PHP local variable check

Question

I am working with a set of variables that i check each time a page loads. I have successfully checked through $_REQUEST and $_SESSION, but am having trouble with the dynamci checking of variables assigned higher int he page, if they were set.

the following is my code:

$important_field = array('treatmentId','category','state','providerId','sellDoc','insuranceName','grossCharge','discount','allowable','patientPortion','insurancePortion','dateOfService','billFileLocation','eobFileLocation','fromTable');
foreach ($important_field as $key) {
    if (!$$key || $$key == "none" || $$key == "" || $$key == NULL) {
        if (!$_REQUEST[$key] || $_REQUEST[$key] == "" || $_REQUEST[$key] == NULL) {
            if (!$_SESSION[$key]) {
                // wow, guess it just wasn't set anywhere...
            } else {
                $user->sell->$key = $_SESSION[$key];
            }
        } else { 
            $user->sell->$key = $_REQUEST[$key]; $_SESSION[$key] = $_REQUEST[$key]; 
        }
    } else {
        $user->sell->$$key = $$key; $_SESSION[$$key] = $$key; 
    }
}

Apparently evaluating $$key does not seem to do what i'm looking for as it never assigns the variable to the session... how should I be evaluating the $key to get the currently set value of say, field $eobFileLocation if it was already set in the PHP prior to the check?

Thanks,

Silver Tiger

Update:

ok, i have the following code, but there's still one bug with it. When i follow my process through af ew of these variables are set on each page and are carried over by the session variable as expected. The issue I am still having is that when i submit a new $_REQUEST variable which SHOULD change the session variable to the new submitted value, the script is finding a local variable ... where is it pulling $key and $$key from that is finding these as a local variable?

$important_field = array('treatmentId','category','state','city','providerId','sellDoc','insuranceName','grossCharge','discount','allowable','patientPortion','insurancePortion','dateOfService','billFileLocation','eobFileLocation','fromTable');
foreach ($important_field as $key) {
    if (isset($$key) && !empty($$key) && $$key != "none") {
        echo "Found local variable for ".$key.", i'll set the session and user to this.<br>\n";
        $user->sell->$key = $$key;
        $_SESSION[$key] = $$key; 
    } elseif (isset($_REQUEST[$key]) && !empty($_REQUEST[$key])) {
        echo "Found submitted form  variable for ".$key.", i'll set the session and user to this.<br>\n";
        $user->sell->$key = $_REQUEST[$key];
        $_SESSION[$key] = $_REQUEST[$key]; 
    } elseif (isset($_SESSION[$key]) && !empty($_SESSION[$key])) {
        echo "Found a session variable ".$key.", i'll set the user to this.<br>\n";
        $user->sell->$key = $_SESSION[$key];
    } else {
        echo "There was no provided data for ".$key."<br>\n";
    }
}

Any ideas why when i load the page it thinks the local (as listed above) is set? does $key and $$key read from $_SESSION['blah']/$_REQUEST['blah'] and think it's just $blah?

ok ... found the issue - though i thought i had already addressed it. apparently i reverted to old code and didnt catch it .. here's the fix .. don't use $$ everywhere, just where you want the value of the variable .. i.e. user->sell->$key = $$key ... not user->sell->$$key = $$key. — Silvertiger
– Silvertiger, Commented Aug 31, 2011 at 8:21
Maybe you could give a high-level introduction of what this code is supposed to do in the first place? You're checking if a variable is set locally, else if it's set in $_REQUEST, else if it's set in $_SESSION, then use the first matching value for your $user object? — deceze
– deceze ♦, Commented Aug 31, 2011 at 8:22
And BTW, this seems like pretty bad data hygiene and confused data flow. If you don't know where a value is and if you have that many cases for "false", including "none", you should first work on internal consistency and data management. — deceze
– deceze ♦, Commented Aug 31, 2011 at 8:28
im working to make sure this is available mainly in the $_SESSION variable, but shoving it int o the $user just in case as well. I ahve also changed my if statements as seen in the updated post above ... but apparently it still needs work .. — Silvertiger
– Silvertiger, Commented Aug 31, 2011 at 8:42
deceze - This is a custom page built to interface with PHPBB3, the $user->sell is a set of variables i've created to track sales data. I am using the SESSION to keep the data across pages as I'm not sure when $user gets cleared, though it is defined on each page based on the integration. — Silvertiger
– Silvertiger, Commented Aug 31, 2011 at 8:48

Dave Kok · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-31 08:37:32Z

1

Are you sure this is what you want:

$user->sell->$$key = $$key;

should it not be

$user->sell->$key = $$key;

try using the empty function:

if (empty($$key) || $$key == "none")
if (empty($_REQUEST[$key]))

and the isset function:

if (!isset($_SESSION[$key]))

answered Aug 31, 2011 at 8:37

Dave Kok

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1 Comment

Silvertiger Over a year ago

I was going to say "i shortened it" ... but i guess i'll change it up a bit .. here's what i had

genesis · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-31 08:37:54Z

0

it is

$user->sell->$key = $$key;

not

$user->sell->$$key = $$key;

and

$_SESSION[$$key]

should be

$_SESSION[$key]

answered Aug 31, 2011 at 8:37

genesis

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Comments

pdu · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-31 08:44:12Z

0

You're messing with your variables, this is not good. In fact, using two var signs ($$) describes a "variable variable".

$foo = "name";
$$foo = "value";

So you expect the following:

echo $foo; // => "name"
echo $$foo; // => "value"

What you maybe are not expecting, is:

echo $name; // => "value"

So you're better off cleaning up your code first.

answered Aug 31, 2011 at 8:44

pdu

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Comments

deceze · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-31 09:30:17Z

0

Well, I have expressed my concerns about the cleanliness of this approach in the comments. Here's at least some more compact code without variable variables to do the same thing:

$keys = array('treatmentId', 'category', ...)

$values = array_filter(array_merge(
    array_intersect_key($_SESSION, array_flip($keys)),
    array_intersect_key($_REQUEST, array_flip($keys)),
    compact($keys)
), function ($v) { return $v && $v != 'none'; });

$_SESSION = array_merge($_SESSION, $values);
foreach ($values as $key => $value) {
    $user->sell->$key = $value;
}

// For debugging purposes:
//
// $diff = array_diff_key(array_flip($keys), $values);
// if ($diff) {
//    'No values for ' . join(', ', array_keys($diff));
// }

edited Aug 31, 2011 at 9:30

answered Aug 31, 2011 at 9:24

deceze♦

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6 Comments

Silvertiger Over a year ago

hmm .. i have never even used some of the functions you're talking about there .. I'll have to read up to understand them better because i hate to copy/paste code if I don't know what it's doing... and after thinking about it, as long as i can maintain my session I'll not need the user-> values

deceze Over a year ago

@Silvertiger Certainly, read up on these functions! Wholesale array handling, merging and compacting and much preferable over lots of foreachs and repetitive code.

Silvertiger Over a year ago

I'd love to test it out, but it fails syntax check on the array_filter command. If I understood it better I'd be able to fix it.

deceze Over a year ago

@Silvertiger The array_filter callback uses PHP 5.3 syntax. In PHP 5.2-, you can replace the function () { } part with create_function('$v', 'return $v && $v != "none";').

Silvertiger Over a year ago

ugh .. it doesn't like either method

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