PHP - fetch_mysqli

<?php
/**
 * @purpose                         : Creates/retrieves a mysqli object.
 *                                    Can also be used to create/retrieve
 *                                     a mysql resource.  Uses, at most,
 *                                    two active connections (one for the
 *                                    object and one for the resource)
 * @param   boolean $override_error : If set to true, a string containing
 *                                    the mysql connection error is
 *                                    returned.  You can use is_string()
 *                                    to test for such a return value.
 * @param   boolean $return_res     : If set to true, a mysql resource
 *                                    will be returned, rather than a
 *                                    mysqli object.
 * @param   string  $host           : The MySQL host server
 * @param   string  $username       : The MySQL username
 * @param   string  $password       : The MySQL password (an empty string
 *                                    is equivilent to no password)
 * @param   string  $database       : The MySQL database
 * @note                            : If $override_error is not set to
 *                                    true, any connection error is fatal.
 * @note                            : If any of the last four parameters
 *                                    are omitted, this function will
 *                                    attempt to uses constants
 *                                    MYSQL_HOST, MYSQL_USERNAME,
 *                                    MYSQL_PASSWORD, and MYSQL_DATABASE
 *                                    to create the connection.
 */
 function fetch_mysqli(
    $override_error=false,
    $return_res=false,
    $host=MYSQL_HOST,
    $username=MYSQL_USERNAME,
    $password=MYSQL_PASSWORD,
    $database=MYSQL_DATABASE
 ) {
    if (!isset($globals["fetch_mysqli"])) {
       $GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]=array();
    }
    $i="i";
    if ($return_res) {
       $i="";
       if (isset($GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]["mysqli_res"])) {
          return $GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]["mysqli_res"];
       }
    } else {
       if (isset($GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]["mysqli"])) {
          return $GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]["mysqli"];
       }
    }
    $func="mysql{$i}_connect";
    $mysqli=@$func($host,$username,$password,$database);
    if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
       $error=mysqli_connect_error();
       if ($override_error) {
          return $error;
       }
       die("MySQL error: $error");
    }
    $GLOBALS["fetch_mysqli"]["mysqli".($return_res?"_res":"")]=$mysqli;
    return $mysqli;
 }
?>