PHP 8.1.9 (tried also 7.4.3) VARIANT property assignment causes error (no error in equivalent VBScript)

[usa-]

Description

Note: MSMQ is a standard COM library present in all Windows versions.

The following code:

<?php
$msg = new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage", null, CP_UTF8);
$msg->Body = 123;

Resulted in this output:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught com_exception: Source: MSMQMessage
Description: The parameter is incorrect.  in C:\Temp\test.php:3
Stack trace:
#0 {main}
  thrown in C:\Temp\test.php on line 3

But I expected NO OUTPUT AT ALL.

Equivalent VBScript code, which does not cause any errors:

Set msg = CreateObject("MSMQ.MSMQMessage")
msg.Body = 123

Both files attached: test.zip

PHP Version

php-8.1.9-nts-Win32-vs16-x64

Operating System

Windows 10 x64

[cmb69]

Would it work if you call the constructor with one argument only, i.e. new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage")?

[github-actions]

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[usa-]

Would it work if you call the constructor with one argument only, i.e. new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage")?

No.

<?php
$msg = new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage");
$msg->Body = 123;

The error message is the same:

Fatal error: Uncaught com_exception: Source: MSMQMessage
Description: The parameter is incorrect.  in C:\Temp\test.php:3
Stack trace:
#0 {main}
  thrown in C:\Temp\test.php on line 3

[cmb69]

MSMQ is a standard COM library present in all Windows versions.

Yeah, but to make it work, it needs to be enabled (Windows Features). Took me a while to figure that out.

Anyhow, running the following script

<?php
$msg = new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage");
echo com_print_typeinfo($msg);

prints (amongst more info):

        /* VT_VARIANT [12] */
        var $Body;

So, for whatever reason, $Body is declared as VT_VARIANT, but rejects VT_I8 which is the counterpart of int(123); you need to pass in a string:

<?php
$msg = new COM("MSMQ.MSMQMessage", null, CP_UTF8);
$msg->Body = "123";

Interestingly, $Label is declared as VT_BSTR, so passing an int works as expected (i.e. it is automatically converted).

I don't think there is much we can do, and after all, passing a string doesn't look like an unreasonable thing to do anyway.