Convert Key => Value Arrays Into Standard Variables In PHP

I don't mind using arrays -- in fact, I love them. They're easy to use and hold collections of information well.
I don't always want to use arrays though. Why use:

echo $user['first_name'];

when you could simply use:

echo $first_name;

So how can we get rid of the array part of the variables?

The Code

foreach($user as $key=>$value) { $$key = $value; }

//or....

foreach($user as $key=>$value) { ${$key} = $value; }

A few variables you must be careful with are:

• $_GET
• $_POST
• $_REQUEST

Why? Because $_GET, $_POST, and $_REQUEST variables can manipulated by the user and that would present a huge security concern.