Description:
------------
I posted this as a comment to an existing bug report (after it has been suspended). The bug report is 4 months old and can be found here: http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=26737

Everything written there (including the last comment which is mine) is still true, unfortunately.

That bug existed since my first attempt to use __sleep() in PHP5 (approx 1 year ago) and persisted since (i alway use the daily php5-cvs version)

Here is a summary (though I suggest you take a look at the original bug at the link above).

__sleep() serialization does not work unless you do this: You not only have to enclose the class name with null characters. As far as I've seen you have to enclose with
null chars *ALL* Php5 serialization identifiers of class properties types, the ones I figured out to be for now. The string that needs to be enclosed in null chars is (let x be the property name):

1. class name, if x is 'private' (i.e. "\0" . __CLASS__ . "\0x")
2. *, if x is 'protected' (i.e. "\0*\0x")
3. Null, if x is 'public' => (i.e. "x")

Here's what I mean (this is how it should be done in order to work ... meaning to avoid/workaround this bug):

<?php

class aTest
{
  public $a = 'one';
  protected $b = 'two';
  private $c = 'three';
  private $d = 'something you dont wanna save';

  function __sleep()
  {
    return array("a",
                 "\0*\0b",
                 "\0aTest\0c");
    // or
    // return array("a",
    //              "\0*\0b",
    //              "\0" . __CLASS__ . "\0c");
  }
}

?>

Anything else in the return array of __sleep() and the property will
come up empty after unserialization ... not nice.

My hope is that this *is* a bug, because forming those strings with null chars is just, well, ugly and inconsistent.

Reproduce code:
---------------
<?php

class aTest
{
  public $a = 'one';
  protected $b = 'two';
  private $c = 'three';
  private $d = 'something you dont wanna save';

  function __sleep()
  {
    return array("a",
                 "\0*\0b",
                 "\0aTest\0c");
  }

  // This is how it should be, IMHO (php4 style)
  //function __sleep()
  //{
  //  return array("a", "b", "c");
  //}

}

?>


Expected result:
----------------
With the 2nd __sleep() uncommented you should get the normal serialized properties of the object. Instead, every private/protected members come up emtpy.