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Request #68777 \a escape not supported for double-quoted strings and heredocs
Submitted: 2015-01-09 10:27 UTC Modified: 2021-09-09 12:43 UTC
Votes:2
Avg. Score:3.0 ± 2.0
Reproduced:2 of 2 (100.0%)
Same Version:1 (50.0%)
Same OS:1 (50.0%)
From: ajf at ajf dot me Assigned:
Status: Open Package: Strings related
PHP Version: Irrelevant OS: *
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
 [2015-01-09 10:27 UTC] ajf at ajf dot me 
Description:
------------
Despite the support for the completely useless \v (vertical tab), \a, which produces the familiar terminal beep or flash that we all know and love, is conspicuously absent from PHP.

Test script:
---------------
<?php
echo "\a";

Expected result:
----------------
<terminal beeps/flashes/some other "alert" if supported>

Actual result:
--------------
\a

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 [2015-01-09 11:50 UTC] anon at anon dot anon 
Adding that would break backwards compatibility, so they will probably not do it without overwhelming reason to, but you can always use "\7" instead.
 [2015-01-09 18:16 UTC] ajf at ajf dot me 
It would, but we have previously added \e, \v, \f, the first one in 5.4. I think it's an acceptable break for a minor or major.
 [2021-09-09 12:43 UTC] cmb@php.net
-Type: Bug +Type: Feature/Change Request
 [2021-09-09 12:43 UTC] cmb@php.net 
That doesn't look like a bug to me, but rather a feature request.
 [2021-10-15 18:17 UTC] anthon dot pang at gmail dot com 
The "\b" (backspace) isn't supported in double-quoted strings either. (That said, the sequence is supported in json_decode() per the spec, https://www.json.org/json-en.html).
 
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