Menu
Is it possible to name variables in a Java-like manner in PHP, such as by removing the need for a $ sign each time? If so, how can I enable the setting which does this?
879
Rasmus Lerdorf, the father of the PHP language, explains the $ sign as an ability to insert variables inside literal string values (interpolation), so that the variables are distinguished from the rest of the string.
The $x (single dollar) is the normal variable with the name x that stores any value like string, integer, float, etc. The $$x (double dollar) is a reference variable that stores the value which can be accessed by using the $ symbol before the $x value. These are called variable variables in PHP.
Rules for PHP variables: A variable starts with the $ sign, followed by the name of the variable. A variable name must start with a letter or the underscore character. A variable name cannot start with a number.
$ is the way to refer to variables in PHP. Variables in PHP are dynamically typed, which means that their type is determined by what's assigned to them. Here's the page about variables from the PHP manual. $a = "This is a string"; $b = 1; // This is an int.
Sorry, it's not possible. The closest you'll get are constants:
define('CONS', 5);
echo CONS;
I trust the other answers in that this must be impossible.
While I personally hate PHP, everybody has some good characteristics. One reason the PHP $ is very nice has to do with variable interpolation:
$bob = "rabbit"
$joe = "dragon-$bob" // ==> dragon-rabbit
That's pretty nice and short. In Ruby, since variables do not have to have any particular starting character, you have to type a bit more:
bob = "rabbit"
joe = "dragon-#{bob}"
And the same thing happens in Java (well, I left Java when you still had to use either StringBuffer or concatenate with " + bob + "... I'm sure that's gone by now).
So the dollar sign is annoying and ugly, but here's at least one advantage (there must be more).
At the same time, if you try to write really nice PHP code (in spite of what you see around), you will start to see your code as elegant, and those dollar signs will be symbolic for... money!
35
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With
