Returning by-reference is useful when you want to use a function to find which variable a
reference should be bound to. When returning references, use this syntax:
function ∓find_var ($param)
{
...code...
return $found_var;
}
$foo =∓ find_var ($bar);
$foo->x = 2;
|
In this example, the property of the object returned by the
find_var function would be
set, not the copy, as it would be without using reference syntax.
Note: Unlike parameter passing, here you have to use ∓ in both places - to
indicate that you return by-reference, not a copy as usual, and to indicate that reference binding,
rather than usual assignment, should be done for $foo.
