Questions related to functions

Ok So I was trying to understand this function:
zen_parse_search_string
which parses search string into indivual objects
It accepts two parameters
zen_parse_search_string($search_str = '', &$objects)
I am not able to understand what second parameter is

When it is getting called in header_php.php, it is getting called as:
zen_parse_search_string(stripslashes($_GET['keyword']), $search_keywords))
although I can understand how first parameter is coming, but I am not able to understand from where the value of $search_keywords is coming from

I tried the search and got this url:
http://localhost/zencart/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=147a2eef38fccd6143ec56ba12ed1023&keyword=microsoft

So value of $_GET['keyword']='microsoft' but what is &$objects?
Please explain with an example
Thanks

The & indicates that the stated object is being passed by reference.
It's an OOP technique.
This article may help: http://www.zend.com/php5/articles/engine2-php-oo.php

Thanks
I cannot get where $search_keywords is getting the value from
Is it empty?
San

$search_keywords is set within the function, and its contents are available to the script after the function returns from execution

  if (zen_parse_search_string(stripslashes($_GET['keyword']), $search_keywords)) {

1. run the function, passing the $_GET info for 'keyword' param, also passing the variable into which calculated search keywords will be placed
2. when the function is completed, it returns a boolean true/false, and at the same time, $search_keywords has the contents of the stated object in the function ... in this case, the $objects array, which is the prepared search wordslist.

Is there any documentation as to which file do what etc?

Let us say, for instance
I want to make changes in the search functionality
How can I do this?
This and lot more questions keep going on my mind as to how zen cart works
I know it will come with experience and I am reading and trying to understand the functions/classes of zen cart but again just wanted to ask the people here if there is any documentation which can make my task easier
Thanks

Can somenoe tell me how the new version works
just a small example would do
I dont see main_page calling advanced_search_result in application_top
What changes have happened in the latest version?
Thanks
San

Did you read this?
http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Developers_API_Tutorials

Thanks

Just to capture the variables, I added this piece of code in

includes\templates\template_default\sideboxes\tpl_search_header.php

$myFile = "testFile.txt";
$fh = fopen($myFile, 'w') or die("can't open file");
$stringData = $content;
fwrite($fh, $stringData);
fclose($fh);

It works seperately(file gets created with values written in it)
But not when I am trying to run it here inside tpl_search_header.php
Any idea why?

updates: Its working I was not seeing the file in the correct path!

In the file functions\general.php

function zen_validate_password($plain, $encrypted) {
if (zen_not_null($plain) && zen_not_null($encrypted)) {
$stack = explode(':', $encrypted);
if (sizeof($stack) != 2) return false;
if (md5($stack[1] . $plain) == $stack[0]) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}

When I passed the password string as 'zencart123' and I did

echo (md5($stack[1]).$plain);

I dont get my output as zencart123 although it gets validated and function is returning true

DrByte:

The & indicates that the stated object is being passed by reference.
It's an OOP technique.
This article may help: http://www.zend.com/php5/articles/engine2-php-oo.phpVery interesting article DrByte, thanks for posting the link :-)