Zend Framework: Can i just get GET params?

The main difference is that

$_GET['key'];

is a dependency on the environment. It requires the superglobal to be available and containing a key of that name. It's also just a simple array access, while

$this->getRequest()->getParam('key');

is an API method call. Access to the Request is abstracted. There is no dependency on the actual environment. The Request object could be a mock. The getParam method will always return a value regardless whether it is from $_GET or $_POST.

Putting an abstraction on top of the Request is better, because it allows for more decoupling, less dependencies and therefor makes your application easier to test and maintain.

This works for ZF2

$this->params()->fromQuery('key', 1); // second argument is optional default paramter

Use getQuery():

$this->_request->getQuery('key');

Other methods available include

• getParam()
• getQuery()
• getPost()
• getCookie()
• getServer()
• getEnv()

getParam() checks user params first, then $_GET, and then $_POST, returning the first match found or null.

Try to avoid accessing the superglobals directly.