Using an array without initialization in PHP [duplicate]

Question

In most languages, I have to initialize an associative array before I can use it:

data = {}
data["foo"] = "bar"

But in PHP I can just do

data["foo"] = "bar"

Are there any repercussions to doing this? Is this "the right way" to write PHP?

there's the danger of it not being an array (or an existing array) if it is used somewhere above. Other than that.. no, not a big deal. But, it is best practice to declare your vars in general — CrayonViolent
– CrayonViolent, Commented Aug 4, 2015 at 23:59
possible duplicate of Should an array be declared before using it?, Is it necessary to declare PHP array before adding values with []?, Does a PHP array need to be declared before use? — mario
– mario, Commented Aug 4, 2015 at 23:59
From the docs: As of PHP 5.4 you can also use the short array syntax, which replaces array() with []. php.net/manual/en/language.types.array.php - but aside that, it's organizational preference. The code will function the same if you choose to specify $data = array('foo' => 'bar'); versus $data['foo'] = 'bar'; — Kai Qing
– Kai Qing, Commented Aug 4, 2015 at 23:59

Dany Flores · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-05 00:01:00Z

2

Is the same, but is not a good idea, the next is a copy-paste from php documentation.

If $arr doesn't exist yet, it will be created, so this is also an alternative way to create an array. This practice is however discouraged because if $arr already contains some value (e.g. string from request variable) then this value will stay in the place and [] may actually stand for string access operator. It is always better to initialize variable by a direct assignment.

answered Aug 5, 2015 at 0:01

Dany Flores

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Gonz · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-04 23:59:03Z

0

Basically it's the same, and no you won't find any problem or repercussion.

But if you like you can do this:

$a = array();

You can read more in the PHP page

answered Aug 4, 2015 at 23:59

Gonz

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