Newsgroups: php.internals
Path: news.php.net
Xref: news.php.net php.internals:129473
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="------------qwTC6gLgPRKNk4Y08yr6meMS"
Message-ID: <6f3167c3-b6e7-4f25-8154-ce20de7d3e82@mabe.berlin>
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 08:14:05 +0100
Precedence: list
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: PHP internals <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Language: en-US
Subject: [PHP-DEV] Possibility to include called object in exception backtrace
From: marc@mabe.berlin ("Marc B.")

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------qwTC6gLgPRKNk4Y08yr6meMS
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Hi all,

I have opened a simple PR to add the possibility to include called 
object in exception backtrace.

https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/20599

This needs a discussion here to see if there are objections.

About the patch:

The patch adds the ability to populate the called |object| into 
exception backtraces.

Previously, only |debug_backtrace()| could include the called object in 
its frames, but |Exception::getTrace()| could not. This change aligns 
|Exception::getTrace()| with |debug_backtrace()| by introducing a new 
INI directive:

|zend.exception_provide_object (boolean)|

This directive is analogous to the existing |zend.exception_ignore_args| 
option, but controls whether the |object| field is included in exception 
backtraces.

*Behavior:*

  * When zend.exception_provide_object = 0 (default), behavior is
    unchanged: exception traces do not contain the object.
  * When zend.exception_provide_object = 1, exception backtrace includes
    the called |object| (where applicable).

*Defaults:*

  * No configuration value provided: |zend.exception_provide_object = Off|
  * |php.ini-production|: |zend.exception_provide_object = Off|
  * |php.ini-development|: |zend.exception_provide_object = On|

*Use cases and considerations:*
This feature is primarily intended for development and debugging.
Provides richer diagnostic information by exposing the actual object on 
which methods were invoked.
Can help track down state-dependent bugs that depend on specific object 
properties.

However, it is not recommended for production environments, because:

  * It may expose sensitive data held on objects in logs or error output.
  * It can increase memory usage and the size of collected traces.

For production systems, |zend.exception_provide_object| should remain 
disabled.

Additionally, I added a note to zend.exception_ignore_args and 
zend.exception_provide_object as this increases the refcount of the 
objects, and therefore may delay object destruction.

Marc

--------------qwTC6gLgPRKNk4Y08yr6meMS
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>

    <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>Hi all,</p>
    <p>I have opened a simple PR to add the possibility to include
      called object in exception backtrace.</p>
    <p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/20599">https://github.com/php/php-src/pull/20599</a></p>
    <p>This needs a discussion here to see if there are objections.</p>
    <p dir="auto">About the patch:</p>
    <p dir="auto">The patch adds the ability to populate the called <code
        class="notranslate">object</code> into exception backtraces.</p>
    <p dir="auto">Previously, only <code class="notranslate">debug_backtrace()</code>
      could include the called object in its frames, but <code
        class="notranslate"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="Exception::getTrace()">Exception::getTrace()</a></code> could not. This
      change aligns <code class="notranslate"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="Exception::getTrace()">Exception::getTrace()</a></code>
      with <code class="notranslate">debug_backtrace()</code> by
      introducing a new INI directive:</p>
    <p dir="auto"><code class="notranslate">zend.exception_provide_object
        (boolean)</code></p>
    <p dir="auto">This directive is analogous to the existing <code
        class="notranslate">zend.exception_ignore_args</code> option,
      but controls whether the <code class="notranslate">object</code>
      field is included in exception backtraces.</p>
    <p dir="auto"><strong>Behavior:</strong></p>
    <ul dir="auto">
      <li>When zend.exception_provide_object = 0 (default), behavior is
        unchanged: exception traces do not contain the object.</li>
      <li>When zend.exception_provide_object = 1, exception backtrace
        includes the called <code class="notranslate">object</code>
        (where applicable).</li>
    </ul>
    <p dir="auto"><strong>Defaults:</strong></p>
    <ul dir="auto">
      <li>No configuration value provided: <code class="notranslate">zend.exception_provide_object
          = Off</code></li>
      <li><code class="notranslate">php.ini-production</code>: <code
          class="notranslate">zend.exception_provide_object = Off</code></li>
      <li><code class="notranslate">php.ini-development</code>: <code
          class="notranslate">zend.exception_provide_object = On</code></li>
    </ul>
    <p dir="auto"><strong>Use cases and considerations:</strong><br>
      This feature is primarily intended for development and debugging.<br>
      Provides richer diagnostic information by exposing the actual
      object on which methods were invoked.<br>
      Can help track down state-dependent bugs that depend on specific
      object properties.</p>
    <p dir="auto">However, it is not recommended for production
      environments, because:</p>
    <ul dir="auto">
      <li>It may expose sensitive data held on objects in logs or error
        output.</li>
      <li>It can increase memory usage and the size of collected traces.</li>
    </ul>
    <p dir="auto">For production systems, <code class="notranslate">zend.exception_provide_object</code>
      should remain disabled.</p>
    <p>Additionally, I added a note to zend.exception_ignore_args and
      zend.exception_provide_object as this increases the refcount of
      the objects, and therefore may delay object destruction.</p>
    <p>Marc</p>
  </body>
</html>

--------------qwTC6gLgPRKNk4Y08yr6meMS--