1.2.1049. Reuse Existing Variable

A variable is already holding the content that is calculated again : it could be used again.

It is recommended to use the cached value. This saves some computation, in particular when used in a loop, and speeds up the process. This is called memoization. Some expressions are not idempotent, and should not be cached. For example, calls to time() or fgets() return different values with the same parameters.

This may be a micro-optimisation.

<?php

function foo($a) {
    $b = strtolower($a);

    // strtolower($a) is already calculated in $b. Just reuse the value.
    if (strtolower($a) === 'c') {
        doSomething();
    }
}

?>

1.2.1049.1. Suggestions

• Reuse the existing variable

1.2.1049.2. Specs

Short name	Structures/ReuseVariable
Rulesets	All, Suggestions
Exakat since	1.1.4
PHP Version	All
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Slow (1 hour)
Precision	High
Features	memoization
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud