php.net |  support |  documentation |  report a bug |  advanced search |  search howto |  statistics |  random bug |  login

go to bug id or search bugs for

Request #7598 modify "new" syntax
Submitted: 2000-11-02 13:59 UTC Modified: 2000-12-05 13:45 UTC
From: danjrod at terra dot es Assigned:
Status: Closed Package: Feature/Change Request
PHP Version: 4.0.3pl1 OS: All
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
Welcome back! If you're the original bug submitter, here's where you can edit the bug or add additional notes.
If you forgot your password, you can retrieve your password here.
Password:
Status:
Package:
Bug Type:
Summary:
From: danjrod at terra dot es
New email:
PHP Version: OS:

 

 [2000-11-02 13:59 UTC] danjrod at terra dot es 
Assigning the value returned by "new xxxx()" to a variable creates a copy of the constructed object.

"new" does not support returning references by default, or prepending an ampersand, '&', to have a reference returned.

Thus the request is:

  - Modify new syntax to either:

    a) It always returns a reference. This is unlikely to
       break any existing code. At most people will be
       creating a reference to a reference, which won?t harm

    b) Support the '&' syntax like in "&new xxx", so that
       a reference can be asked for. This will not break
       any existing code.

This only implies slightly modifying "zend-parser.y", and
no further changes to any part of the zend engine.

This change will cure the use of "$this" as a reference inside the object constructor, which has been wrongly dismissed as a "circular reference problem".

Regards
Daniel

Patches

Pull Requests

History

AllCommentsChangesGit/SVN commitsRelated reports
 [2000-11-02 14:15 UTC] waldschrott@php.net 
how did you verify/find out that it is copied?
 [2000-11-02 15:12 UTC] danjrod at terra dot es 
With a simple script like the one below ....

Having a look at zend-parser.y also gives an insight into the problem. I can provide an adequate patch for both of the alternatives I proposed in the "feature/change" request.

Hope this helps. I am typing the script in my portable, and
thus it may contain a typo - I have checked twice before submitting :-) - but I hope it doesn't.

Regards
Daniel

---- script ----

class t1_t {
  var $value;
  function t1_t( &$p, $value) {
    $this->value = $value;
    $p->add( $this);
  }
  function output() {
    echo "<br>" . $this->value;
  }
}

class t_t {
  var $child;
  function t_t() {
  }
  function add( &$child) {
    $this->child = &$child;
  }
  function output() {
    $this->child->output();
  }
}

$t = new t_t();

$t1 = new t1_t( $t, 5);
$t1->value = 8;
$t->output();

// output should be
// <br>8
// but the real output is
// <br>5
// since $t has stored the object during construction
// and $t1 the copy instead of the reference.
 [2000-11-02 15:39 UTC] danjrod at terra dot es 
With a simple script like the one below ....

Having a look at zend-parser.y also gives an insight into the problem. I can provide an adequate patch for both of the alternatives I proposed in the "feature/change" request.

Hope this helps. I am typing the script in my portable, and
thus it may contain a typo - I have checked twice before submitting :-) - but I hope it doesn't.

Regards
Daniel

---- script ----

class t1_t {
  var $value;
  function t1_t( &$p, $value) {
    $this->value = $value;
    $p->add( $this);
  }
  function output() {
    echo "<br>" . $this->value;
  }
}

class t_t {
  var $child;
  function t_t() {
  }
  function add( &$child) {
    $this->child = &$child;
  }
  function output() {
    $this->child->output();
  }
}

$t = new t_t();

$t1 = new t1_t( $t, 5);
$t1->value = 8;
$t->output();

// output should be
// <br>8
// but the real output is
// <br>5
// since $t has stored the object during construction
// and $t1 the copy instead of the reference.
 [2000-11-02 15:43 UTC] danjrod at terra dot es 
With a simple script like the one below ....

Having a look at zend-parser.y also gives an insight into the problem. I can provide an adequate patch for both of the alternatives I proposed in the "feature/change" request.

Hope this helps. I am typing the script in my portable, and
thus it may contain a typo - I have checked twice before submitting :-) - but I hope it doesn't.

Regards
Daniel

---- script ----

class t1_t {
  var $value;
  function t1_t( &$p, $value) {
    $this->value = $value;
    $p->add( $this);
  }
  function output() {
    echo "<br>" . $this->value;
  }
}

class t_t {
  var $child;
  function t_t() {
  }
  function add( &$child) {
    $this->child = &$child;
  }
  function output() {
    $this->child->output();
  }
}

$t = new t_t();

$t1 = new t1_t( $t, 5);
$t1->value = 8;
$t->output();

// output should be
// <br>8
// but the real output is
// <br>5
// since $t has stored the object during construction
// and $t1 the copy instead of the reference.
 [2000-12-05 13:45 UTC] andi@php.net 
Can you please check out the latest CVS of php4/Zend/TSRM and let me know if it works with you when using the:
$var =& new foo() syntax.
Or you can wait a day to get the latest snapshot of the PHP development tree
 
PHP Copyright © 2001-2025 The PHP Group
All rights reserved. 		Last updated: Wed Jul 02 06:01:38 2025 UTC