PHP... what kind of array/variable is this?

upl8t

Regular Member

Apr 9, 2008

475

85

• Jul 5, 2012

• #1

Saw something in some code today that I've never seen before.

PHP:

$_['textname'] = 'Text String';

Anyone know what this is and how/why it's used? It was a file used to assign a bunch of text variables for display in various places on a website.

 

artizhay

BANNED

Nov 21, 2010

1,867

1,340

• Jul 5, 2012

• #2

Strange...
Well functions the same way on my home server as a regular variable, so there doesn't seem to be anything obviously special about it.

 

upl8t

Regular Member

Apr 9, 2008

475

85

• Jul 5, 2012
• Thread Starter Thread Starter

• #3

I just dropped it into a file and echo'd it out. It works fine. I just don't know why they're doing it this way.

 

BlueZero

Power Member

Jul 6, 2011

506

261

• Jul 5, 2012

• #4

Its regular variable exactly like $myArray, bu the name is _.
They just like short names. In one of my JavaScripts i have a function named _, its good if you use it often.

 

upl8t

Regular Member

Apr 9, 2008

475

85

• Jul 5, 2012
• Thread Starter Thread Starter

• #5

Thanks. I though it might have been some kind of special var. Guess it's easy to type that way.

 

jazzc

Elite Member

Jan 27, 2009

2,964

14,717

• Jul 6, 2012

• #6

Underscore (_) is a valid variable name. So $_ is valid, just like $foo.

Since, $foo['bar'] is an array named foo with a key named bar, so $_['test'] is an array named _ with a key named test.

 

P

preetisoft2

Newbie

Aug 27, 2012

13

1

• Sep 4, 2012

• #7

This is a regular variable.

 

S

SonicSam

Registered Member

Aug 21, 2012

57

5

• Sep 4, 2012

• #8

Could be used for translations, for example.

english.php

$_['firstname'] = "First Name";

french.php

$_['firstname'] = "Premier Nom";

As others mentioned, $_ is just a variable holding an array.

 

X

xtr3m

Newbie

Jan 7, 2011

18

6

• Dec 4, 2012

• #9

Code:

echo gettype($_);
>array