Brackets in PHP double-quoted strings [closed] - php

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this is more of a better-practice type of question.
I'd like to know if using brackets in double-quoted strings for variables is good practice.
For example:
<?php
$Variable = 'a variable';
$SingleQuotedString = 'Single quoted string with ' . $Variable;
// Single quoted string with a variable
$DoubleQuotedString = "Double quoted string with $Variable";
// Double quoted string with a variable
$DoubleQuotedStringWithBrackets = "Double quoted string with {$Variable} in brackets.";
// Double quoted string with a variable in brackets.
?>
It doesn't change the output or the code from simple tests, and obviously works. I'm just confused because not many people do this, and I don't see recommendations or people disagreeing with it, and I've been using them just fine.
Thanks for any feedback!

Answer 1

The curly braces are to allow the use of arrays and objects, i.e:
$string = "my array value: {$foo['bar']}";
or
$string = "my object value: {$foo->bar}";

Answer 2

Fastest and cleanest version is the first one. Variables in a double quoted string... just don't "feel" right to me.
$SingleQuotedString = 'Single quoted string with ' . $Variable;
The only situation where it comes in handy I can think of is when you have a
$string = "with a {$load} of {$variables} in {one} {sentence}!";
and the readability would suffer to much otherwise.

Answer 3

You need to use brackets in case you have no space after your variable
$a = 1;
$aa = 2;
echo "$aaa"; // prints nothing but a notice cause $aaa is not defined
echo "{$a}aa"; // prints 1aa
echo "{$aa}a"; // prints 2a
or if you want to call an object method
echo "{$myObject->myMethod()}"; // fatal error cause $myObject is null ;) otherwise it works just fine
Otherwise you can use brackets or not.
Single quotes are faster if you have no variables in your string.
Accessing array value or object propertie does'nt require brackets. But maybe it's a bit easyer to read.

Answer 4

The real reason that bracket quoted variables in strings exists is for accessing values in arrays or objects. E.g.
echo "The result is {$res['foo']}"
or
echo "The result is {$res->foo}"
which won't work if you didn't use the brackets. If you find it easier to see bracket quoted strings then use them. If not then use them only when required (to dereference an array or object).

Answer 5

These are all stylistic choices because so long as you follow the rules you'll end up with the same result. You're trading off readability, editability, error-resistance and a truly tiny amount of speed with each one. There are no accepted 'best practices', but simply developer preferences which people will defend zealously.
I find the single quote form noisy, more verbose and less aesthetically pleasing. I tend to use it only for short strings.
I prefer double quotes for longer strings, because they give me the flexibility to move interpolations around the string in an less error prone way. I use brackets when I must be
explicit or need the value inside an array or object, but always err on the side of succinctness.
In general it's probably best to just be consistent to maximize team productivity.