convert_to_string_ex is not the solution.

zeev, script: <? $what = 1; var_dump($what); echo strlen(&$what)."\n"; var_dump($what); ?> outputs: Content-Type: text/html int(1) 1 string(1) "1" so strlen still does convert it's arg into a string if if the arg is passed by refernce. i really think we should convert to getParametersEx soon but really think that a function like strlen should not change its argument - under no circumstances! i'm willing to spend a bit of extra work to get to this! i hope you can agree, tc Thies C. Arntzen "One Big-Mac, Small Fries and a Coke!" Digital Collections Phone +49 40 235350 Fax +49 40 23535180 Hammerbrookstr. 93 20097 Hamburg / Germany