PHP syntax for dereferencing function result

Question

Background

In every other programming language I use on a regular basis, it is simple to operate on the return value of a function without declaring

Answer 1

Short Answer:

Yes. It is possible to operate on the return value of a function in PHP, so long as the function result and your particular version of PHP support it.

Referencing example2:

//  can php say "homer"?      
//  print zoobar()->fname;     //  homer <-- yup

Cases:

• The function result is an array and your PHP version is recent enough
• The function result is an object and the object member you want is reachable