Phar does not respect case-insensitiveness of __halt_compiler() when reading stub

[shyim]

Description

The following code:

stub.php

<?php

echo "Hello World!";

__halt_compiler();

build.php

<?php

$phar = new Phar('output.phar');
$phar->startBuffering();

$phar->setStub(file_get_contents('stub.php'));
$phar->addEmptyDir('src');

$phar->stopBuffering();

Resulted in this output:

~/Downloads/foo via 🐘 v8.4.14
❯ php -dphar.readonly=0 build.php

~/Downloads/foo via 🐘 v8.4.14
❯ php -dphar.readonly=0 build.php
PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught UnexpectedValueException: internal corruption of phar "/Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/output.phar" (__HALT_COMPILER(); not found) in /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php:3
Stack trace:
#0 /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php(3): Phar->__construct('output.phar')
#1 {main}
  thrown in /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php on line 3

Fatal error: Uncaught UnexpectedValueException: internal corruption of phar "/Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/output.phar" (__HALT_COMPILER(); not found) in /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php:3
Stack trace:
#0 /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php(3): Phar->__construct('output.phar')
#1 {main}
  thrown in /Users/shyim/Downloads/foo/build.php on line 3

But when I write __HALT_COMPILER in UPPER case it works always. I normally write it always upper-case but saw in docs other mentioned, just copy pasted. https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.halt-compiler.php

it looks like it's hard-code to upper-case:

php-src/ext/phar/zip.c

Line 1230 in e97c0dc

static const char halt_stub[] = "__HALT_COMPILER();";

Are the docs just wrong, should this be changed in php idk 😂 . The execution of the phar works with regardless of caseing

PHP Version

PHP 8.4.14 (cli) (built: Oct 21 2025 19:23:55) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Built by Shivam Mathur
Zend Engine v4.4.14, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v8.4.14, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

Operating System

No response

[iluuu1994]

__halt_compiler(); is not case-sensitive. You're showing two executions in "Resulted in this output", which is the one you're getting?

[TimWolla]

You're showing two executions in "Resulted in this output", which is the one you're getting?

Both are relevant. My understanding is that the second is trying to edit the existing phar created by the first which fails. I can reproduce with the given steps.

The error message is emitted here:

php-src/ext/phar/phar.c

Line 1766 in e97c0dc

MAPPHAR_ALLOC_FAIL("internal corruption of phar \"%s\" (__HALT_COMPILER(); not found)")

and

php-src/ext/phar/phar.c

Line 1757 in e97c0dc

if (got > 0 && (pos = phar_strnstr(buffer, got + sizeof(token), token, sizeof(token)-1)) != NULL) {

should probably be a CI comparison.

[iluuu1994]

Okay. I've never looked into phar, so I'll leave this up to somebody else if it's a phar-only issue.

[ndossche]

Yeah the flush code does this right, the reading code doesn't.
It should likely use php_memnistr or something alike.