PHP append a variable's value to variable name

Question

I am a PHP beginner. I want to create multiple variables and the name of those variables should have a value appended to it which depends on a counter variable of a for loop.

  foreach ( $xmlTagNames as $xmlKey => $xmlTagName )
  {
    if ($xmlTagName == "property")
    {
        for($i = 0; $i < 4; $i ++)
        {
            $$xmlTagName = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );
        }
    }
   }

At the seventh line I want the variable names like $property0,$property1 etc. How could this be done?

Pretty much whenever you think you need variable variables (look for that term in the manual), you actually want arrays (look that up too). Yes, really. — deceze
– deceze ♦, Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 9:50

Kaarel Nummert · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-11 09:53:28Z

3

As @David said, arrays are probably what you should use:

$properties = array();
foreach ( $xmlTagNames as $xmlKey => $xmlTagName )
{
  if ($xmlTagName == "property")
  {
      for($i = 0; $i < 4; $i ++)
      {
          $properies[] = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );
      }
  }
}

Then you can access the properties using $properies[0], $properies[1], $properies[2] and $properies[3].

But if you insist on creating variables with incrementing names you could use the following:

foreach ( $xmlTagNames as $xmlKey => $xmlTagName )
{
  if ($xmlTagName == "property")
  {
      for($i = 0; $i < 4; $i ++)
      {
          $variableName = $xmlTagName.$i;
          $$variableName = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );
      }
  }
}

answered Jul 11, 2014 at 9:53

Kaarel Nummert

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Comments

bspellmeyer · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-11 09:52:30Z

1

I agree with the comments: You should use an array here.

To answer your question though, use the following syntax:

${$xmlTagName . $i} = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );

answered Jul 11, 2014 at 9:52

bspellmeyer

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1 Comment

Wesley De Keirsmaeker Over a year ago

Can you change the name of a variable during run time? Or am I understanding the question wrong?

MajorCaiger · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-11 09:54:04Z

0

I agree with the other comments that you would be better using an array here

$properties = array();

foreach ( $xmlTagNames as $xmlKey => $xmlTagName )
{
    if ($xmlTagName == "property")
    {
        for($i = 0; $i < 4; $i ++)
        {
            $properties['property' . $i] = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );
        }
    }
}

var_dump($properties);

If you are set on using variable variables

foreach ( $xmlTagNames as $xmlKey => $xmlTagName )
{
    if ($xmlTagName == "property")
    {
        for($i = 0; $i < 4; $i ++)
        {
            $variableName = $xmlTagName . $i;
            $$variableName = $xmlFile->createElement ( $xmlTagName );
        }
    }
}

answered Jul 11, 2014 at 9:54

MajorCaiger

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1 Comment

Kaarel Nummert Over a year ago

No need for double array, as the value of $xmlTagName is always "property" in $properties[$xmlTagName][$i].

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