Does PHP5 call __destruct() if you use a redirect?

Question

I found that PHP5 isn't calling a __destruct() function if I have the following setup:

class test {
 __destruct()
 {
  echo 'hehe';
  exit;
 }
}

header('Location: http://test.com/');
exit;

It never calls the destruct function

Answer 1

The destructor is called :

• for whatever object you have instanciated
  • in the portion of script you posted, you have not instanciated any object -- maybe that's the cause of no destructor being called ?
• at the end of the PHP script

Using a header to redirect doesn't prevent the destructor from being called.

Also note that the destructor is called at the end of the PHP script -- but doesn't prevent the redirection, as the header saying "redirect" has already been generated.

For instance, with this code :

class Test {
    public function __destruct() {
        echo 'hehe';
        file_put_contents('/tmp/test-desctructor.txt', "glop\n");
        exit;
    }
}

$a = new Test();

header('Location: http://example.com/');
exit;

(Note that I corrected a few mistakes, and added an actual instanciation of the class)

You will not see "hehe" on the output, but you'll find that the file /tmp/test-desctructor.txt has been created :

$ cat /tmp/test-desctructor.txt
glop

You'll need to remove the redirection if you want to get the "hehe" on the ouput.

The destructor is called after the header has been generated -- and calling exit from the destructor will not change the fact that that header has already been generated.

Oh, and here is a note from the manual (quoting -- at the bottom of the page) :

Note: Destructors called during the script shutdown have HTTP headers already sent.

This is why you don't see your "hehe" string : the destructor is called ; you just don't see it on the screen ;-)

That's why I used a file in my example, btw ;-)