Q_PROPERTY READ returning pointers to the property's type are confusing

Hello, so there is a curious issue concerning Q_PROPERTY definitions with READ methods that return a reference to the read object rather than a copy of it. Here's what the docs claim concerning READ methods...

"A READ accessor function is required. It is for reading the property value. Ideally, a const function is used for this purpose, and it must return either the property's type or a pointer or reference to that type"

And yet Thiago's comment in the following bug seems completely contradictory to the part of that statement concerning the returning of references:

https://bugreports.qt-project.org/browse/QTBUG-7407

I ran across this issue by chance when exporting custom C++ classes to qml with the following error:

"QMetaProperty::read: Unable to handle unregistered datatype..."

The following are examples of the multiple ways I attempted to circumvent this error. When I found that the pointer solution worked while a reference version would not, I could tell something was wrong under the hood.

Class1 {
...
Q_PROPERTY(Class2 class2 READ getClass2)
...
Class2& getClass2() {return m_class2;}
...
private:
Class2 m_class2;
}

When accessing class2 property in qml returns QMetaProperty::read error

Class1 {
...
Q_PROPERTY(Class2& class2 READ getClass2)
...
Class2& getClass2() {return m_class2;}
...
private:
Class2 m_class2;
}

Produces moc error

Class1 {
...
Q_PROPERTY(Class2* class2 READ getClass2)
...
Class2* getClass2() {return &m_class2;}
...
private:
Class2 m_class2;
}

Works as expected.

Either the docs should be updated noting the deficiency in Q_PROPERTY's ability to handle READ methods which return references to avoid confusing users, or the backend should be appropriately updated to fix the root issue.

Thank you,
David