You may use undocumented and invisible property $e->faultcode to access string version of $code. Because standard $e->getCode() does not work:

<?php
$e = new SoapFault("test", "msg");
var_dump($e->getCode()); // prints "0"
var_dump($e->faultcode); // prints "test"
?>

Also you may use namespaced fault codes:

<?php
$e = new SoapFault(array("namespace", "test"), "msg");
?>

- see ext/soap/soap.php, PHP_METHOD(SoapFault, SoapFault). To access the namespace, use $e->faultcodens

A bit more digging in ext/soap/soap.c and the set_soap_fault function reveals the other undocumented properties from the constructor:

<?php
try {
    throw new SoapFault('code', 'string', 'actor', 'detail', 'name', 'header');
} catch (Exception $ex) {
    var_dump($ex->faultcode, $ex->faultstring, $ex->faultactor, $ex->detail, $ex->_name, $ex->headerfault);
}
?>

Hi all, 

I've decided to post this since it may be helpful, I've spend a couple of days trying to do this.

In order to use wsdl's specified faults with complex types, i.e:

WSDL definitions:

(xsd:schema namespace, ns1 = target namespace)

<xsd:element name="doubleFault">
  <xsd:complexType>
    <xsd:sequence>
      <xsd:element name="detail1" type="xsd:string"/>
      <xsd:element name="detail2" type="xsd:string"/>
    </xsd:sequence>
  </xsd:complexType>
</xsd:element>

WSDL messages:

<message name="fault_specified">
    <part name="relevant_name" element="ns1:doubleFault"/>
</message>

WSDL port type:

<portType name="test">
  <operation name="operationTest">
  <input message="ns1:not_relevant_request"/>
  <output message="ns1:not_relevant_response"/>
  <fault name="FaultSpecified" message="ns1:fault_specified"/>
  ....
</portType>

You have to specify the response in the detail parameter as an array corresponding the tag names.

PHP Code:

<?php

function operationTest($request_param ...) {

    // ...
    $array_details = array("detail1" => "Explanation 1", "detail2" => "Explanation 2");
    
    return new SoapFault("Server", "example fault string", null, $array_details, "FaultSpecified");

}

$server = new SOAPServer("handmade.wsdl");
$server->addFunction("operationTest");
$server->handle(); 

?>

that should respond something like this:

<SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:ns1="http://mynamespace">
   <SOAP-ENV:Body>
      <SOAP-ENV:Fault>
         <faultcode>SOAP-ENV:Server</faultcode>
         <faultstring>example fault string</faultstring>
         <detail>
            <ns1:doubleFault>
               <detail1>Explanation 1</detail1>
               <detail2>Explanation 2</detail2>
            </ns1:doubleFault>
         </detail>
      </SOAP-ENV:Fault>
   </SOAP-ENV:Body>
</SOAP-ENV:Envelope>

I Hope it helps,
Federico.