Let us ignore the bad design and ponder the use of a variable which is global inside a function, but not global in the default namespace:
a();
function a() {
function b() {
global $x;
echo $x;
}
$x=10;
b();
}
The variable $x is not printed to stdout. However, if we declare global $x inside function a() then it is printed to stdout. Is there any way to define $x as global inside a() (such that it is available in the b() function) yet not in scope in the default namespace?
Edit: Assume that there is an arbitrarily large number of variables to pass, as such defining them with use() or as parameters is not practical.
Ignoring bad design or why you're not just passing this as a param, you can use a closure and an anonymous function, if you define the arguments before you define the function:
function a() {
$x = 10;
$b = function() use($x) {
echo $x; // 10
};
$b();
}
a();
echo $x; // Undefined variable
Related
i am new in PHP and i had a question: how can i access a variable declared in a function from global scope?
function test(){
$x = 6;
$y = 5;
return $x;
}
test();
echo $GLOBALS['y'];
I want to access variable y in global.
Thank you!
Either use $GLOBALS['y'] in the function (it's super-global, so it's available anywhere) or define global $y; in the beginning of the function.
Note: using such global variables is a bad style, better return the value (or modify it by passing it as a by-reference parameter to the function)
What exactly is the difference between the GLOBAL and STATIC variables in PHP? And which one is preferable to use, when we want to use a variable in multiple functions?
Thanks.
A static variable just implies that the var belongs to a class but can be referenced without having to instantiate said class. A global var lives in the global namespace and can be referenced by any function in any class. Global vars are always frowned upon because they're so easily misused, overwritten, accidentally referenced, etc. At least with static vars you need to reference via Class::var;
Global is used to get the global vars which may be defined in other scripts, or not in the same scope.
e.g.
<?php
$g_var = 1;
function test() {
var_dump($GLOBAL['g_var']);
global $g_var;
var_dump($g_var);
}
Static is used to define an var which has whole script life, and init only once.
e.g.
<?php
function test() {
static $cnt = 0;
$cnt ++;
echo $cnt;
}
$i = 10;
while (-- $i) {
test();
}
A global variable is a variable which is defined in a scope and can span to included and required scopes. (in simple terms by scope I mean the php file/function/class)
Here are some examples of how global variables work.
Example 1: Variable declared in scope and used in function using global keyword
<?php
$a = 1;
function add_a() {
global $a;
$a++;
}
add_a();
echo $a;
In the above example we declare variable $a and assign it value 1 in the scope. We then declare a function add_a in the same scope and try to increment the $a variable value. The add_a function is called and then we echo the $a variable expecting the result to display 2.
Example 2: Variable declared in scope and used in function using the $GLOBALS variable
<?php
$a = 1;
function add_a() {
$GLOBALS['a']++;
}
add_a();
echo $a;
The result from example 2 above is exactly the same as the result from example 1.
There is no difference with using the global keyword and the special PHP defined $GLOBALS array variable. However they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Read more about $GLOBALS on official PHP website $GLOBALS
If you want to span a scope declared variable to a included or required scope see example below.
Example 3:
file a.php
<?php
global $a;
$a = 1;
require 'b.php';
add_a();
echo $a;
file b.php
<?php
function add_a() {
global $a;
$a++;
}
In the above example we have file a.php and b.php. File b.php is required in file a.php because we use a function declared in file b.php. To use the $a variable in file b.php we must first declare $a as global to be used outside the local scope and we do this by first calling global $a and then we define a value like so $a = 1. Variable $a is now available to be used anywhere in any included scopes by first calling global $a before manipulation.
Static Variables
Usually found in classes but in some well developed PHP project you can find them in recursive functions. A static variable is a variable that remembers its value and can be reused every time the function or method is called.
Here are some examples of a static variable in use.
Example 1: Static variable in a function
function add() {
static $a = 1;
$a++;
echo $a;
}
add(); //2
add(); //3
add(); //4
Example 2: Static variable in class
class A {
public static $a = 1;
public static function add() {
self::$a++;
echo self::$a;
}
}
echo A::$a; //1
A::add(); //2
echo A::$a; //2
A::add(); //3
echo A::$a; //3
A::add(); //4
Note that you cannot assign a return value from a function to a static variable. For example you cannot do static $a = rand(). See Example 3 below on how to assign return value to static variable.
Example 3: Assign return variable from function to static variable
function add() {
static $a;
$a = rand();
echo $a;
}
Read more about global and static variables on PHP official website Variable scope
Global variable is created before the function is created, but global keyword is added in function
$g_var = 1;
function test() {
var_dump($GLOBAL['g_var']);
global $g_var;
var_dump($g_var);
}
static is created and declared static in function
function test() {
static $cnt = 0;
$cnt ++;
echo $cnt;
}
$i = 10;
while(--$i) test();
Why is an empty line printed instead of 5?
function test()
{
echo "$a <br/>";
}
$a = 5;
test();
Functions in PHP do not inherit global scope or parent scope (unless using an anonymous function with use()).
You can use the global keyword to access them.
function test()
{
global $a;
echo "$a <br/>";
}
CodePad.
Jared Farish also points out the use of the global associative array $GLOBALS which holds all global variables and which, like any super global such as $_POST, $_GET, etc, is in scope everywhere.
function test()
{
echo "$GLOBALS[a] <br/>";
}
$a = 5;
test();
CodePad.
You could use an anonymous function...
$a = 5;
$test = function() use ($a) {
echo $a;
};
$test();
CodePad.
As a footnote, try not to rely on global variables. They can be a sign of poor program design if you overly rely on them.
you forgot to use the global
function test()
{
global $a;
echo "$a <br/>";
}
$a = 5;
test();
For some reason this function won't return the value ciao:
$a = "ciao";
function a() {
return $a;
}
I have no idea why.
Functions can only return variables they have in their local space, called scope:
$a = "ciao";
function a() {
$a = 'hello`;
return $a;
}
Will return hello, because within a(), $a is a variable of it's own. If you need a variable within the function, pass it as parameter:
$a = "ciao";
function a($a) {
return $a;
}
echo a($a); # "ciao"
BTW, if you enable NOTICES to be reported (error_reporting(-1);), PHP would have given you notice that return $a in your original code was using a undefined variable.
In PHP, functions don't have access to global variables. Use global $a in body of the function or pass the value of $a as parameter.
$a is not in scope within the function.
PHP does not work with a closure like block scope that JS works with for instance, if you wish to access an external variable in a function, you must pass it in which is sensible, or use global to make it available, which is frowned on.
$a = "ciao";
function a() {
global $a;
return $a;
}
or with a closure style in PHP5.3+
function a() use ($a) {
return $a;
}
I have two PHP files. In the first I set a cookie based on a $_GET value, and then call a function which then sends this value on to the other file. This is some code which I'm using in join.php:
include('inc/processJoin.php');
setcookie("site_Referral", $_GET['rid'], time()+10000);
$joinProc = new processJoin();
$joinProc->grabReferral($_COOKIE["site_Referral"]);
The other file (processJoin.php) will then send this value (among others) to further files which will process and insert the data into the database.
The problem I'm having is that when the grabReferral() function in processJoin.php is called, the $referralID variable isn't being defined on a global scale - other functions in processJoin.php can't seem to access it to send to other files/processes.
I've tried this in processJoin.php:
grabReferral($rid) {
global $ref_id;
$ref_id = $rid;
}
someOtherFunction() {
sendValue($ref_id);
}
But the someOtherFunction can't seem to access or use the $ref_id value. I've also tried using define() to no avail. What am I doing wrong?
you have to define the global var in the second function as well..
// global scope
$ref_id = 1;
grabReferral($rid){
global $ref_id;
$ref_id = $rid;
}
someOtherFunction(){
global $ref_id;
sendValue($ref_id);
}
felix
personally, I would recommend the $GLOBALS super variable.
function foo(){
$GLOBALS['foobar'] = 'foobar';
}
function bar(){
echo $GLOBALS['foobar'];
}
foo();
bar();
DEMO
This is a simple and working code to initialize global variable from a function :
function doit()
{
$GLOBALS['val'] = 'bar';
}
doit();
echo $val;
Gives the output as :
bar
The following works.
<?php
foo();
bar();
function foo()
{
global $jabberwocky;
$jabberwocky="Jabberwocky<br>";
bar();
}
function bar()
{
global $jabberwocky;
echo $jabberwocky;
}
?>
to produce:
Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky
So it seems that a variable first declared as global inside a function and then initalised inside that function acquires global scope.
The global keyword lets you access a global variable, not create one. Global variables are the ones created in the outermost scope (i.e. not inside a function or class), and are not accessible inside function unless you declare them with global.
Disclaimer: none of this code was tested, but it definitely gets the point across.
Choose a name for the variable you want to be available in the global scope.
Within the function, assign a value to the name index of the $GLOBALS array.
function my_function(){
//...
$GLOBALS['myGlobalVariable'] = 42; //globalize variable
//...
}
Now when you want to access the variable from code running in the global scope, i.e. NOT within a function, you can simply use $ name to access it, without referencing the $GLOBALS array.
<?php
//<global scope>
echo $myGlobalVariable; //outputs "42"
//</global scope>
?>
To access your global variable from a non-global scope such as a function or an object, you have two options:
Access it through the appropriate index of the $GLOBALS array. Ex: $GLOBALS['myGlobalVariable'] This takes a long time to type, especially if you need to use the global variable multiple times in your non-global scope.
A more concise way is to import your global variable into the local scope by using the 'global' statement. After using this statement, you can reference the global variable as though it were a local variable. Changes you make to the variable will be reflected globally.
//<non global scopes>
function a(){
//...
global $myGlobalVariable;
echo $myGlobalVariable; // outputs "42"
//...
}
function b(){
//...
echo $GLOBALS['myGlobalVariable']; // outputs "42"
echo $myGlobalVariable; // outputs "" (nothing)
// ^also generates warning - variable not defined
//...
}
//</non global scopes>
Please use global variables in any language with caution, especially in PHP.
See the following resources for discussion of global variables:
http://chateau-logic.com/content/dangers-global-variables-revisited-because-php
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GlobalVariablesAreBad
The visibility of a variable
I hope that helped
<?php
$a = 1;
$b = 2;
function Sum()
{
global $a, $b;
$b = $a + $b;
}
Sum();
echo $b;
?>