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what's the point of $eval when you have [ ] brackets?

The [ ] brackets were added when the scripting language was still in its infancy. $eval() was added later on as a method that was more in line with how the rest of the scripting language was evolving. This is what happens when you develop an application over a 25 year period while trying to maintain backward compatibility. It is your choice to use whichever one you find more useful in any particular situation.

Thanks for your comments everyone. This thread is now closed.