Re: Get reference count on a variable.

* Thus wrote Robert Cummings: > On Sat, 2004-08-21 at 00:10, Curt Zirzow wrote: > > * Thus wrote Robert Cummings: > > > Hi All, > > > > > > I think I'm looking for something that doesn't exist, but just in > > > case thought I'd check the list. Does anyone know if a PHP function > > > exists to get the number of references on a given variable's data? I was > > > hoping to create a way for a factory to automatically recycle resources > > > without the need for the developer to call some kind of free() method. > > > If I could get the internal reference count then I'd be able to > > > determine if it is free by virtue of only 1 reference (the factory). > > > This is for PHP4 btw, the solution is trivial in PHP5 using destructors. > > > > unfortantly there isn't a method to determain this. > > > > Be careful with PHP5, i'm not sure if its applicable in your > > situation, but there does seem to be rumor that php5 objects are > > assigned by reference, which isn't true: > > > > $o1 = new object(); > > $o2 = $o1; > > unset($o2); > > > > the Object still exists, and the destructor isn't called. > > > > vs. > > > > $o3 = new object(); > > $o4 =& $o3; > > unset($o3); Sorry, those unset's should be: $o2 = null; and $o3 = null; It's was to demonstrate that = and =& are *not* the same thing as one would believe since the term 'assigned by reference' is used. Curt -- First, let me assure you that this is not one of those shady pyramid schemes you've been hearing about. No, sir. Our model is the trapezoid!