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Reply-To: "Steph Fox" <steph@zend.com>
To: "Derick Rethans" <derick@php.net>
Cc: "internals" <internals@lists.php.net>
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Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 21:39:24 +0100
Organization: Zend Technologies
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: allow_call_pass_by_reference
From: steph@zend.com ("Steph Fox")

Hi Derick,

> I don't think we should get rid of it, or add a notice/message/whatever.
> Because this:
>
> http://pastebin.com/d6e055957
>
> could not be done without call time pass by ref right now. So unless
> that's fixed, we shouldn't deprecate it.

Hm. Actually those 'expected values' are wrong because 12 is itself an array 
and so isn't seen as an array element. But I take your point.

On the other hand, call_time_pass_reference already *is* deprecated and has 
been for the last 8 years, so maybe fixing PHP to allow it where it makes 
sense might be a good way to go?

Johannes mentioned call_user_func() on irc too:

<?php

function increment(&$var) {
    $var++;
}

$a = 0;
call_user_func('increment', $a);
echo $a;

Warning: Parameter 1 to increment() expected to be a reference, value given 
in...
0

$b = 0;
call_user_func('increment', &$b);
echo $b;

Deprecated: Call-time pass-by-reference has been deprecated; If you would 
like to pass it by reference, modify the declaration of call_user_func(). 
If you would like to enable call-time pass-by-reference, you can set 
allow_call_time_pass_reference to true in your INI file in...
1

The manual advises that you use call_user_func_array() instead - which 
doesn't throw a warning - and virtually all the user notes recommend 
variable functions as both faster and safer than call_user_func(). So why 
isn't _that_ deprecated if call_time_pass_reference is?

- Steph