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Request #53094 Use '0' instead of '' as a result of converting boolean FALSE to string
Submitted: 2010-10-18 10:30 UTC Modified: 2010-10-18 19:18 UTC
Votes:3
Avg. Score:3.7 ± 1.9
Reproduced:2 of 3 (66.7%)
Same Version:2 (100.0%)
Same OS:2 (100.0%)
From: php-bugs at majkl578 dot cz Assigned:
Status: Not a bug Package: Scripting Engine problem
PHP Version: Irrelevant OS: Irrelevant
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
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 [2010-10-18 10:30 UTC] php-bugs at majkl578 dot cz 
Description:
------------
I'd like to propose a change in converting booleans to string.
It'd be better if (string) FALSE returns '0' instead of empty string ('').
Why to do so?
 a) More logical behavior.
 b) Using booleans in output would be meaningful.
 c) Backward-compatible change - as documentation says: "This allows conversion back and forth between boolean and string values." - this behavior is not changed by this, because (bool) '0' is FALSE.

Test script:
---------------
<?php

echo (string) FALSE; //nothing now, '0' requested
var_dump((bool) '0'); //FALSE, no change
var_dump((string) FALSE === '0'); //FALSE, TRUE requested

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 [2010-10-18 19:18 UTC] rasmus@php.net
-Status: Open +Status: Bogus
 [2010-10-18 19:18 UTC] rasmus@php.net 
This would be extremely counterintuitive to most people since every language I 
know will return a zero-length string when boolean false is converted to a string.  
Having it return a non-zero length string would cause all sorts of backward 
compatibility problems as well.
 
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