The WeakReference class

Introduction

(PHP 7 >= 7.4.0)

Weak references allow the programmer to retain a reference to an object which does not prevent the object from being destroyed. They are useful for implementing cache like structures.

Note:

The class WeakReference is not to be confused with the class WeakRef of the Weakref extension.

WeakReferences cannot be serialized.

Class synopsis

public static create ( object $referent ) : WeakReference

public get ( ) : object|null

WeakReference Examples

<?php
$obj = new stdClass;
$weakref = WeakReference::create($obj);
var_dump($weakref->get());
unset($obj);
var_dump($weakref->get());
?>

object(stdClass)#1 (0) {
}
NULL

Table of Contents

• WeakReference::__construct — Constructor that disallows instantiation
• WeakReference::create — Create a new weak reference
• WeakReference::get — Get a weakly referenced Object