[FIXED] Why do strings behave like an array in PHP 5.3?

Issue

I have this code:

$tierHosts['host'] = isset($host['name']) ? $host['name'] : $host;

It's working fine in PHP 5.5, but in PHP 5.3 the condition returns true while $host contains a string like pjba01. It returns the first letter of $tierHosts['host'], that is, p.

What's so wrong with my code?

Solution

You can access strings like an array and prior PHP 5.4 offsets like your name were silently casted to 0, means you accessed the first character of that string:

character | p | j | b | a | 0 | 1 |
-----------------------------------
index     | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

After 5.3 such offsets will throw a notice, as you can also read in the manual:

As of PHP 5.4 string offsets have to either be integers or integer-like strings, otherwise a warning will be thrown. Previously an offset like "foo" was silently cast to 0.

Answered By - Rizier123

Answer Checked By - Mary Flores (PHPFixing Volunteer)