This document summarizes new features in PHP 5.4 including array dereferencing without extracting values to temporary variables, short echo and array syntax, binary number formats, class member access on instantiation, JSON serialization helpers, native session handler interfaces, objects as functions using __invoke, callable type hints, $this in anonymous functions, and an initialized high precision timer. It also discusses traits for multiple inheritance, the "use" operator, a built-in CLI web server, and performance improvements in PHP 5.4.

1. PHP 5.4
Vo Xuan Tien

2. The little things
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•
•
Array Dereferencing
Short Open Tag
Short Array Syntax
Binary number format
Class member access on
instantiation

3. Array Dereferencing (PHP <
5.4)
• $variables = getVariables();
• $second_variable = $variables[1];

4. Array Dereferencing (PHP >=
5.4)
• $second_variable =
getVariables()[1];
• explode('.', 'menu.main_test')[0];
• use with ArrayAccess interface (see
demo)

5. Short Open Echo Tag
• <?= $hello_world ?>
• <?= "May be not work on shared
host" ?>

6. Short Array Syntax
• $a = [1, 2, 3, 4,];
• $a = ['one' => 1, 'two' => 2, 'three'
=> 3, 'four' => 4,];
• $a = [["nested 1", "nested 2"],
"xyz"];

7. Binary number format
• $a = 1234; // decimal number
• $a = -123; // a negative number
• $a = 0123; // octal number
(equivalent to 83 decimal)
• $a = 0x1A; // hexadecimal number
(equivalent to 26 decimal)
• $a = 0b11111111; // binary number
(equivalent to 255 decimal)

8. PHP < 5.4
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
{
$temp = new Class();
do_something($temp);
// forgot to unset($temp);
do_other_thing();
...
}

9. Class member access on
instantiation
• do_something(new Foo);
• do_something((new Foo)->bar());

10. The little things
•
•
•
•
•
•
JSON Serialization Helper
Native Session Handler Interface
Objects as Functions
Callable Type-Hint
$this in Anonymous Functions
Initialized High Precision Timer

11. JSON Serialization Helper
• class A implements sonSerializable
• public function jsonSerialize()
• echo json_encode (new A());

12. Native Session Handler
Interface (PHP < 5.4)
• session_set_save_handler($open,
$close, $read, $write, $destroy,
$gc);

13. Native Session Handler
Interface (PHP >= 5.4)
• class A implements
SessionHandlerInterface
• session_set_save_handler(new A);

14. Objects as Functions __invoke
• function __invoke()
• $instance = new A();
• echo $instance();

15. Callable Type-Hint
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•
•
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•
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function call_me(callable $function);
anonymous function
non-anonymous function
static method
instance method
callable object (see previous slide)

16. $this in Anonymous Functions
(Closures)
• function () { $this->test(); };
• more fun in demo

17. Initialized High Precision Timer
(PHP < 5.4)
• $start = microtime(1);
• /* your code here */
• echo "took: ", (microtime(1) $start);

18. Initialized High Precision Timer
(PHP >= 5.4)
• /* your code here */
• echo "took: ", (microtime(1) $_SERVER['REQUEST_TIME_FL
OAT']);
• This fairly useless

19. The big stuffs
• Traits (Horizontal reuse, Multiple
inheritance)
• "use" operator
• Built-in CLI Web-Server
• Performance Improvements

20. Trait
• Demo

21. "use" operator
• "use" for namespace
• "user" for closure
• "use" for trait

22. Built-in CLI Web-Server
• php -S localhost:8080
• php -S localhost:8080 -t
/var/www/web
• php -S localhost:8080 router.php

23. Performance Improvements
• Real-life 5-20% faster
• Benchmarks 15-20% faster
• Memory 25% reduced

24. Thank You
Tien Vo Xuan
References http://ilia.ws/files/confoo_php54.pdf
@tienvoxuan
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