[PHP-DOC] Bug #17763 Updated: Interpretation of the term "multi-dimensional array" From: derick <email protected>
Date: 06/28/02

 ID: 17763
 Updated by: derick <email protected>
 Reported By: kristian.raue <email protected>
-Status: Feedback
+Status: Assigned
 Bug Type: Documentation problem
 Operating System: all
 PHP Version: 4.2.1
 Assigned To: jmcastagnetto

Previous Comments:
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[2002-06-18 10:22:23] jmcastagnetto <email protected>

Assigning to myself, while waiting for feedback

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[2002-06-17 18:24:53] jmcastagnetto <email protected>

Of the scripting languages I've used (Perl, Awk, Python), as well as
some programming langs, usually what you call 'nested array' is
referred to a 'multi-dimensional array' (sometimes interchangeably).

What you are call 'multi-dimensional array' I would think more of a
'multi-dimensional matrix', which is a totally different concept, and
no language I know supports such a structure like that natively.
SciPython has support for matrices, and so do some Java libs, etc.

If you know of a language that supports the behavior you point of in
their *native* array support, I would like to learn. It will be even
more usefule if you got some example C code which can implement such
constructs, a patch to php4/ext/standard/array.[ch] will be the
ultimate "good thing".

Waiting for feedback

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[2002-06-14 09:41:46] kristian.raue <email protected>

Hello
I think the term "multi-dimensional array" might be misleading for some
people. Wouldn't "nested array" be more precise?

Look at the following sample:

$myArray = array(
"A"=>Array("1"=>"test","2"=>"test","3"=>"test"),
"B"=>Array("1"=>"test","2"=>"test","3"=>"test"),
"C"=>Array("1"=>"test","2"=>"test","3"=>"test"));

In this sample I can "unset($myArray["B"])" which deletes a elements
associated with the key "B", but there is no function to delete all
elements which are associated with the key "2" in one step. I have to
go through all the elements of the ABC-Array and delete each
"2"-Element seperatly.

In a multi-dimensional array you could delete (and add)Elements in both
dimensions without having to loop through the nested arrays.

PS: I very much like the way PHP organizes Arrays, don't change it. It
is just the term that confuses me.

With Regards
Kristian

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