.. _syntax-error,-unexpected-token-"public",-expecting-"]":

syntax error, unexpected token "public", expecting "]"
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		syntax error, unexpected token "public", expecting "]": Inside the square brackets of an array index, PHP expects an expression identifying the key, followed by the closing ``]``.
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	:og:title: syntax error, unexpected token "public", expecting "]"
	:og:description: Inside the square brackets of an array index, PHP expects an expression identifying the key, followed by the closing ``]``
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Description
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Inside the square brackets of an array index, PHP expects an expression identifying the key, followed by the closing ``]``. ``public`` is a reserved word: it can only be used as a visibility modifier, never as the start of an expression, such as an unquoted array key. PHP therefore reports that it was still expecting ``]`` to close the array access.

The same message also appears whenever a previous ``[`` was left unclosed, and a later, unrelated ``public`` is the first token that cannot continue the pending index expression.

Example
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.. code-block:: php

   <?php
   
   $arr = [1, 2, 3];
   $y = $arr[public];
   
   ?>

Solutions
_________

+ Quote the key if a string was intended: ``$arr['public']``.
+ Use a constant or variable holding the intended key instead of the bare word.
+ Check that every previous ``[`` in the file has a matching ``]``.

Related Error Messages
______________________

+ :ref:`syntax-error,-unexpected-token-"::",-expecting-"]"`
+ :ref:`syntax-error,-unexpected-token-"class",-expecting-"]"`
+ :ref:`syntax-error,-unexpected-token-"if",-expecting-"]"`

Changed Behavior
________________

This error may appear following an evolution in behavior, in previous versions. See ` <https://php-changed-behaviors.readthedocs.io/en/latest/behavior/.html>`_.