Language: highlight_file()/highlight_string() — __DIR__/__FILE__ concat fails compile (MagicScriptConst, Zend/zend_compile.c)

[PurHur]

Category

language · php-src-strict

Problem

Scripts that build paths with __DIR__ / __FILE__ for highlight_file() / highlight_string() fail at compile time:

parseAndCompile failure: Unknown variable op found: Expr_MagicScriptConst

Zend compiles and runs these patterns (common in debug tooling and self-host tests).

php-src reference

• php/php-src Zend/zend_compile.c — magic constants in concat / arg positions
• php/php-src ext/standard/basic_functions.c — highlight_file, highlight_string
• Self-host spine patch: BootstrapPhpTypesMagicScriptConstPatchTest (Self-host M2/M0: php-types-magic-script-const patch drift — Expr_MagicScriptConst missing blocks link + spine #2826)

Repro (failure today — verified 2026-06-19)

test/repro/maintainer_gap_highlight_file_bool.php:

<?php
$sample = __DIR__ . '/highlight_sample.php';
$fileHtml = highlight_file($sample, true);
echo gettype($fileHtml), "\n";

./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'source script/php-env.sh
php bin/vm.php test/repro/maintainer_gap_highlight_file_bool.php'
# parseAndCompile failure: Unknown variable op found: Expr_MagicScriptConst

Also fails when highlight_string('<?php echo 1; ?>', true) works but a subsequent highlight_file(__DIR__ . '/x.php', true) does not.

Scope (PHP-in-PHP)

Layer	Path
Compiler	lib/Compiler.php — lower Op\Expr\MagicScriptConst in concat / call arg contexts
AST	lib/Ast/ if php-cfg overlay gaps
Builtins	ext/standard/highlight_file.php, highlight_string.php (runtime OK once compile succeeds)
Tests	test/compliance/cases/stdlib/highlight_file_dir_concat.phpt

Done when

• Repro compiles and prints boolean (or string when sample exists) on VM
• __FILE__, __DIR__, __LINE__ work in string concat passed to highlight builtins
• JIT/AOT compile same script without MagicScriptConst fatal
• ./script/ci-fast.sh --filter highlight_file_dir_concat green

Related

• Self-host M2/M0: php-types-magic-script-const patch drift — Expr_MagicScriptConst missing blocks link + spine #2826 spine patch · php-in-php: JIT StringFilterEmail — route FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL through VmFilter PHP not ~343-line LLVM (#4742, #1492) #9860 highlight bool coercion · Epic: Self-host critical path — compiler compiles itself (M3→M5) #1492

[PurHur]

claim: cursor-agent-lane-c — starting this run

[PurHur]

Merged via #9933.

Verification

• VM repro test/repro/maintainer_gap_highlight_file_bool.php → boolean
• JIT repro + highlight_file_dir_concat runfile → string / file-code
• vendor/bin/phpunit --filter "highlight_file_dir_concat|highlight_string_bool_literal|MagicScriptConst" → OK (13 tests)

MagicScriptConst compile lowering was already on master; this PR adds the compliance guard, fixes the broken inline highlight_string_bool_literal PHPT (RUNFILE for correct __DIR__), and restores LLVM insert position after StringFileGetContents::implement() for JIT highlight_file.