Someday I'll look back on this post and think it's super lame, but my recent submission of two tests for PHP's putenv() function made it into PHP_5_3! I've officially made a contribution it's a red letter day, folks. Without Atlanta PHP and PHP's Testfest, none of this would have been possible.

His tests ran with putenv() and the safe_mode_allowed_env_vars/safe_mode_protected_env_vars settings in use. You can see the inclusion in this commit message (by Lars Strojny).

The replace is as simple three line call, much the same as PHP's and the split call, while a bit more complex, is still pretty straight forward (it just needs a few extra variables).

Other methods in the post include a "switch" method, defining a procedure and updating variable by its name.

So, I was asked in IRC today about the proposed short array syntax for PHP. For those that don't know, I mean the same syntax that other languages (javascript, perl, python, ruby) all have. [...] It just feels like a good addition to the language. It is common among web languages and therefore users coming into PHP from other languages may find it more comfortable.

He compares it with other data type creation in PHP (you don't call int() to make an integer, so why call array() to make an array). However, according to a post from the internals mailing list, we might not be seeing this any time soon.

It’s a common sight: taking an array and running (well, walking) its elements through a particular function. Luckily, PHP provides a simple yet powerful function to overcome this: array_walk().

They include an example, giving a sample "some_function" the array_walk method uses when it's called, replacing a foreach (or other type of loop). Plus you can specify an object with the callback to run it against a method inside a class too.

I'm going to show you how to wrap the file uploading application built in the previous article of the series into a single custom PHP function. This will turn it into a more maintainable and reusable piece of code.

They review the source built in previous parts of the series and show how to update it with a uploadFile() function that takes all of the logic from before (exceptions and all) and wraps it up into a nice little package that can be reused anywhere.

Scripts tend to die, and that's not usually nice. We do not want to show the user a fatal error nor a blank page (display errors off) . PHP has a function called register_shutdown_function which lets us set up a function which is called at execution shutdown. What this means is that our function will be executed when our script is done executing / dying and PHP execution is about to shut down.

He suggests various things that can be done with the functionality, including checking for successful script execution (via a false variable that can be checked for success).

This function is production ready and you can use it in any of your application which mainly works with these date difference. I have found it somewhere in web, just forgot the source. Thanks to the unknown author of this excellent function.

The rest of the post is the function itself that takes in the interval string (formatting), the start date, end date and whether to use timestamps or not.

Zipline Interactive has released the second version of their free PHP Function Finder Gadget for Windows Vista. The tool can be downloaded directly from the Zipline Interactive website at: http://www.gozipline.com/23,phpfunctionfindergadget. You can also download the latest version by going to the PHP.net website sidebar page located at: http://www.php.net/sidebars.

This new version is quite a bit smaller (physically) than its predecessors and is rectangular so it fits a bit better alongside other gadgets. They also fixed a bug that was causing a blink to happen when the search was performed.

Grab this latest download here.

Logically, these examples can be really useful for learning the basic concepts surrounding the use of these search services, but undoubtedly, it's necessary to modify and improve their source code to make it more compact and completely reusable.

They start the overhaul with the web search (complete with example results) then push on to the video and image searches and work them over the same way.

From time to time, I've struggled with minor pieces of coding for what seems like an age and then I've discovered PHP has a ready-made function whose express purpose seems to be to fix my exact problem. Today, I name and honour those PHP functions which saved my life, my career and my sanity.

Functions that made the cut include:

• number_format
• array_values
• isset()
• array_diff()

He has his own reasons for each - all of them being handy little functions that fill a specific niche in PHP's vast array of abilities.