How can I return an object into PHP userspace from my extension?

I have a C++ object, Graph, which contains a property named cat of type Category. I'm exposing the Graph object to PHP in an extension I'm writing in C++.

As long as the Graph's methods return primitives like boolean or long, I can use the Zend RETURN_*() macros (e.g. RETURN_TRUE(); or RETURN_LONG(123);. But how can I make

Graph->getCategory();

return a Category object for the PHP code to manipulate?

I'm following the tu开发者_如何学Gotorial over at http://devzone.zend.com/article/4486, and here's the Graph code I have so far:

#include "php_getgraph.h"

zend_object_handlers graph_object_handlers;
struct graph_object {
 zend_object std;
 Graph *graph;
};

zend_class_entry *graph_ce;
#define PHP_CLASSNAME "WFGraph"

ZEND_BEGIN_ARG_INFO_EX(php_graph_one_arg, 0, 0, 1)
ZEND_END_ARG_INFO()

ZEND_BEGIN_ARG_INFO_EX(php_graph_two_args, 0, 0, 2)
ZEND_END_ARG_INFO()


void graph_free_storage(void *object TSRMLS_DC) 
{
 graph_object *obj = (graph_object*)object;
 delete obj->graph;

 zend_hash_destroy(obj->std.properties);
 FREE_HASHTABLE(obj->std.properties);

 efree(obj);
}

zend_object_value graph_create_handler(zend_class_entry *type TSRMLS_DC) 
{
 zval *tmp;
 zend_object_value retval;

 graph_object *obj = (graph_object*)emalloc(sizeof(graph_object));
 memset(obj, 0, sizeof(graph_object));
 obj->std.ce = type;

 ALLOC_HASHTABLE(obj->std.properties);
 zend_hash_init(obj->std.properties, 0, NULL, ZVAL_PTR_DTOR, 0);
 zend_hash_copy(obj->std.properties, &type->default_properties, (copy_ctor_func_t)zval_add_ref, (void*)&tmp, sizeof(zval*));

 retval.handle = zend_objects_store_put(obj, NULL, graph_free_storage, NULL TSRMLS_CC);
 retval.handlers = &graph_object_handlers;

 return retval;
}

PHP_METHOD(Graph, __construct)
{
 char *perspectives;
 int perspectives_len;
 Graph *graph = NULL;
 zval *object = getThis();

 if(zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "s", &perspectives, &perspectives_len) == FAILURE) { 
  RETURN_NULL();
 }

 graph = new Graph(perspectives);
 graph_object *obj = (graph_object*)zend_object_store_get_object(object TSRMLS_CC);
 obj->graph = graph;
}
PHP_METHOD(Graph, hasCategory)
{
 long perspectiveId;

 Graph *graph;
 graph_object *obj = (graph_object*)zend_object_store_get_object(getThis() TSRMLS_CC);
 graph = obj->graph;

 if (graph == NULL) {
  RETURN_NULL();
 }

 if(zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "l", &perspectiveId) == FAILURE) { 
  RETURN_NULL();
 }

 RETURN_BOOL(graph->hasCategory(perspectiveId));
}
PHP_METHOD(Graph, getCategory)
{
 // what to do here?
 RETURN_TRUE;
}
function_entry php_getgraph_functions[] = {
 PHP_ME(Graph,__construct,NULL,ZEND_ACC_PUBLIC|ZEND_ACC_CTOR)

 PHP_ME(Graph,hasCategory,php_graph_one_arg,ZEND_ACC_PUBLIC) 
 PHP_ME(Graph,getCategory,php_graph_one_arg,ZEND_ACC_PUBLIC) 
 { NULL, NULL, NULL }
};

PHP_MINIT_FUNCTION(getgraph)
{
 zend_class_entry ce;
 INIT_CLASS_ENTRY(ce, PHP_CLASSNAME, php_getgraph_functions);
 graph_ce = zend_register_internal_class(&ce TSRMLS_CC);
 graph_ce->create_object = graph_create_handler;
 memcpy(&graph_object_handlers, zend_get_std_object_handlers(), sizeof(zend_object_handlers));
 graph_object_handlers.clone_obj = NULL;
 return SUCCESS;
}

zend_module_entry getgraph_module_entry = {
#if ZEND_MODULE_API_NO >= 20010901
 STANDARD_MODULE_HEADER,
#endif
 PHP_GETGRAPH_EXTNAME,
 NULL,                   /* Functions */
 PHP_MINIT(getgraph),
 NULL,                   /* MSHUTDOWN */
 NULL,                   /* RINIT */
 NULL,                   /* RSHUTDOWN */
 NULL,                   /* MINFO */
#if ZEND_MODULE_API_NO >= 20010901
 PHP_GETGRAPH_EXTVER,
#endif
 STANDARD_MODULE_PROPERTIES
};

#ifdef COMPILE_DL_GETGRAPH
 extern "C" {
  ZEND_GET_MODULE(getgraph)
 }
#endif

In your internal functions, you can only return zvals, not arbitrary C++ objects. In your case, you must encapsulate the Category object either in a resource or in an object (like you did for the Graph object). Either way, you cannot automatically use the C++ object's methods and properties. You must then provide functions or methods (again, like you did for the Graph object) that then should call the underlying native methods and convert their results into zvals.

edit: OK, I assume you've already declare the Category class as a PHP class, its class entry table is in ce_category and you have this type:

struct category_object {
    zend_object std;
    Category *categ;
};

then:

PHP_METHOD(Graph, getCategory)
{
    graph_object *obj = (graph_object*)zend_object_store_get_object(getThis() TSRMLS_CC);
    struct category_object *co;

    //You ought to check whether obj is NULL and maybe throw an exception or call zend_error...
    if (object_init_ex(return_value, ce_category) != SUCCESS) {
        //error handling
    }

    co = (struct category_object *) zend_object_store_get_object(return_value TSRMLS_CC);
    assert (co != NULL); //should not happen; object was just created
    co->categ = retrieve_category_from_graph(obj->graph);

    /* IMPORTANT NOTE: if the Category object is held by the Graph object
     * (that is, it is freed when the Graph object is freed), you should either:
     * - Copy the Category object, so that it is independent.
     * - Increment the refcount of the PHP Graph object with
     *   zend_objects_store_add_ref(_by_handle). In that case, you should also store the
     *   handle of the PHP Graph object so that you can decrease the refcount when the
     *   PHP Category object is destroyed. Alternatively, you can store an IS_OBJECT
     *   zval and indirectly manipulate the object refcount through construction/destruction
     *   of the zval */
}