Stdlib: ReflectionMethod::getReturnType() / isDeprecated() / hasTentativeReturnType() — typed return introspection (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c)

[PurHur]

Category

stdlib

Problem

ReflectionMethod (and ReflectionFunctionAbstract) must expose typed-return introspection per PHP 8+. This compiler implements getParameters() / getAttributes() but getReturnType(), isDeprecated(), and hasTentativeReturnType() are undefined — framework code using return-type reflection fails.

Pairs #5141 (hasReturnType() boolean probe) and #6594 (ReflectionType abstract hierarchy).

php-src reference

• php/php-src ext/reflection/php_reflection.c — reflection_method_get_return_type, reflection_method_is_deprecated, reflection_method_has_tentative_return_type
• php/php-src ext/reflection/php_reflection.stub.php

Repro (failure today)

./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'source script/php-env.sh
php bin/vm.php -r "class T{function f(): int{}} \$m=new ReflectionMethod(T::class,\"f\"); var_export(\$m->getReturnType()?->getName());"
php -r "class T{function f(): int{}} \$m=new ReflectionMethod(T::class,\"f\"); var_export(\$m->getReturnType()?->getName());"
'

Runtime	Result
Zend PHP 8.2	'int'
bin/vm.php	Call to undefined method ReflectionMethod::getReturnType()

Additional probes:

#[\Deprecated] class D { function f() {} }
(new ReflectionMethod(D::class, 'f'))->isDeprecated(); // Zend: true

class Tentative { function f(): int {} } // PHP 8.1 tentative on inherited — use fixture from php-src tests

Scope (this repo)

Component	Path
Metadata	lib/VM/ReflectionSupport.php, compile-time return type storage on ClassMethod
VM methods	lib/VM/Builtin/ReflectionMethodGetReturnType.php (new), register in BuiltinClasses.php
Return type objects	#6594 — must return ReflectionNamedType / union / intersection extending ReflectionType
Compliance	test/compliance/cases/stdlib/reflection_method_get_return_type.phpt

PHP-in-PHP: implement in lib/VM/ + ext/standard/VmReflection.php; no C runtime.

Done when

• Repro prints 'int' for : int method; null for untyped legacy method
• isDeprecated() matches #[\Deprecated] attribute on method/class (php-src rules)
• hasTentativeReturnType() matches Zend on inherited tentative fixtures
• No undefined-method fatals for the three APIs on VM
• JIT/AOT: VM-only v1 documented in capability matrix

Strictness: php-src-strict

Related

• Stdlib: ReflectionMethod::hasReturnType() missing (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #5141 hasReturnType()
• Stdlib: ReflectionType abstract base — ReflectionNamedType must extend ReflectionType (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #6594 ReflectionType hierarchy
• Stdlib: ReflectionMethod::getName()/getParameters() — JIT parity (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #4466 / Stdlib: ReflectionFunction / ReflectionFunctionAbstract — basic API parity (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #4467 ReflectionMethod/Function umbrella

[PurHur]

claim: worker-lane-a — starting this run

[PurHur]

Merged via #8140.

Verification

• Issue repro: php bin/vm.php -r 'class T{function f(): int{}} $m=new ReflectionMethod(T::class,"f"); var_export($m->getReturnType()?->getName());' → 'int'
• ./vendor/bin/phpunit --filter reflection_method_get_return_type → OK (2 tests, VM + JIT)

Notes

• ReflectionMethod::getReturnType() + hasTentativeReturnType() registered in lib/VM/BuiltinClasses.php
• hasTentativeReturnType() returns false for user methods (inherited ZEND_TYPE_IS_TENTATIVE not modeled yet)
• isDeprecated() was already present; new compliance case covers it alongside return-type APIs