var_dump() can't tell if its argument is a reference

var_dump() is generally funky.  here's a test case that makes it all a little more obvious:

<?php

class a { 
}

$a = new a();
$a->foo =& $a;
var_dump(&$a);
var_dump($a);

$b = array();
$b[1] =& $b;
var_dump(&$b);
var_dump($b);


?>

well, the cases where the argument is passed with & are 
"call-time pass-by-reference", which we don't support.

the fact that the objects print differently from the arrays, i.e.:

object(a)(1) {
  ["foo"]=>
  &object(a)(1) {
    ["foo"]=>
    &object(a)(1) {
      ["foo"]=>
      *RECURSION*
    }
  }
}
array(1) {
  [1]=>
  array(1) {
    [1]=>
    *RECURSION*
  }
}

is a zend bug, IMHO, and I've filed it as such.  
bug id #29390 on bugs.php.net.

we don't handle this the same as them either:

<?php 
$b = array(); 
$b[1] =& $b; 
$b =& $b; 
var_dump($b); 
var_dump($b); 
?>


they say:

array(1) {
  [1]=>
  &array(1) {
    [1]=>
    &array(1) {
      [1]=>
      *RECURSION*
    }
  }
}
array(1) {
  [1]=>
  array(1) {
    [1]=>
    *RECURSION*
  }
}

whereas we say the same thing each time.  filed as bug #29389
on bugs.php.net.

verified still relavent