Query on assert_options() api

Hi Internals A colleague of mine is currently working on creating new test cases to improve the coverage of the PHP test cases and whilst attempting to write new tests for the assert extension hit on a problem when attempting to query the current setting of ASSERT_CALLBACK. using the assert_options() api. With the following simple testcase : <?php function andy() { echo "andy called\n"; } $o = assert_options(ASSERT_CALLBACK, "andy"); /* SET */ $n = assert_options(ASSERT_CALLBACK); /* INQ */ echo "old setting is $o\n"; echo "new setting is $n\n"; ?> The expected result was that the old (if any) and new setting of the callback function name would be displayed but the actual results was old setting is 1 new setting is 1 Looking at the code this is no surprise as the code in assert.c which processes these requests unconditionally returns with RETURN_TRUE. For all other assert options other than assert_options() function returns the old value of the specified option as documented in the PHP manual. Further investigation uncovered that the code actually did behave in the way we expected until it was changed to accept the array(&$obj, "methodname") syntax back in July 2001 (revision 1.32 of assert.c). At this time the return was changed to be unconditionally TRUE. Unfortunately this makes writing a test case to query the current setting of the ASSERT_CALLBACK option impossible as assert_options() no longer returns any useable information for this option, i.e to code a testcase as above that sets a value and then checks its set as expected. If the code is modified as in the attached patch to instead return the ZVAL for the ASSERT_CALLBACK option then we are able create the new testcase to verify the assert_options() api. However, I am concerned there is a good reason this was not done when the code was changed back in 2001.Can anyone think of a good reason why returning the zval on this api is not a good idea ? Any comments on my proposed fix appreciated. Regards Andy Andy Wharmby IBM United Kingdom Limited