Re-set config_item() cache

[SlimDeluxe]

Hi,
when you change a config item during parse time, the config_item( ) would need to drop it's static "cache".
If you use this procedure:
in config.php:
$config['foo'] = 'bar';
in some controller:
echo config_item('foo'); # produces: bar $this->config->set_item('foo', 'baz'); echo config_item('foo'); # still produces: bar

The workaround is to use the direct Config method: $this->config->item('foo).

This should be fixed or at least noted in the documentation, that the common function config_item() uses a static var for caching purposes and can not be changed during parsetime (if the variable was already read and therefore cached one before).

[appleboy]

I think it is not static var probelm, you should following the config_item function

function config_item($item)
{
    static $_config_item = array();

    if ( ! isset($_config_item[$item]))
    {
        $config =& get_config();

        if ( ! isset($config[$item]))
        {
            return FALSE;
        }
        $_config_item[$item] = $config[$item];
    }

    return $_config_item[$item];
}

If you call "echo config_item('foo')" first, it run "$_config_item[$item] = $config[$item];";

It will return $_config_item[$item]; directly because the $_config_item array has the "foo" index value, if you run "config_item('foo')" twice.

You can change the source code:

    $this->config->set_item('foo', 'baz');
    echo $this->config->item('foo') . "\n"; # produces: baz
    echo config_item('foo') . "\n"; # produces: baz

Thanks.

[SlimDeluxe]

Mate, you completely missed the point... :)
I need to change a config item based on the user setting, in a loop that processes all users.
Once you call config_item('something') it will be cached in the static variable and there's no way to drop that cache because it is available in local scope only.
The Config::set_item() function should be allowed to drop the cache on config change.

[appleboy]

What's situation you want to change?

You can use set_item(key, value) and item(key) to resolve your problem.

[narfbg]

So, this one's an exact duplicate of issue #180.

The use of a static var is intended to speed up things, but it does indeed make it hard to keep track of dynamic config changes. So, there are two options:

• Make config_item() to be yet another function-to-method alias or in other words - lose the small speed gain coming from the static var use and just point it to CI_Config::item().
• Make it clear in the documentation that this function should NOT be used with dynamically changed config items and that CI_Config::item() should be used in such cases instead.

... I vote for the second one.

[SlimDeluxe]

As an OOP I personally would move the static var into "public Config::config", so Config::set_item() would be able to drop/update it. You can still reach Config::config from the helper. But I know this (sadly) is not the way stuff is done in CI...
If I have to choose, I'm for the first option. I never had any speed problems but I did waste lots of hours because of unclear/outdated documentation, or because you don't really read much of it until you encounter a problem :)

[vlakoff]

For reference, has been truly fixed in #2538