I've recently updated to PHP 7.4 and encountered an issue with the deprecated curly brace syntax for accessing array elements and string offsets. The error message displayed is related to curly braces being used instead of square brackets. Here is the problematic snippet from my code:


I would appreciate if someone could guide me on how to adjust this code to comply with PHP 7.4 standards. Additionally, I have other parts of my project that are using similar syntax and I'm unsure of the best way to proceed in updating this deprecated feature.

The main issue with your code is the use of the curly brace syntax for accessing object properties or array elements. Starting from PHP 7.4, this syntax is deprecated and you should use square brackets instead. For your code, the adjustment is quite simple:
Replace:


With:


This should resolve the issue with the deprecated curly brace syntax.

techgeek18 is right; you need to replace the curly braces with square brackets. However, for completeness, if you're dealing with string offsets, the same rule applies. You can't use curly braces to access specific characters in a string, you now need to use square brackets for that as well. Here's how you could replace curly braces if you had a string:
Old syntax:


New syntax:


This should keep your code compatible with PHP 7.4 and beyond.

Not only should you replace the curly braces with square brackets when accessing arrays or strings, but it's also a good practice to refactor your code to handle cases that might now be handled differently. For example, ensure that your error handling accounts for potential null or undefined indexes which may have been quietly ignored in previous versions of PHP. Here's more of your code refactored:


Make sure to test your application extensively to catch any other issues that might arise due to the version update. Good practices, such as adding unit tests or integration tests, could help catch these issues earlier in the development process.

Following all your suggestions, here's the amended code with the recommended changes. I've replaced the deprecated curly braces syntax with square brackets, and I have also ensured that error handling is adequately addressed.


This should now be in good shape for PHP 7.4, and it’s important to review any other parts of your codebase that might be using the old curly brace syntax, replacing it with square brackets as we discussed. Remember to run tests on your application to ensure that everything functions as expected after these changes.