doesn't fix the bug, but a workaround:

function array_val($array, $key) {
	return $array[$key];
}

then you can do things like:

var_dump(array_val(array('a', 'b'), 1));

Developer guys, we php programmers indeed need this function 
to direct access element of the function/method returned array.

Sometimes i work around this so:
echo ${!${''}=&explode(',','a,b,c')}[1];

maybe it's the shortest hack code to mimic direct access,
but it's ugly, we really need to realize it in the php build-in syntax supporting.

Guys, we really need this feature to make our code beautiful.

Now:
function get2nd(){
    $tempArray = explode(',', array('a','b','c'));
    return $tempArray[1];
}
Better:
return explode(',', array('a','b','c'))[1];
or:
return array_get(explode(',', array('a','b','c')), '1');

Thanks.

i wish you could use the * operator (like in c++) to derference references, is there a way todo this in php? instead of writing a new function like array_val

I think this feature is very important. It can make me happier in php developing.

When could we realize this in php?

create_function('$v', <<<'fun_code'
echo $v;
fun_code
')('hello');

When could we realize this in php?

create_function('$v', <<<'fun_code'
echo $v;
fun_code
)('hello');

I found this lack of symmetry in array references really lame too.  If an expression delivers an array, then you should be able to reference an element of that array.  The only question is operator precedence and grouping: recommend following the C rules - primary expressions group left to right, parenthesis disambiguate.

For objects, you could hack like this:
class user
      {public $username='jack';
       public function __get($prop_name)
              {return $this->$prop_name();
              }
       private function degree()
               {return array('doctor', 'master');
               }
      }
$aUser=new user();
echo $aUser->degree[1];

I fully support this feature. It'd make my life a whole lot easier, and 
make my code much neater and smaller.

I'm baffled that this doesn't work in PHP like it does in so many other 
languages.

Closing, since for better or worse, this has since gone through the RFC process and been declined. Cite: http://wiki.php.net/rfc/functionarraydereferencing

Marking as closed, as this has been implemented in trunk.

It appears marking as closed assigned it to me; this was actually implemented by Felipe Pena, see http://markmail.org/message/unplu5x3gjjjydwz

Can we please reopen this?

This hasn't been implemented in full, as array()[] and [][] still don't work.

It just boggles my mind why on Earth array dereferencing shouldn't be symmetric 
and applicable to arbitrary subexpressions, like in (virtually) any other 
programming language.

Such feature will be added in the next PHP (> 5.4) version. (i.e. currently it's implemented in the master branch)