How To Return a Reference from a Function

Home > PHP > Function

Q

How To Return a Reference from a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions

✍: FYIcenter.com

A

To return a reference from a function, you need to:

Add the reference operator "&" when defining the function.
Add the reference operator "&" when invoking the function.

Here is a PHP script on how to return a reference from a function:

<?php
$favor = "vbulletin";
function &getFavorRef() {
  global $favor;
  return $favor;
}
$myFavor = &getFavorRef();
print("Favorite tool: $myFavor\n");
$favor = "phpbb";
print("Favorite tool: $myFavor\n");
?>

This script will print:

Favorite tool: vbulletin
Favorite tool: phpbb

As you can see, changing the value in $favor does affect $myFavor, because $myFavor is a reference to $favor.

2007-04-14, 5090👍, 0💬

What Is the Scope of a Variable Defined outside a Function
What Is the Scope of a Variable Defined outside a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions A variable defined outside any functions in main script body is called global variable. However, a global variable is not really accessible globally any in the script. The scope of global vari... 2007-04-24, 5262👍, 0💬

How To Specify Argument Default Values
How To Specify Argument Default Values? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions If you want to allow the caller to skip an argument when calling a function, you can define the argument with a default value when defining the function. Adding a default value to an argument can be done like thi... 2007-04-25, 5234👍, 0💬

How To Access a Global Variable inside a Function
How To Access a Global Variable inside a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions By default, global variables are not accessible inside a function. However, you can make them accessible by declare them as "global" inside a function. Here is a PHP script on declaring "global" variab... 2007-04-24, 5163👍, 0💬

How To Send a Cookie to the Browser
How To Send a Cookie to the Browser? - PHP Script Tips - Understanding and Managing Cookies If you want to sent a cookie to the browser when it comes to request your PHP page, you can use the setcookie( ) function. Note that you should call setcookie() function before any output statements. The foll... 2007-04-25, 5160👍, 0💬

What Is the Scope of a Variable Defined in a Function
What Is the Scope of a Variable Defined in a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions The scope of a local variable defined in a function is limited with that function. Once the function is ended, its local variables are also removed. So you can not access any local variable outside... 2007-04-24, 5145👍, 0💬

How To Return an Array from a Function
How To Return an Array from a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions You can return an array variable like a normal variable using the return statement. No special syntax needed. Here is a PHP script on how to return an array from a function: <?php function powerBall() { $a... 2007-04-24, 5110👍, 0💬

How To Receive a Cookie from the Browser
How To Receive a Cookie from the Browser? - PHP Script Tips - Understanding and Managing Cookies If you know that a cookie has been sent to the browser when it was visiting the server previously, you can check the built-in $_COOKIE array, which contains all cookies that were sent by the server previ... 2007-04-25, 5096👍, 0💬

How To Return a Reference from a Function
How To Return a Reference from a Function? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions To return a reference from a function, you need to: Add the reference operator "&" when defining the function. Add the reference operator "&" when invoking the function. Here is a PHP script on how to ... 2007-04-14, 5091👍, 0💬

How Values Are Returned from Functions
How Values Are Returned from Functions? - PHP Script Tips - Creating Your Own Functions If a value is returned from a function, it is returned by value, not by reference. That means that a copy of the value is return. Here is a PHP script on how values are returned from a function: <?php $fav... 2007-04-24, 5002👍, 0💬

All rights in the contents of this web site are reserved by the individual author. fyicenter.com does not guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any contents.