How do you pass objects by reference in PHP 5?

A PHP reference is an alias, that allows two different variables to write it to the same value. In PHP version 5, an object variable doesn't contain the object itself as its value. It holds an object identifier that allows object accessors to find the actual object.

When an object is sent by an argument, returned or assigned to a different variable, these different variables are not aliases. They contain a copy of the identifier, that points to the same object.

Example

$my_var = new class_name;
echo $my_var->get_class_name(5)->value;
$my_var->test();
echo $my_var->get_class_name(5)->value;

Output

This will produce the following output −

class_name #5

This isn't "pass by reference". It actually is "assignment by reference". In PHP 5 assignment by reference is the default behaviour with objects.

AmitDiwan

Published on 06-Apr-2020 09:19:34

• Related Questions & Answers
• What is Pass By Reference and Pass By Value in PHP?
• How to pass reference parameters PHP?
• Pass by reference vs Pass by Value in java
• How do we pass parameters by reference in a C# method?
• Is java pass by reference or pass by value?
• Why do we pass a Pointer by Reference in C++?
• Describe pass by value and pass by reference in JavaScript?
• Differences between pass by value and pass by reference in C++
• Is JavaScript a pass-by-reference or pass-by-value language?
• Pass an integer by reference in Java
• Explain javascript pass by reference in javascript?
• Pass by reference vs value in Python
• How to pass arguments by reference in Python function?
• How to pass an array by reference in C++
• PHP Passing by Reference