[PHP-DOC] Bug #12905 Updated: "return" returns a copy of an object instead of a reference From: jeroen <email protected>
Date: 08/22/01

ID: 12905
Updated by: jeroen
Reported By: olli <email protected>
Old Status: Open
Status: Bogus
Bug Type: Documentation problem
Operating System: Slackware 7
PHP Version: 4.0.6
New Comment:

Please read: http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.references.return.php

[By the way, a user complains that is hard to read. If you or anyone else has a better text, simply mail it to phpdoc <email protected>, and we'll put it online.]

Previous Comments:
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[2001-08-22 12:20:15] olli <email protected>

renaming the function:

function AddChild(...

to

function &AddChild(...
makes return return by reference instead of by value, i didnt think to do this so it appears its my fault:)

i've changed this bug to a documentation problem tho cos i cant find any reference to this in the docs.

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[2001-08-22 12:13:08] olli <email protected>

<?
Class ChildClass {
        var $value;
        
        function ChildClass($value){
                $this->value = $value;
        }
}

Class ParentClass {
        var $children;
        
        function ParentClass(){
                $this->children = array();
        }
        
        function AddChild($value){
                $child = &new ChildClass($value);
                array_push($this->children, &$child);
                return $child;
        }
}

$p1 = &new ParentClass();

$c1 = &$p1->AddChild('set in constructor');
$c1->value = 'set elsewhere';

echo "the reference to the object created in AddBand and stored in the parentclass' array is different to that returned by the AddBand function<br>";
echo $p1->children[0]->value."<br>";
echo $c1->value;

?>

"return" is returning a copy of the object created in parentclass->AddChild instead of a reference. "return &$object" is flagged as invalid by the php interpreter.

thanks a lot
olli holliday

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Edit this bug report at http://bugs.php.net/?id=12905&edit=1