Need help on using references

[dough]

I'm trying to figure out why this code won't work.

I have 5 or 6 different types of collection objects all are subclassed
from the object below. Each collection can contain other collections or
just objects of a particular class.

After the data is inserted into the classes the "path" to a particular
collection gets lost. So I need a look-up table or a function to find the object.

That's what I tried to do with the $GLOBALS['object_reference'][$this->name]=&$this;
variable below.

<pre>
<?
class collection
{
var $name;
var $objects;

function collection($n) 
{ 
	if(!isset($GLOBALS['object_reference'])) 
		$GLOBALS['object_reference']=array(); 

	$this->set_name($n); 
	$GLOBALS['object_reference'][$this->name]=&$this; 
	$this->objects=array(); 
} 

function get_name() 
{ 
	return($this->name); 
} 

function set_name($n) 
{ 
	$this->name=$n; 
} 

function add($o) 
{ 
	if(isset($o->name)) 
		$this->objects[$o->name]=$o; 
	else 
		return false; 
	return true; 
} 

}
</pre>

$a=& new collection("Collection A");
$b=& new collection("Collection B");
$c=& new collection("Collection C");

$a->add($c);
$GLOBALS['object_reference']["Collection C"]->add($b);

echo "&lt;pre&gt;";
print_r($GLOBALS['object_reference']);
echo "&lt;/pre&gt;";

echo "&lt;pre&gt;";
print_r($a);
echo "&lt;/pre&gt;";

?>

When I dump $a, collection B is not there.
collection Object
(
[name] =&gt; Collection A
[objects] =&gt; Array
(
[Collection C] =&gt; collection Object
(
[name] =&gt; Collection C
[objects] =&gt; Array
(
)
)

) 

)

When I dump $GLOBALS['object_reference'] it is there, although it still is not in collection A.
Array
(
[Collection A] =&gt; collection Object
(
[name] =&gt; Collection A
[objects] =&gt; Array
(
[Collection C] =&gt; collection Object
(
[name] =&gt; Collection C
[objects] =&gt; Array
(
)
)
)
)

[Collection B] => collection Object 
( 
	[name] => Collection B 
	[objects] => Array 
	( 
	) 
) 

[Collection C] => collection Object 
( 
	[name] => Collection C 
	[objects] => Array 
	( 
		[Collection B] => collection Object 
		( 
			[name] => Collection B 
			[objects] => Array 
			( 
			) 
		) 
	) 
) 

)

For this simple example I could just write

$a->objects["Collection C"]->add($😎;

and everything works fine.

However as collections get added the "path" to them gets lost.
In other words I don't know that collection C is inside of collection B when the user asks to see collection C.

So I thought I would use an array of references to look-up the object and get or set what is needed.

I also wrote a function to find the object.

<pre>
function &findObject($obj,$name)
{
if(is_array($obj->objects))
{
foreach($obj->objects as $o)
{
if($o->name == $name) return($o);
findObject($o,$name);
}
}
}
</pre>

I could write: $obj=findObject($a,"Collection C");

While this will find the object. I have the same problem when I want to change the object.

I hope I explained this OK.

Any one have any suggestions?

Doug