[Mapserver-users] Problem with setFilter

[Andrea Albano]

Hello everyone.

I have a strange problem in using setFilter function in PHP-Mapscript 3.6.
I am trying to build an interface that allow the user to set a filter for
every layer of a Map: a simple html page help the user to build the filter
expression, then this expression is saved in METADATA section of this layer
in a entry called FILTER_EXPR:

 $oLayer->setMetaData("FILTER_EXPR", $szFiltExp);

Then, before drawing the map, I loop through all the layers and check if the
current layer have a filter;  if so i retrive it:

$szFiltExp1 = $oLayer->getMetaData("FILTER_EXPR");

With this variable, that represent my filter expression, I try to filter the
layer:

$oLayer->setFilter($szFiltExp1);
(here
    var_dump($szFiltExp1) ;
 return string(19) "('[STATE]'='ITALY')" and this seems correct!)

But this NEVER WORKS!!! The layer will be empty!!!
And almost incredible... if I explicitly set the exactly same string via
code.. WORKS!!!

$szFiltExp2 = "('[STATE]'='ITALY')";
$oLayer->setFilter($szFiltExp2);

I've tried almost everything:
string function like eval, var_export, stripslashes,...
other syntax: like $oLayer->setFilter("\"$szFiltExp1\"");
single quote string like '(\'[STATE]\'=\'ITALY\')';
but nothing, nothing, nothing...

Where is the problem: PHP or mapscript setFilter?
And how really treat his parameter the setFilter function?

Thanks in advance.
Andrea Albano

PS : sorry for my poor english!