基本概念

class

每个类的定义都以关键字 class 开头，后面跟着类名，后面跟着一对花括号，里面包含有类的属性与方法的定义。

类名可以是任何非 PHP 保留字的合法标签。一个合法类名以字母或下划线开头，后面跟着若干字母，数字或下划线。以正则表达式表示为：[a-zA-Z_\x7f-\xff][a-zA-Z0-9_\x7f-\xff]*。

一个类可以包含有属于自己的常量，变量（称为"属性"）以及函数（称为"方法"）。

Example #1 简单的类定义

<?php
class SimpleClass
{
    // property declaration
    public $var = 'a default value';

    // method declaration
    public function displayVar() {
        echo $this->var;
    }
}
?>

当一个方法在类定义内部被调用时，有一个可用的伪变量 $this。$this 是一个到主叫对象的引用（通常是该方法所从属的对象，但如果是从第二个对象静态调用时也可能是另一个对象）。

Example #2 $this 伪变量的示例

<?php
class A
{
    function foo()
    {
        if (isset($this)) {
            echo '$this is defined (';
            echo get_class($this);
            echo ")\n";
        } else {
            echo "\$this is not defined.\n";
        }
    }
}

class B
{
    function bar()
    {
        // Note: the next line will issue a warning if E_STRICT is enabled.
        A::foo();
    }
}

$a = new A();
$a->foo();

// Note: the next line will issue a warning if E_STRICT is enabled.
A::foo();
$b = new B();
$b->bar();

// Note: the next line will issue a warning if E_STRICT is enabled.
B::bar();
?>

以上例程会输出：

$this is defined (A)
$this is not defined.
$this is defined (B)
$this is not defined.

new

要创建一个类的实例，必须使用 new 关键字。当创建新对象时该对象总是被赋值，除非该对象定义了构造函数并且在出错时抛出了一个异常。类应在被实例化之前定义（某些情况下则必须这样）。

如果在 new 之后跟着的是一个包含有类名的字符串，则该类的一个实例被创建。如果该类属于一个名字空间，则必须使用其完整名称。

Example #3 创建一个实例

<?php
$instance = new SimpleClass();

// 也可以这样做：
$className = 'Foo';
$instance = new $className(); // Foo()
?>

在类定义内部，可以用 new self 和 new parent 创建新对象。

当把一个对象已经创建的实例赋给一个新变量时，新变量会访问同一个实例，就和用该对象赋值一样。此行为和给函数传递入实例时一样。可以用克隆给一个已创建的对象建立一个新实例。

Example #4 对象赋值

<?php

$instance = new SimpleClass();

$assigned   =  $instance;
$reference  =& $instance;

$instance->var = '$assigned will have this value';

$instance = null; // $instance and $reference become null

var_dump($instance);
var_dump($reference);
var_dump($assigned);
?>

以上例程会输出：

NULL
NULL
object(SimpleClass)#1 (1) {
   ["var"]=>
     string(30) "$assigned will have this value"
}

PHP 5.3.0 引进了两个新方法来创建一个对象的实例：

Example #5 创建新对象

<?php
class Test
{
    static public function getNew()
    {
        return new static;
    }
}

class Child extends Test
{}

$obj1 = new Test();
$obj2 = new $obj1;
var_dump($obj1 !== $obj2);

$obj3 = Test::getNew();
var_dump($obj3 instanceof Test);

$obj4 = Child::getNew();
var_dump($obj4 instanceof Child);
?>

以上例程会输出：

bool(true)
bool(true)
bool(true)

extends

一个类可以在声明中用 extends 关键字继承另一个类的方法和属性。PHP不支持多重继承，一个类只能继承一个基类。

被继承的方法和属性可以通过用同样的名字重新声明被覆盖。但是如果父类定义方法时使用了 final，则该方法不可被覆盖。可以通过 parent:: 来访问被覆盖的方法或属性。

当覆盖方法时，参数必须保持一致否则 PHP 将发出 E_STRICT 级别的错误信息。但构造函数例外，构造函数可在被覆盖时使用不同的参数。

Example #6 简单的类继承

<?php
class ExtendClass extends SimpleClass
{
    // Redefine the parent method
    function displayVar()
    {
        echo "Extending class\n";
        parent::displayVar();
    }
}

$extended = new ExtendClass();
$extended->displayVar();
?>

以上例程会输出：

Extending class
a default value

::class

自 PHP 5.5 起，关键词 class 也可用于类名的解析。使用 ClassName::class 你可以获取一个字符串，包含了类 ClassName 的完全限定名称。这对使用了 命名空间 的类尤其有用。

Example #7 类名的解析

<?php
namespace NS {
    class ClassName {
    }
    
    echo ClassName::class;
}
?>

以上例程会输出：

NS\ClassName

User Contributed Notes

Hayley Watson 13-Aug-2017 03:31
Unless the function's parameter is marked as pass by reference using "&", arguments to it are passed by value. This goes for objects same as everything else. The fact is every object has its own unique identity, and the "value" of an object IS the object itself. And not, for example, anything to do with the values of any of its properties: modifying an object's properties doesn't change the object's identity (and hence its value) any more than your identity changes when you take your socks off. So when an object is passed (by value) to a function, and its properties are modified, THAT object's properties get modified.

The "&" modifier only matters if a new value is assigned to the parameter variable. If the modifier is used, then whatever was passed in the parameter is also replaced, if it's not, then it isn't. Again, this behaviour is the same whether it's an object or something else.
nagabhushan1995 at gmail dot com 25-Jul-2017 06:25
Object handles in PHP are kind of Java References (not C++ references : references are aliases in C++).
nagabhushan1995 at gmail dot com 25-Jul-2017 06:24
Object handles in PHP are kind of Java References (not C++ references : references are aliases in C++).
Anonymous 22-Jul-2017 08:02
Perhaps the note about ::class expansion during compile time is not entirely clear. Here's an example to demonstrate what happens when using ::class on non-existent classes:
<?php

var_dump(ExampleAbc::class);
var_dump(NS\Service\ExampleAbc::class);

// Outputs:
// string(10) "ExampleAbc"
// string(21) "NS\Service\ExampleAbc"
// No error is issued.

?>
kStarbe at gmail point com 31-Mar-2017 04:36
You start using :: in second example although the static concept has not been explained. This is not easy to discover when you are starting from the basics.
Anonymous 05-Feb-2017 06:59
Understanding what does $this exactly do:

<?php
class toop {
    public $i = "1234";
    public function setv($a) {
        $this->i = $a;
    }
    public function returnthis() {
        return $this;
    }
}
$ob = new toop();
$ob1 = new toop();
$obthis = $ob->returnthis();
echo $ob->i."\n";
$ob->setv("\$ob set");
echo $ob->i."\n";
$obthis->setv("\$obthis set");
echo $ob->i."\n";
$ob1->setv('$ob1 set');
echo $ob->i."\n";
?>

This will output:

1234
$ob set
$obthis set
$obthis set
Manish Gupta 23-Oct-2011 07:07
Some thing that may be obvious to the seasoned PHP programmer, but may surprise someone coming over from C++:

<?php
class Foo
{
$bar = 'Hi There';

public function Print(){
    echo $bar;
}
}
?>

Gives an error saying Print used undefined variable. One has to explicitly use (notice the use of <?php $this->bar ?>):

<?php
class Foo
{
$bar = 'Hi There';

public function Print(){
    echo this->$bar;
}
}
?>

 <?php echo $this->bar; ?> refers to the class member, while using $bar means using an uninitialized variable in the local context of the member function.
Marcus 05-Feb-2011 08:00
Here's another simple example.

<?php
// PHP 5

// class definition
class Bear {
    // define properties
    public $name;
    public $weight;
    public $age;
    public $sex;
    public $colour;

    // constructor
    public function __construct() {
        $this->age = 0;
        $this->weight = 100;
    }

    // define methods
    public function eat($units) {
        echo $this->name." is eating ".$units." units of food... ";
        $this->weight += $units;
    }

    public function run() {
        echo $this->name." is running... ";
    }

    public function kill() {
        echo $this->name." is killing prey... ";
    }

    public function sleep() {
        echo $this->name." is sleeping... ";
    }
}

// extended class definition
class PolarBear extends Bear {

    // constructor
    public function __construct() {
        parent::__construct();
        $this->colour = "white";
        $this->weight = 600;
    }

    // define methods
    public function swim() {
        echo $this->name." is swimming... ";
    }
}

?>
Doug 07-Oct-2010 04:29
What is the difference between  $this  and  self ?

Inside a class definition, $this refers to the current object, while  self  refers to the current class.

It is necessary to refer to a class element using  self ,
and refer to an object element using  $this .
Note also how an object variable must be preceded by a keyword in its definition.

The following example illustrates a few cases:

<?php
class Classy {

const       STAT = 'S' ; // no dollar sign for constants (they are always static)
static     $stat = 'Static' ;
public     $publ = 'Public' ;
private    $priv = 'Private' ;
protected  $prot = 'Protected' ;

function __construct( ){  }

public function showMe( ){
    print '<br> self::STAT: '  .  self::STAT ; // refer to a (static) constant like this
    print '<br> self::$stat: ' . self::$stat ; // static variable
    print '<br>$this->stat: '  . $this->stat ; // legal, but not what you might think: empty result
    print '<br>$this->publ: '  . $this->publ ; // refer to an object variable like this
    print '<br>' ;
}
}
$me = new Classy( ) ;
$me->showMe( ) ;

/* Produces this output:
self::STAT: S
self::$stat: Static
$this->stat:
$this->publ: Public
*/
?>
moty66 at gmail dot com 16-Aug-2009 04:59
I hope that this will help to understand how to work with static variables inside a class

<?php

class a {

    public static $foo = 'I am foo';
    public $bar = 'I am bar';
   
    public static function getFoo() { echo self::$foo;    }
    public static function setFoo() { self::$foo = 'I am a new foo'; }
    public function getBar() { echo $this->bar;    }           
}

$ob = new a();
a::getFoo();     // output: I am foo   
$ob->getFoo();    // output: I am foo
//a::getBar();     // fatal error: using $this not in object context
$ob->getBar();    // output: I am bar
                // If you keep $bar non static this will work
                // but if bar was static, then var_dump($this->bar) will output null

// unset($ob);
a::setFoo();    // The same effect as if you called $ob->setFoo(); because $foo is static
$ob = new a();     // This will have no effects on $foo
$ob->getFoo();    // output: I am a new foo

?>

Regards
Motaz Abuthiab
the_french_cow at hotmail dot com 14-Jul-2009 03:54
For those of us who are new to inheritance, private functions are not visible in an inherited class. Consider:

<?php
    class A {
        protected function func1() {
            echo("I'm func1 in A!<br/>");
        }

        private function func2() {
            echo("I'm func2 in A!<br/>");
        }
    }
   
    class B extends A {
        public function func3() {
            echo("I'm func3 in B!<br/>");
            $this->func1();
            $this->func2();  // Call to private function from extended class results in a fatal error
        }
    }
   
    $b = new B;
    $b->func3();  // Ends in a fatal error

// OR

    $b->func1();  // Call to protected function from outside world results in a fatal error
?>

If you want a function to be accessible in class B but not to the outside world, it must be declared as protected.
Notes on stdClass 10-Jul-2009 12:26
stdClass is the default PHP object. stdClass has no properties, methods or parent. It does not support magic methods, and implements no interfaces.

When you cast a scalar or array as Object, you get an instance of stdClass. You can use stdClass whenever you need a generic object instance.
<?php
// ways of creating stdClass instances
$x = new stdClass;
$y = (object) null;        // same as above
$z = (object) 'a';         // creates property 'scalar' = 'a'
$a = (object) array('property1' => 1, 'property2' => 'b');
?>

stdClass is NOT a base class! PHP classes do not automatically inherit from any class. All classes are standalone, unless they explicitly extend another class. PHP differs from many object-oriented languages in this respect.
<?php
// CTest does not derive from stdClass
class CTest {
    public $property1;
}
$t = new CTest;
var_dump($t instanceof stdClass);            // false
var_dump(is_subclass_of($t, 'stdClass'));    // false
echo get_class($t) . "\n";                   // 'CTest'
echo get_parent_class($t) . "\n";            // false (no parent)
?>

You cannot define a class named 'stdClass' in your code. That name is already used by the system. You can define a class named 'Object'.

You could define a class that extends stdClass, but you would get no benefit, as stdClass does nothing.

(tested on PHP 5.2.8)
Jeffrey 09-Oct-2008 12:49
A PHP Class can be used for several things, but at the most basic level, you'll use classes to "organize and deal with like-minded data". Here's what I mean by "organizing like-minded data". First, start with unorganized data.

<?php
$customer_name;
$item_name;
$item_price;
$customer_address;
$item_qty;
$item_total;
?>

Now to organize the data into PHP classes:

<?php
class Customer {
  $name;          // same as $customer_name
  $address;       // same as $customer_address
}

class Item {
  $name;          // same as $item_name
  $price;         // same as $item_price
  $qty;           // same as $item_qty
  $total;         // same as $item_total
}
?>

Now here's what I mean by "dealing" with the data. Note: The data is already organized, so that in itself makes writing new functions extremely easy.

<?php
class Customer {
  public $name, $address;                   // the data for this class...

  // function to deal with user-input / validation
  // function to build string for output
  // function to write -> database
  // function to  read <- database
  // etc, etc
}

class Item {
  public $name, $price, $qty, $total;        // the data for this class...

  // function to calculate total
  // function to format numbers
  // function to deal with user-input / validation
  // function to build string for output
  // function to write -> database
  // function to  read <- database
  // etc, etc
}
?>

Imagination that each function you write only calls the bits of data in that class. Some functions may access all the data, while other functions may only access one piece of data. If each function revolves around the data inside, then you have created a good class.
wbcarts at juno dot com 21-Aug-2008 03:11
CLASSES and OBJECTS that represent the "Ideal World"

Wouldn't it be great to get the lawn mowed by saying $son->mowLawn()? Assuming the function mowLawn() is defined, and you have a son that doesn't throw errors, the lawn will be mowed.

In the following example; let objects of type Line3D measure their own length in 3-dimensional space. Why should I or PHP have to provide another method from outside this class to calculate length, when the class itself holds all the neccessary data and has the education to make the calculation for itself?

<?php

/*
 * Point3D.php
 *
 * Represents one locaton or position in 3-dimensional space
 * using an (x, y, z) coordinate system.
 */
class Point3D
{
    public $x;
    public $y;
    public $z;                  // the x coordinate of this Point.

    /*
     * use the x and y variables inherited from Point.php.
     */
    public function __construct($xCoord=0, $yCoord=0, $zCoord=0)
    {
        $this->x = $xCoord;
    $this->y = $yCoord;
        $this->z = $zCoord;
    }

    /*
     * the (String) representation of this Point as "Point3D(x, y, z)".
     */
    public function __toString()
    {
        return 'Point3D(x=' . $this->x . ', y=' . $this->y . ', z=' . $this->z . ')';
    }
}

/*
 * Line3D.php
 *
 * Represents one Line in 3-dimensional space using two Point3D objects.
 */
class Line3D
{
    $start;
    $end;

    public function __construct($xCoord1=0, $yCoord1=0, $zCoord1=0, $xCoord2=1, $yCoord2=1, $zCoord2=1)
    {
        $this->start = new Point3D($xCoord1, $yCoord1, $zCoord1);
        $this->end = new Point3D($xCoord2, $yCoord2, $zCoord2);
    }

    /*
     * calculate the length of this Line in 3-dimensional space.
     */
    public function getLength()
    {
        return sqrt(
            pow($this->start->x - $this->end->x, 2) +
            pow($this->start->y - $this->end->y, 2) +
            pow($this->start->z - $this->end->z, 2)
        );
    }

    /*
     * The (String) representation of this Line as "Line3D[start, end, length]".
     */
    public function __toString()
    {
        return 'Line3D[start=' . $this->start .
            ', end=' . $this->end .
            ', length=' . $this->getLength() . ']';
    }
}

/*
 * create and display objects of type Line3D.
 */
echo '<p>' . (new Line3D()) . "</p>\n";
echo '<p>' . (new Line3D(0, 0, 0, 100, 100, 0)) . "</p>\n";
echo '<p>' . (new Line3D(0, 0, 0, 100, 100, 100)) . "</p>\n";

?>

  <--  The results look like this  -->

Line3D[start=Point3D(x=0, y=0, z=0), end=Point3D(x=1, y=1, z=1), length=1.73205080757]

Line3D[start=Point3D(x=0, y=0, z=0), end=Point3D(x=100, y=100, z=0), length=141.421356237]

Line3D[start=Point3D(x=0, y=0, z=0), end=Point3D(x=100, y=100, z=100), length=173.205080757]

My absolute favorite thing about OOP is that "good" objects keep themselves in check. I mean really, it's the exact same thing in reality... like, if you hire a plumber to fix your kitchen sink, wouldn't you expect him to figure out the best plan of attack? Wouldn't he dislike the fact that you want to control the whole job? Wouldn't you expect him to not give you additional problems? And for god's sake, it is too much to ask that he cleans up before he leaves?

I say, design your classes well, so they can do their jobs uninterrupted... who like bad news? And, if your classes and objects are well defined, educated, and have all the necessary data to work on (like the examples above do), you won't have to micro-manage the whole program from outside of the class. In other words... create an object, and LET IT RIP!
info at youwanttoremovethisvakantiebaas dot nl 21-Apr-2008 12:40
if you do this
<?php

$x = new b();

class b extends a {}

class a { }

?>
PHP will tell you "class b not found", because you've defined class b before a. However, the error tells you something different.... Got me a little confused :)
aaron at thatone dot com 16-Dec-2007 03:46
I was confused at first about object assignment, because it's not quite the same as normal assignment or assignment by reference. But I think I've figured out what's going on.

First, think of variables in PHP as data slots. Each one is a name that points to a data slot that can hold a value that is one of the basic data types: a number, a string, a boolean, etc. When you create a reference, you are making a second name that points at the same data slot. When you assign one variable to another, you are copying the contents of one data slot to another data slot.

Now, the trick is that object instances are not like the basic data types. They cannot be held in the data slots directly. Instead, an object's "handle" goes in the data slot. This is an identifier that points at one particular instance of an obect. So, the object handle, although not directly visible to the programmer, is one of the basic datatypes.

What makes this tricky is that when you take a variable which holds an object handle, and you assign it to another variable, that other variable gets a copy of the same object handle. This means that both variables can change the state of the same object instance. But they are not references, so if one of the variables is assigned a new value, it does not affect the other variable.

<?php
// Assignment of an object
Class Object{
   public $foo="bar";
};

$objectVar = new Object();
$reference =& $objectVar;
$assignment = $objectVar

//
// $objectVar --->+---------+
//                |(handle1)----+
// $reference --->+---------+   |
//                              |
//                +---------+   |
// $assignment -->|(handle1)----+
//                +---------+   |
//                              |
//                              v
//                  Object(1):foo="bar"
//
?>

$assignment has a different data slot from $objectVar, but its data slot holds a handle to the same object. This makes it behave in some ways like a reference. If you use the variable $objectVar to change the state of the Object instance, those changes also show up under $assignment, because it is pointing at that same Object instance.

<?php
$objectVar->foo = "qux";
print_r( $objectVar );
print_r( $reference );
print_r( $assignment );

//
// $objectVar --->+---------+
//                |(handle1)----+
// $reference --->+---------+   |
//                              |
//                +---------+   |
// $assignment -->|(handle1)----+
//                +---------+   |
//                              |
//                              v
//                  Object(1):foo="qux"
//
?>

But it is not exactly the same as a reference. If you null out $objectVar, you replace the handle in its data slot with NULL. This means that $reference, which points at the same data slot, will also be NULL. But $assignment, which is a different data slot, will still hold its copy of the handle to the Object instance, so it will not be NULL.

<?php
$objectVar = null;
print_r($objectVar);
print_r($reference);
print_r($assignment);

//
// $objectVar --->+---------+
//                |  NULL   |
// $reference --->+---------+
//                          
//                +---------+
// $assignment -->|(handle1)----+
//                +---------+   |
//                              |
//                              v
//                  Object(1):foo="qux"
?>