PHP Splat Function
One of my favorite MooTools functions is $splat(). Splat takes a given argument and returns an array if the argument is not already an array. This is especially helpful when I've coded my script to cycle through an array of items for processing one at a time.
The PHP Code
function splat($input)
{
return is_array($input) ? $input : array($input);
}
When do I use this? Lets say I have a list of items that I can delete individually or alternatively I can use checkboxes to select many to delete at once. Using splat() will ensure my code works if the user chooses to delete one item individually.
![Regular Expressions for the Rest of Us]()
Sooner or later you'll run across a regular expression. With their cryptic syntax, confusing documentation and massive learning curve, most developers settle for copying and pasting them from StackOverflow and hoping they work. But what if you could decode regular expressions and harness their power? In...
![Vibration API]()
Many of the new APIs provided to us by browser vendors are more targeted toward the mobile user than the desktop user. One of those simple APIs the Vibration API. The Vibration API allows developers to direct the device, using JavaScript, to vibrate in...
![PHP IMDB Scraper]()
It's been quite a while since I've written a PHP grabber and the itch finally got to me. This time the victim is the International Movie Database, otherwise known as IMDB. IMDB has info on every movie ever made (or so it seems). Their...
![Fullscreen API]()
As we move toward more true web applications, our JavaScript APIs are doing their best to keep up. One very simple but useful new JavaScript API is the Fullscreen API. The Fullscreen API provides a programmatic way to request fullscreen display from the user, and exit...
Slick!
splat()’s a pretty cool sounding function name, but I still prefer PHP’s explode().
@Will: And the both deal with arrays!
David,
I see you writing (if) statements in a unique way that looks a lot cleaner…me being OCD I am really into this idea…can you explain more in depth the basics of writing an if statement this way…preferably an example of an if, else, and else if…that would be awesome.
Thanks,
Seth
@Seth: Do a site search for “ternary.” That will get you all of my articles on the topic.
You can also use typecasting:
$a = (array) $b;instead of$a = splat($b);I agree with Bob and usually use typecasting for this sort of things.
There are small differences, however. For example, if you pass an object into splat, you’ll get an object inside of the array. If you typecast an object, you will get an array containing the objects properties. That is one point to typecasting, in my opinion.
Splat, on the other hand, handles null better. If you pass null into splat, you will get a null inside of the array. If you typecast a null, you will get an empty array. This is disappointing because this means there is no way to differentiate between $input being empty and $input being null.
Keep in mind that if you typecast an array, you get the same array, not the same array inside another array.
Therefore, you can get the best of both worlds with the following:
function splat($input)
{
return is_null($input) ? array(null) : (array) $input;
}
Been working with forms a lot lately while I convert some of my flat php stuff to Ajax / Mootools. This is fantastic!