diff --git a/Examples/Makefile.in b/Examples/Makefile.in
index d7b9a5bcf..532152e80 100644
--- a/Examples/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/Makefile.in
@@ -1071,7 +1071,7 @@ php_cpp: $(SRCDIR_SRCS)
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 php_run:
-	$(RUNTOOL) $(PHP) -n -d extension_dir=. -d extension=$(PHP_EXTENSION) -d display_errors=stderr -r 'set_error_handler(function($$n,$$s,$$f,$$l){if($$f!==Null){print$$f;if($$l!==Null)print":$$l";print": ";}print"$$s\n";exit(1);});include($$argv[1]);' $(PHP_SCRIPT) $(RUNPIPE)
+	$(RUNTOOL) $(PHP) -n -d extension_dir=. -d extension=$(PHP_EXTENSION) -d display_errors=stderr -r 'set_error_handler(function($$n,$$s,$$f,$$l){if($$f!==Null){print$$f;if($$l!==Null)print":$$l";print": ";}print"$$s\n";exit(1);});if(strlen($$argv[1]))include($$argv[1]);' '$(PHP_SCRIPT)' $(RUNPIPE)
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # Version display
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/php/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/php/Makefile.in
index c460bff28..6a2a4590b 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/php/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/php/Makefile.in
@@ -68,18 +68,18 @@ missingtests: missingcpptests missingctests
 	@echo ' $(MULTI_CPP_TEST_CASES) '|grep -F -v ' $* ' >/dev/null ||\
 	    $(MAKE) $*.multicpptest
 
-# Runs the testcase. Tries to run testcase_runme.php, and if that's not
-# found, runs testcase.php, except for multicpptests.
+# Runs the testcase. Tries to run testcase_runme.php, and if that's not found,
+# at least test that the module loads without errors, except for multicpptests.
 run_testcase = \
 	if [ -f $(SCRIPTDIR)/$(SCRIPTPREFIX)$*$(SCRIPTSUFFIX) ]; then \
 	  $(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile PHP_EXTENSION=$(TARGETPREFIX)$*@PHP_SO@ PHP_SCRIPT=$(SCRIPTDIR)/$(SCRIPTPREFIX)$*$(SCRIPTSUFFIX) RUNTOOL='$(RUNTOOL)' php_run; \
-	elif [ -f $(SCRIPTDIR)/$(SCRIPTPREFIX)$*.php -a ! -f $(top_srcdir)/$(EXAMPLES)/$(TEST_SUITE)/$*.list ]; then \
-	  $(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile PHP_EXTENSION=$(TARGETPREFIX)$*@PHP_SO@ PHP_SCRIPT=$(SCRIPTDIR)/$(SCRIPTPREFIX)$*.php RUNTOOL='$(RUNTOOL)' php_run; \
+	elif [ ! -f $(top_srcdir)/$(EXAMPLES)/$(TEST_SUITE)/$*.list ]; then \
+	  $(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile PHP_EXTENSION=$(TARGETPREFIX)$*@PHP_SO@ PHP_SCRIPT= RUNTOOL='$(RUNTOOL)' php_run; \
 	fi
 
-# Clean: remove the generated .php file
+# Clean: remove the generated PHP-specific files
 %.clean:
-	@rm -f $*.php php_$*.h
+	@rm -f php_$*.h
 
 clean:
 	$(MAKE) -f $(top_builddir)/$(EXAMPLES)/Makefile SRCDIR='$(SRCDIR)' php_clean
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/php/director_abstract_runme.php b/Examples/test-suite/php/director_abstract_runme.php
index bb424f9ea..2d9799f2f 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/php/director_abstract_runme.php
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/php/director_abstract_runme.php
@@ -22,19 +22,19 @@ check::equal($a->ping(), "MyFoo::ping()", "MyFoo::ping failed");
 check::equal($a->pong(), "Foo::pong();MyFoo::ping()", "MyFoo::pong failed");
 
 class MyExample1 extends Example1 {
-  function Color($r, $g, $b) {
+  function Color($r, $g = NULL, $b = NULL) {
     return $r;
   }
 }
 
 class MyExample2 extends Example1 {
-  function Color($r, $g, $b) {
+  function Color($r, $g = NULL, $b = NULL) {
     return $g;
   }
 }
 
 class MyExample3 extends Example1 {
-  function Color($r, $g, $b) {
+  function Color($r, $g = NULL, $b = NULL) {
     return $b;
   }
 }
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/php/director_stl_runme.php b/Examples/test-suite/php/director_stl_runme.php
index 654251a30..031a87ae7 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/php/director_stl_runme.php
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/php/director_stl_runme.php
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class MyFoo extends Foo {
     return $v;
   }
 
-  function vsecond($v1, $v2) {
+  function vsecond($v1, $v2 = NULL) {
     return $v2;
   }
 }
diff --git a/Source/Modules/php.cxx b/Source/Modules/php.cxx
index d0c337a6a..c424572f1 100644
--- a/Source/Modules/php.cxx
+++ b/Source/Modules/php.cxx
@@ -218,17 +218,31 @@ class PHPTypes {
   // the dispatch function.  If NULL, no parameters are passed by reference.
   List *byref;
 
+  // Used to clamp the required number of parameters in the arginfo to be
+  // compatible with any parent class version of the method.
+  int required_clamp;
+
 public:
-  PHPTypes() : merged_types(NewList()), byref(NULL) { }
+  PHPTypes(int num_required)
+    : merged_types(NewList()),
+      byref(NULL),
+      required_clamp(num_required) { }
 
   PHPTypes(const PHPTypes *o)
-    : merged_types(Copy(o->merged_types)), byref(Copy(o->byref)) { }
+    : merged_types(Copy(o->merged_types)),
+      byref(Copy(o->byref)),
+      required_clamp(o->required_clamp) { }
 
   ~PHPTypes() {
     Delete(merged_types);
     Delete(byref);
   }
 
+  int adjust_num_required(int num_required) {
+    required_clamp = std::min(num_required, required_clamp);
+    return required_clamp;
+  }
+
   // key is 0 for return type, or >= 1 for parameters numbered from 1
   void process_phptype(Node *n, int key, const String_or_char *attribute_name);
 
@@ -712,7 +726,7 @@ public:
       }
     }
 
-    int num_required = emit_num_required(l);
+    int num_required = phptypes->adjust_num_required(emit_num_required(l));
 
     // We want to only emit each different arginfo once, as that reduces the
     // size of both the generated source code and the compiled extension
@@ -1214,7 +1228,7 @@ public:
 	}
       }
       if (!phptypes) {
-	phptypes = new PHPTypes();
+	phptypes = new PHPTypes(emit_num_required(l));
       }
       if (class_name) {
 	SetVoid(all_phptypes, NewStringf("%s:%s", class_name, wname), phptypes);