Referenzen zurückgeben

Das Zurückgeben von Ergebnissen per Referenz aus Funktionen heraus kann manchmal recht nützlich sein, um herauszufinden, an welche Variable eine Referenz gebunden werden soll. Man sollte diese Funktionalität nicht aus Performancegründen benutzen, der Kern ist intelligent genug, um dies selbst zu optimieren. Man sollte Referenzen nur dann zurückgeben, wenn man sinnvolle technische Gründe hat. Hierbei ist folgende Syntax zu verwenden:

<?php
class foo {
public
$value = 42;

public function &
getValue() {
return
$this->value;
}
}

$obj = new foo;
$myValue = &$obj->getValue(); // $myValue ist eine Referenz auf $obj->value, was den Wert 42 hat.
$obj->value = 2;
echo
$myValue; // Zeigt den neuen Wert von $obj->value, also 2.
?>
In diesem Beispiel weisen wir der Eigenschaft des von der Funktion getValue zurückgegebenen Objekts einen Wert zu, und nicht seiner Kopie, wie es der Fall wäre, wenn wir nicht die Referenzsyntax verwendet hätten.

Hinweis: Im Gegensatz zur Parameterübergabe ist hier an beiden Stellen die Angabe des & notwendig. Dies zeigt an, dass Sie eine Referenz und keine Kopie zurückgeben. Ebenfalls wird angezeigt, dass für $myValue im Gegensatz zur normalen Zuweisung eine Referenzbindung durchgeführt werden soll.

Hinweis: Wenn man versucht, eine Referenz aus einer Funktion mit der Syntax return ($this->value); zurückzugeben, wird das nicht funktionieren, weil man versucht, das Ergebnis eines Ausdrucks zurückzugeben und nicht eine Variable per Referenz. Man kann nur Variablen per Referenz aus einer Funktion zurückgeben - sonst nichts.

Um die zurückgegebene Referenz zu verwenden, muss Referenzzuweisung benutzt werden:

<?php
function &collector() {
static
$collection = array();
return
$collection;
}
$collection = &collector();
$collection[] = 'foo';
?>
Um die zurückgegebene Referenz an eine andere Funktion zu übergeben, die eine Referenz erwartet, kann diese Syntax verwendet werden:
<?php
function &collector() {
static
$collection = array();
return
$collection;
}
array_push(collector(), 'foo');
?>

Hinweis: Es ist zu beachten, dass array_push(&collector(), 'foo'); nicht funktioniert; es erzeugt einen fatalen Fehler.

add a note add a note

User Contributed Notes 19 notes

up
116
Spad-XIII
16 years ago
a little addition to the example of pixel at minikomp dot com here below
<?php

   
function &func(){
        static
$static = 0;
       
$static++;
        return
$static;
    }

   
$var1 =& func();
    echo
"var1:", $var1; // 1
   
func();
   
func();
    echo
"var1:", $var1; // 3
   
$var2 = func(); // assignment without the &
   
echo "var2:", $var2; // 4
   
func();
   
func();
    echo
"var1:", $var1; // 6
   
echo "var2:", $var2; // still 4

?>
up
19
stanlemon at mac dot com
17 years ago
I haven't seen anyone note method chaining in PHP5.  When an object is returned by a method in PHP5 it is returned by default as a reference, and the new Zend Engine 2 allows you to chain method calls from those returned objects.  For example consider this code:

<?php

class Foo {

    protected
$bar;

    public function
__construct() {
       
$this->bar = new Bar();

        print
"Foo\n";
    }   
   
    public function
getBar() {
        return
$this->bar;
    }
}

class
Bar {

    public function
__construct() {
        print
"Bar\n";
    }
   
    public function
helloWorld() {
        print
"Hello World\n";
    }
}

function
test() {
    return new
Foo();
}

test()->getBar()->helloWorld();

?>

Notice how we called test() which was not on an object, but returned an instance of Foo, followed by a method on Foo, getBar() which returned an instance of Bar and finally called one of its methods helloWorld().  Those familiar with other interpretive languages (Java to name one) will recognize this functionality.  For whatever reason this change doesn't seem to be documented very well, so hopefully someone will find this helpful.
up
18
szymoncofalik at gmail dot com
13 years ago
Sometimes, you would like to return NULL with a function returning reference, to indicate the end of chain of elements. However this generates E_NOTICE. Here is little tip, how to prevent that:

<?php
class Foo {
   const
$nullGuard = NULL;
  
// ... some declarations and definitions
  
public function &next() {
     
// ...
     
if (!$end) return $bar;
      else return
$this->nullGuard;
   }
}
?>

by doing this you can do smth like this without notices:

<?php
$f
= new Foo();
// ...
while (($item = $f->next()) != NULL) {
// ...
}
?>

you may also use global variable:
global $nullGuard;
return $nullGuard;
up
12
obscvresovl at NOSPAM dot hotmail dot com
19 years ago
An example of returning references:

<?

$var
= 1;
$num = NULL;

function &
blah()
{
   
$var =& $GLOBALS["var"]; # the same as global $var;
   
$var++;
    return
$var;
}

$num = &blah();

echo
$num; # 2

blah();

echo
$num; # 3

?>

Note: if you take the & off from the function, the second echo will be 2, because without & the var $num contains its returning value and not its returning reference.
up
8
sandaimespaceman at gmail dot com
16 years ago
The &b() function returns a reference of $a in the global scope.

<?php
$a
= 0;
function &
b()
{
    global
$a;
    return
$a;
}
$c = &b();
$c++;
echo
"
\$a:
$a
\$b:
$c
"
?>

It outputs:

$a: 1 $b: 1
up
2
rwruck
18 years ago
The note about using parentheses when returning references is only true if the variable you try to return does not already contain a reference.

<?php
// Will return a reference
function& getref1()
  {
 
$ref =& $GLOBALS['somevar'];
  return (
$ref);
  }

// Will return a value (and emit a notice)
function& getref2()
  {
 
$ref = 42;
  return (
$ref);
  }

// Will return a reference
function& getref3()
  {
  static
$ref = 42;
  return (
$ref);
  }
?>
up
2
civilization28 at gmail dot com
10 years ago
Zayfod's example above is useful, but I feel that it needs more explanation. The point that should be made is that a parameter passed in by reference can be changed to reference something else, resulting in later changes to the local variable not affecting the passed in variable:

<?php

function    & func_b ()
{
   
$some_var = 2;
    return
$some_var;
}

function   
func_a (& $param)
{
   
# $param is 1 here
   
$param = & func_b();    # Here the reference is changed and
                                           # the "&" in "func_a (& $param)"
                                           # is no longer in effect at all.
    # $param is 2 here
   
$param++;    # Has no effect on $var.
}

$var = 1;
func_a($var);
# $var is still 1 here!!!    Because the reference was changed.

?>
up
1
hawcue at yahoo dot com
20 years ago
Be careful when using tinary operation condition?value1:value2

See the following code:

$a=1;
function &foo()
{
  global $a;
  return isset($a)?$a:null;
}
$b=&foo();
echo $b;   // shows 1
$b=2;
echo $a;   // shows 1 (not 2! because $b got a copy of $a)

To let $b be a reference to $a, use "if..then.." in the function.
up
-1
anisgazig at gmail dot com
2 years ago
<?php

$a
= 9;
function &
myF(){
    global
$a;
    return
$a;
}

//before modified the value
$func =& myF();
echo
"$a and $func";
echo
"\n";

//after modified the value
$func++;
echo
"$a and $func";
up
0
fabian dot picone at gmail dot com
6 years ago
This note seems not to apply with PHP 7:

"Note: If you try to return a reference from a function with the syntax: return ($this->value); this will not work as you are attempting to return the result of an expression, and not a variable, by reference. You can only return variables by reference from a function - nothing else. Since PHP 5.1.0, an E_NOTICE error is issued if the code tries to return a dynamic expression or a result of the new operator."

Bug following code works without error output. Same result as i would not have braces around $this-value.

<?php

class foo {
    public
$value = 42;

    public function &
getValue() {
        return (
$this->value);
    }
}

$obj = new foo;
$myValue = &$obj->getValue();
$obj->value = 2;
echo
$myValue;
up
0
benjamin dot delespierre at gmail dot com
13 years ago
Keep in mind that returning by reference doesn't work with __callStatic:

<?php
class Test {
  private static
$_inst;
  public static function &
__callStatic ($name, $args) {
    if (!isset(static::
$_inst)){
      echo
"create";
      static::
$_inst = (object)"test";
   }
   return static::
$_inst;
}

var_dump($a = &Test::abc()); // prints 'create'
$a = null;
var_dump(Test::abc()); // doesn't prints and the instance still exists in Test::$_inst
?>
up
-2
spidgorny at gmail dot com
14 years ago
When returning reference to the object member which is instantiated inside the function, the object is destructed upon returning (which is a problem). It's easier to see the code:

<?php

class MemcacheArray {
    public
$data;

    ...

   
/**
     * Super-clever one line cache reading AND WRITING!
     * Usage $data = &MemcacheArray::getData(__METHOD__);
     * Hopefully PHP will know that $this->data is still used
     * and will call destructor after data changes.
     * Ooops, it's not the case.   
     *
     * @return unknown
     */
   
function &getData($file, $expire = 3600) {
       
$o = new MemcacheArray($file, $expire);
        return
$o->data;
    }
?>

Here, destructor is called upon return() and the reference becomes a normal variable.

My solution is to store objects in a pool until the final exit(), but I don't like it. Any other ideas?

<?php
   
protected static $instances = array();

    function &
getData($file, $expire = 3600) {
       
$o = new MemcacheArray($file, $expire);
       
self::$instances[$file] = $o; // keep object from destructing too early
       
return $o->data;
    }
?>
up
-1
zayfod at yahoo dot com
20 years ago
There is a small exception to the note on this page of the documentation. You do not have to use & to indicate that reference binding should be done when you assign to a value passed by reference the result of a function which returns by reference.

Consider the following two exaples:

<?php

function    & func_b ()
{
   
$some_var = 2;
    return
$some_var;
}

function   
func_a (& $param)
{
   
# $param is 1 here
   
$param = & func_b();
   
# $param is 2 here
}

$var = 1;
func_a($var);
# $var is still 1 here!!!

?>

The second example works as intended:

<?php

function    & func_b ()
{
   
$some_var = 2;
    return
$some_var;
}

function   
func_a (& $param)
{
   
# $param is 1 here
   
$param = func_b();
   
# $param is 2 here
}

$var = 1;
func_a($var);
# $var is 2 here as intended

?>

(Experienced with PHP 4.3.0)
up
-1
php at thunder-2000 dot com
17 years ago
If you want to get a part of an array to manipulate, you can use this function

function &getArrayField(&$array,$path) {
  if (!empty($path)) {
    if (empty($array[$path[0]])) return NULL;
    else return getArrayField($array[$path[0]], array_slice($path, 1));
  } else {
    return $array;
  }
}

Use it like this:

$partArray =& getArrayField($GLOBALS,array("config","modul1"));

You can manipulate $partArray and the changes are also made with $GLOBALS.
up
-2
Anonymous
10 years ago
I learned a painful lesson working with a class method that would pass by reference.  

In short, if you have a method in a class that is initialed with ampersand during declaration, do not use another ampersand when using the method as in &$this->method();

For example
<?php
class A {
    public function &
hello(){
        static
$a='';
        return
$a;
    }
    public function
bello(){
       
$b=&$this->hello();  // incorrect. Do not use ampersand.
       
$b=$this->hello();  // $b is a reference  to the static variable.
}
?>
up
-2
contact at infopol dot fr
20 years ago
A note about returning references embedded in non-reference arrays :

<?
$foo
;

function
bar () {
    global
$foo;
   
$return = array();
   
$return[] =& $foo;
    return
$return;
}

$foo = 1;
$foobar = bar();
$foobar[0] = 2;
echo
$foo;
?>

results in "2" because the reference is copied (pretty neat).
up
-3
willem at designhulp dot nl
19 years ago
There is an important difference between php5 and php4 with references.

Lets say you have a class with a method called 'get_instance' to get a reference to an exsisting class and it's properties.

<?php
class mysql {
    function
get_instance(){
       
// check if object exsists
       
if(empty($_ENV['instances']['mysql'])){
           
// no object yet, create an object
           
$_ENV['instances']['mysql'] = new mysql;
        }
       
// return reference to object
       
$ref = &$_ENV['instances']['mysql'];
        return
$ref;
    }
}
?>

Now to get the exsisting object you can use
mysql::get_instance();

Though this works in php4 and in php5, but in php4 all data will be lost as if it is a new object while in php5 all properties in the object remain.
up
-2
jpenna
4 years ago
You can set the value of the variable returned by reference, be it a `static` function variable or a `private` property of an object (which is quite dangerous o.o).

Static function variable:

<?php
   
function &func(){
        static
$static = 0;
        return
$static;
    }

   
$var1 =& func();
    echo
"var1:", $var1, "\n"; // 0
   
func();
   
   
$var1 = 90;
    echo
"var1:", $var1, "\n"; // 90
   
echo "static:", func(), "\n"; // 90
?>

Private property

<?php
class foo {
    private
$value = 1;

    public function &
getValue() {
        return
$this->value;
    }
   
    public function
setValue($val) {
       
$this->value = $val;
    }
}

$obj = new foo;
$myValue = &$obj->getValue(); // $myValue is a reference to $obj->value, which is 1.
echo $obj->getValue();  // 1
echo $myValue; // 1
$obj->setValue(5);
echo
$obj->getValue();  // 5
echo $myValue; // 5
$myValue = 1000;
echo
$obj->getValue();  // 1000
echo $myValue; // 1000
?>
up
-10
pixel at minikomp dot com
16 years ago
<?php

   
function &func(){
        static
$static = 0;
       
$static++;
        return
$static;
    }

   
$var =& func();
    echo
$var; // 1
   
func();
   
func();
   
func();
   
func();
    echo
$var; // 5

?>
To Top