note 61418 added to function.serialize

Are you trying to store and retrieve an object from session and it's disappearing? Did you look at what the serialized object looked like and saw a strange "N;"? Does the object you're trying to serialize or store in a session define the __call magic method? Here's the problem: If you try to serialize an object that uses the __call magic method you are not going to be able to unserialize it. Here's what happens: 1. You try to serialize an object with the __call magic method defined 2. The magic method __sleep is always called on an object being serialized 3. __call traps __sleep because it's not defined 4. __call does not respond to __sleep with what is expected: an array of properties to serialize The solution is defining a __sleep method that returns what it's supposed to when you define a __call: <? // This is just a handy debug function function show( $object ){ echo "<pre>" . print_r( $object, true ) . "</pre>"; } class foo { private $private = "private value"; public $public = "public value"; public function __call( $method, $arguments ) { } // Remove this and serialise/unserialse won't work public function __sleep() { return array_keys( get_object_vars( $this ) ); } } $foo = new Foo(); show( $foo ); $serializedFoo = serialize( $foo ); show( $serializedFoo ); show( unserialize( $serializedFoo ) ); ?> BTW, I'm using PHP Version 5.0.4 on Windows. To the editor: This post may be useful under the __call, __unserialise, and session pages as well. ---- Server IP: 216.194.113.175 Probable Submitter: 208.54.95.129 ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.serialize.php Edit -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=edit+61418 Delete: added to the manual -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=added+to+the+manual Delete: bad code -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=bad+code Delete: spam -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=spam Delete: useless -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=useless Delete: non-english -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=non-english Delete: already in docs -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes&reason=already+in+docs Delete: other reasons -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=delete+61418&report=yes Reject -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php?action=reject+61418&report=yes Search -- http://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php