Pass an array of items and the first one that is not empty will be returned to you

cascade_values.fn.php

<?php
function cascade_values(){
	for ($i = 0; $i < func_num_args(); $i++) {
		$val = func_get_arg($i);
		if(!empty($val)){
			return $val;
		}
	}
	return false;
}
?>