# Only variables or references can be returned by reference

- Thread: https://externals.io/message/6977
- Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/6977
- Started by Andi Gutmans on 2004-01-11T19:06:59+00:00
- Messages: 1
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## #6977 — Andi Gutmans — 2004-01-11T19:06:59+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/6977#6977

We very much hope we fixed it :)
Be sure to try your script in `E_STRICT` mode so that it can shout at you 
being a bad boy. You should really only return real references/variables by 
reference. Although it might not shout because we actually also fixed a bug :)
Confusing??? So was the bug...
Anyway, please try and remove your PHP 5 compatibility hacks and let us 
know how you're doing.
Thanks,
Andi

At 07:36 PM 1/11/2004 +0100, Lukas Smith wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I just want to make sure this is in fact true:
>http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=24687
>
>So does this mean we can all remove our php5 compatibility hacks that relate
>to the above bug report? I would hate to have to reapply all of those ugly
>php5 compatibility hacks I had to add after removing then now that the bug
>appears to be fixed.
>
>Regards,
>Lukas Smith
>smith@backendmedia.com
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