How to get a variable name as a string in PHP?

Question 1

Say i have this PHP code:

$FooBar = "a string";

i then need a function like this:

print_var_name($FooBar);

which prints:

FooBar

Any Ideas how to achieve this? Is this even possible in PHP?

Question 2

You could use get_defined_vars() to find the name of a variable that has the same value as the one you're trying to find the name of. Obviously this will not always work, since different variables often have the same values, but it's the only way I can think of to do this.

Edit: get_defined_vars() doesn't seem to be working correctly, it returns 'var' because $var is used in the function itself. $GLOBALS seems to work so I've changed it to that.

function print_var_name($var) {
    foreach($GLOBALS as $var_name => $value) {
        if ($value === $var) {
            return $var_name;
        }
    }

    return false;
}

Edit: to be clear, there is no good way to do this in PHP, which is probably because you shouldn't have to do it. There are probably better ways of doing what you're trying to do.

Question 3

Here's what worked best for me when trying to script this (in case anyone else comes across this like I did):

$ pecl -d php_suffix=5.6 install <package>
$ pecl uninstall -r <package>

$ pecl -d php_suffix=7.0 install <package>
$ pecl uninstall -r <package>

$ pecl -d php_suffix=7.1 install <package>
$ pecl uninstall -r <package>

The -d php_suffix=<version> piece allows you to set config values at run time vs pre-setting them with pecl config-set. The uninstall -r bit does not actually uninstall it (from the docs):

vagrant@homestead:~$ pecl help uninstall
pecl uninstall [options] [channel/]<package> ...
Uninstalls one or more PEAR packages.  More than one package may be
specified at once.  Prefix with channel name to uninstall from a
channel not in your default channel (pecl.php.net)

Options:
  ...
  -r, --register-only
        do not remove files, only register the packages as not installed
  ...

The uninstall line is necessary otherwise installing it will remove any previously installed version, even if it was for a different PHP version (ex: Installing an extension for PHP 7.0 would remove the 5.6 version if the package was still registered as installed).

Question 4

my_function.__name__

Using __name__ is the preferred method as it applies uniformly. Unlike func_name, it works on built-in functions as well:

>>> import time
>>> time.time.func_name
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
AttributeError: 'builtin_function_or_method' object has no attribute 'func_name'
>>> time.time.__name__ 
'time'

Also the double underscores indicate to the reader this is a special attribute. As a bonus, classes and modules have a __name__ attribute too, so you only have remember one special name.

Question 5

EDIT

My answer assumes some things which make this approach effectively useless. Unfortunately, SO will not let me delete the answer. I recommend @MartinSmith's answer (below in this thread). I think there's still some useful information here, BUT it doesn't actually solve the original problem. Godspeed.

Original Response

There are at least two ways to do this:

Use a case/switch statement (or ,in my example, a naive if..else block) to compare the parameter against a list of databases, and execute a using statement based on that. This has the advantage of limiting the databases that the proc can access to a known set, rather than allowing access anything and everything that the user account has rights to.
```
 declare @dbname nvarchar(255);    
 set @dbname = 'db1';    
 if @dbname = 'db1'
  use db1;
 else if @dbname = 'db2'
  use db2;
```
Dynamic SQL. I HATE dynamic SQL. It's a huge security hole and almost never necessary. (to put this in perspective: In 17 years of professional development, I have never had to deploy a production system which used dynamic SQL). If you decide to go this route, limit the code that is dynamically called/created to a using statement, and a call to another stored proc do do the actual work. You can't just dynamically execute the using statement by itself due to scope rules.
```
 declare @sql nvarchar(255);
 set @sql = 'using '+@dbname+'; exec mydatabase..do_work_proc;';
```

of course, in your example, you could just do

    set @sql='select * from '+@dbname+'.sys.tables';

the .<schema_name>. resolution operator allows you to query objects in a different database without using a use statement.

There are some very, very rare circumstances in which it may be desirable to allow a sproc to use an arbitrary database. In my opinion, the only acceptable use is a code generator, or some sort of database analysis tool which cannot know the required information ahead of time.

Update Turns out you can't use in a stored procedure, leaving dynamic SQL as the only obvious method. Still, I'd consider using

select top 100 * from db_name.dbo.table_name

rather than a use.

Question 6

Never used any of those, but they look interesting..

Take a look at Gearman as well.. more overhead in systems like these but you get other cool stuff :) Guess it depends on your needs ..

How to get a variable name as a string in PHP?

Answers

EDIT

Original Response

php