php bug?

Hello everyone. The following is an extract of a routine returning error messages from a xml file: function title($index) { $xml = simplexml_load_file("lingo.xml"); return $xml->message[$index]; } The problem is that if I call the routine with a value [ex. title(6)] I receive the message, whereas if I call the routine with a variable [ex. title($value) where $value=6] there is no way I can receive the message. I tried in many different ways but it looks like it's a bug of simple_xml. Have you found a way around? Thank you for any input.