounds, but the problem is the lack of
consistency. Either you can or you can't use uninitialized variables.
If you can use $test[0]++ you should be able to use $test[0]-- as well
(no, I don't think they should drop the ability to use direct
increments/decrements).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2003-09-27 16:47:47] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
IMO, using unitialized variables should cause a FATAL error.
Just initialize the variables you use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2003-09-27 14:38:53] lew at mailduct dot com
PHP 4.3.3 on FreeBSD 4.8-RELEASE:
<?php
// Increment some blank/empty variables...
$pos++; $pos++; $pos++;
$neg--; $neg--; $neg--;
// Show them to us now...
print( "pos = $pos\n" );
print( "neg = $neg\n" );
// Now do it another way (forced typecast)...
$ppp += 1; $ppp += 1; $ppp += 1;
$nnn -= 1; $nnn -= 1; $nnn -= 1;
// Show them to us now...
print( "ppp = $ppp\n" );
print( "nnn = $nnn\n" );
#
# Expected:
# pos = 3 ppp = 3
# neg = -3 nnn = -3
#
# Actual:
# pos = 3 ppp = 3
# neg = nnn = -3
?>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2003-09-27 14:36:59] lew at mailduct dot com
This is a GROSS inconsistency in how the increment/decrement operators
work, and one that coders are likely to stumble upon the hard way.
Please study the effect of fixing this, at the expense of breaking a
long-time quirk in BC. Breaking a quirk, and documenting it on the BC
page, is better than maintaining a GROSS inconsistency in one of the
basic language construct operators! Please fix this!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2003-08-03 12:57:49] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This is a valid bug, however a fix would be a BC break that would
result in a beahviour change that was in place since 3.0 days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The remainder of the comments for this report are too long. To view
the rest of the comments, please view the bug report online at
http://bugs.php.net/20548
--
Edit this bug report at http://bugs.php.net/?id=20548&edit=1
