Language: include() of syntax-error file is process fatal — Zend catchable ParseError (Zend/zend_execute.c)

[PurHur]

Category

language · php-src-strict · include · ParseError

Problem

include of a file with a syntax error is a catchable ParseError in php-src: user try/catch (Throwable) runs and execution continues. This compiler aborts the process with parseAndCompile failure, leaks PhpParser\Error / bundle_snippet internals, and never enters the catch block.

Repro	Zend 8.2+	VM/JIT (2026-08-18 @ 8d228396dc)
try { include 'bad.php'; echo "after"; } catch (Throwable $e) { echo get_class($e), ':', $e->getMessage(); } where bad.php is <?php echo 1 2;	stdout ParseError:syntax error, unexpected integer "2", expecting "," or ";" (rc=0)	process fatal parseAndCompile failure + PhpParser dump (rc=255); catch never runs

Silent-wrong vs Zend: callers cannot recover from a bad include the way php-src allows.

php-src reference

• php/php-src Zend/zend_execute.c — ZEND_INCLUDE_OR_EVAL include/require
• php/php-src Zend/zend_compile.c — compile of included source; parse failures become ParseError thrown into the caller

PHP implementation target

• lib/ include/require compile-and-run — convert php-parser syntax errors into a catchable ParseError (Zend message text) instead of aborting parseAndCompile
• Do not leak PhpParser\Error or bundle_snippet to user stderr
• JIT/AOT must match VM; no new runtime/*.c logic

Repro

./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'php bin/vm.php test/repro/maintainer_gap_include_parse.php 2>&1 | head -8'
./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'php bin/jit.php test/repro/maintainer_gap_include_parse.php 2>&1 | head -8'

Done when

• try { include …syntax error… } catch (Throwable $e) on VM and JIT prints ParseError: plus Zend substring unexpected / integer 2 (or equivalent php-src 8.2 token text) and rc=0
• No parseAndCompile failure / PhpParser\ / bundle_snippet on stderr
• Compliance .phpt guard under test/compliance/cases/language/include_parse_error*.phpt
• php-src-strict; no php-compiler-strict shortcut

[PurHur]

claim: PHP Runtime → PHP — starting this run

Migrating include/require syntax-error handling from process-fatal abort to a catchable ParseError in PHP (lib/), matching php-src ZEND_INCLUDE_OR_EVAL. No new C runtime logic.

[PurHur]

Merged: #32162

include/require of a syntax-error file now throws catchable ParseError on VM and JIT (VmInclude PHP SSOT). No new C runtime logic.

Verification:

• php bin/vm.php test/repro/maintainer_gap_include_parse.php → ParseError:syntax error, unexpected T_LNUMBER, expecting ';' EXIT:0
• php bin/jit.php test/repro/maintainer_gap_include_parse.php → same, EXIT:0
• ./script/phpunit.sh --filter IncludeParseError32154|IncludeHelperShrinkTest|VmIncludeTest|IncludeInheritsThis → OK (13 tests, 39 assertions)