David from CodeXplorer:
>> The ONLY reason to use empty() is for code readability. It is the same as an IF/ELSE check.
>> So, don't bother using EMPTY in the real world.
This is NOT true. empty() will not generate warnings if you're testing against an undefined variable as a simple boolean check will. On production systems, warnings are usually shut off, but they are often active on development systems.
You could test a flag with
<?php if ($flagvar) ... ?>
but this can generate a warning if $flagvar is not set.
Instead of
<?php if (isset($flagvar) && $flagvar) ... ?>
you can simply use
<?php if (!empty($flagvar)) ... ?>
for easy readability without warnings.