PHP function return value disappears (?)

Question

In the following function call the log files show me that even though before the return call the variable has a value the variable receiving the return value is empty

the if empty has just been included because I didn't believe what is happening.

What am I missing? Any clou?

    ...
    ...
    $workingProductArray=$this->placeNextItem($workingProductArray, ... );

    if (empty($workingProductArray)){
        write_log ("DYING array empty");
        die(); //<-- and indeed the system dies.
    }
}

private function placeNextItem(array $workingProductArray, ... )
{

    if ($this->areAllProductsIgnored($workingProductArray)){

        print_r($workingProductArray); // <-- SHOWS EXPECTED ARRAY AND VALUES
        return $workingProductArray; // returning this value
    }

Kubwimana Adrien · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-20 02:16:00Z

1

Weird! Try to not print_r2 from placeNextItem function if still doesn't work try to name $workingProductArray to something else for placeNextItem.

answered Jul 20, 2018 at 2:16

Kubwimana Adrien

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1 Comment

Canelo Digital Over a year ago

thanks i was just digging into the code. and I just noticed I made a terrible thinking mistake... I call this frunction also from within (recursively), so apparently I thought the return statement would go to the method above but it goes back to it's recursive caller from within...

Canelo Digital · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-20 02:26:41Z

I was just digging into the code. and I just noticed I made a terrible thinking mistake... (which you can't see on the mentioned code... here the code to the function's end)

...
...
$workingProductArray=$this->placeNextItem($workingProductArray, ... );

if (empty($workingProductArray)){
    write_log ("DYING array empty");
    die(); //<-- and indeed the system dies.
}
}

private function placeNextItem(array $workingProductArray, ... ){

if ($this->areAllProductsIgnored($workingProductArray)){

    print_r($workingProductArray); // <-- SHOWS EXPECTED ARRAY AND VALUES
    return $workingProductArray; // returning this value
}
...
$this->placeNextItem(array $workingProductArray, ...);
}

So I call this function also from within (recursively), I thought the return statement would go to the method above but instead it goes (doh! off course!) back to it's recursive caller, which is the same method where I have to return the value too...

easy fix:

private function placeNextItem(array $workingProductArray, ... ){

if ($this->areAllProductsIgnored($workingProductArray)){

    print_r($workingProductArray); // <-- SHOWS EXPECTED ARRAY AND VALUES
    return $workingProductArray; // returning this value
}
...
return $this->placeNextItem(array $workingProductArray, ...);
}

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