About variables - A best practice question

Hello all,

I've just found out that, we can store other things then values on variables; OR, that "value", actually, means more then I was expecting to mean.

On the following excerpt:

$fieldsAreFilled = (!empty($hostNameInput) && !empty($hostAddressInput));
$hostInfoEqualsInput = ($hostNameInfo == $hostNameInput && $hostAddressInfo == $hostAddressInput);

if ($fieldsAreFilled && !$hostInfoEqualsInput) {
    ...
} 

PHP:

We are storing a "condition" into a variable?
Is there a name for this kind of operation, so that we can learn more about it?

 

No, You cannot store condition into variable!
I have to mention that or, and, equals (||, &&, ==) are binary operators ("functions"). So, when php interpreter comes to following line:

hostInfoEqualsInput = ($hostNameInfo == $hostNameInput && $hostAddressInfo == $hostAddressInput);

PHP:

he tests if $hostNameInfo equals $hostNameInput and $hostAddressInfo equals $hostAddressInput. I both conditions are true, then hostInfoEqualsInput stores just one boolean - true, else hostInfoEqualsInput stores false.
When you call hostInfoEqualsInput on some other place, condition is not checking again.

 

I've never tested code like your example, so I'm not sure if it works or not. What I do know for sure though is the closest syntax to what you have would be short-hand if statements:

$hostInfoEqualsInput = ($hostNameInfo == $hostNameInput && $hostAddressInfo == $hostAddressInput) ? TRUE : FALSE;

PHP:

 

neha2011, it is as ker has said, you are not storing the conditional statement, you are storing the result form the conditional statement.

What JoelLarson is referring to is a ternary operator and is also very useful if you want to look that up.