Doc #60255 [Opn->Csd]: Inaccurate statement about foreach copying arrays

Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=60255&edit=1 ID: 60255 Updated by: gooh@php.net Reported by: tom at kera dot name Summary: Inaccurate statement about foreach copying arrays -Status: Open +Status: Closed Type: Documentation Problem Package: Documentation problem PHP Version: Irrelevant -Assigned To: +Assigned To: gooh Block user comment: N Private report: N New Comment: This bug has been fixed in the documentation's XML sources. Since the online and downloadable versions of the documentation need some time to get updated, we would like to ask you to be a bit patient. Thank you for the report, and for helping us make our documentation better. Previous Comments: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2011-11-10 12:49:23] tom at kera dot name Description: ------------ The following text in a note on http://php.net/manual/en/control-structures.foreach.php is, I believe, inaccurate: "Unless the array is referenced, foreach operates on a copy of the specified array and not the array itself." This implies that the snippet seen below will never work on the original array; however, everybody knows that it does! This passage was quoted by teaching material, causing -- if my analysis is correct -- students being taught to use alternative loop constructs that are not best suited for the task at hand. This passage should just be removed. Test script: --------------- <?php $someArray = Array(1, 2, 3); // +---> array not referenced // | // | +---> value referenced // | | for demonstration // | | foreach ($someArray as &$value) { $value = 3; } var_export($someArray); ?> Expected result: ---------------- array ( 0 => 3, 1 => 3, 2 => 3, ) Actual result: -------------- // Actual result: array ( 0 => 3, 1 => 3, 2 => 3, ) // Result implied by documentation: array ( 0 => 1, 1 => 2, 2 => 3, ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- Edit this bug report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=60255&edit=1