Classes and Objects (PHP 4)
If you are using a child-class. Remember to call the constructor of the parent class aswell before you start using it. Otherwise you might get different results then you expected. It is stated in this document, but I got confused by the given example. So, here is my example:
<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
class test {
var $var;
function test() {
$this->var = 3;
}
}
class testing extends test {
function testing() {
parent::test();
}
function My_test() {
return $this->var;
}
}
$p = new testing();
echo $p->My_test();
// Returns 3
extends
Often you need classes with similar variables and functions to another existing class. In fact, it is good practice to define a generic class which can be used in all your projects and adapt this class for the needs of each of your specific projects. To facilitate this, classes can be extensions of other classes. The extended or derived class has all variables and functions of the base class (this is called 'inheritance' despite the fact that nobody died) and what you add in the extended definition. It is not possible to subtract from a class, that is, to undefine any existing functions or variables. An extended class is always dependent on a single base class, that is, multiple inheritance is not supported. Classes are extended using the keyword 'extends'.
<?php
class Named_Cart extends Cart {
var $owner;
function set_owner ($name) {
$this->owner = $name;
}
}
?>
This defines a class Named_Cart that has all variables and functions of Cart plus an additional variable $owner and an additional function set_owner(). You create a named cart the usual way and can now set and get the carts owner. You can still use normal cart functions on named carts:
<?php
$ncart = new Named_Cart; // Create a named cart
$ncart->set_owner("kris"); // Name that cart
print $ncart->owner; // print the cart owners name
$ncart->add_item("10", 1); // (inherited functionality from cart)
?>
This is also called a "parent-child" relationship. You create a class, parent, and use extends to create a new class based on the parent class: the child class. You can even use this new child class and create another class based on this child class.
Note: Classes must be defined before they are used! If you want the class Named_Cart to extend the class Cart, you will have to define the class Cart first. If you want to create another class called Yellow_named_cart based on the class Named_Cart you have to define Named_Cart first. To make it short: the order in which the classes are defined is important.
add a note
User Contributed Notesextends
Edward_nl
03-Mar-2006 11:54
03-Mar-2006 11:54
alan hogan
27-Nov-2005 02:48
27-Nov-2005 02:48
Just a note: It is possible to have a class inherit from multiple other classes, but only in a one-at-a-time linear hierarchy.
So this works, and C gets A and B functions:
<?php
class A {
public function af() { print 'a';}
public function bark() {print ' arf!';}
}
class B extends A {
public function bf() { print 'b';}
}
class C extends B {
public function cf() { print 'c';}
public function bark() {print ' ahem...'; parent::bark();}
}
$c = new C;
$c->af(); $c->bf(); $c->cf();
print "<br />";
$c->bark();
/**results:**/
//abc
//ahem... arf!
?>
This does NOT work:
<?php
class A {
public function af() { print 'a';}
public function bark() {print ' arf!';}
}
class B {
public function bf() { print 'b';}
}
class C extends B, A /*illegal*/ {
public function cf() { print 'c';}
public function bark() {print ' ahem...'; parent::bark();}
}
$c = new C;
$c->af(); $c->bf(); $c->cf();
print "<br />";
$c->bark();
//Parse Error
?>
Bash I.
19-Nov-2005 06:43
19-Nov-2005 06:43
Here is a simple idea that I use when I need my abstract classes (the inherited classes) implemented before my functional classes.
<?php
$_CLASSES = array_merge (
glob ("classes/*/*.abstract.php"),
glob ("classes/*/*.class.php")
);
foreach ($_CLASSES AS $_CLASS) {
require ($_CLASS);
}
?>
volte6 at nowhere dot com
31-Mar-2005 08:11
31-Mar-2005 08:11
When declaring a class that relies upon another file ( because it extends the class defined in that file ), you should ALWAYS require_once() that file at the top.
This applies even when planning on looping through and including everything in the folder. Use require_once() in your loop, and at the top of the file that NEEDS the include.
tomnezvigin at comcast dot net
07-Mar-2005 02:19
07-Mar-2005 02:19
This may seem obvious, but check this scenario. You have a class folder:
+ class
--classA.php
--classB.php
--classC.php
--mainClass.php
Here... classA, classB, classC all extend the mainClass.
If you try to create a function that automatically includes all of the classes in a folder, normally, they are included alphabetically.
When you try to instantiate classC, for example, you will get an error:
"Cannot inherit from undefined class mainClass"
EVEN IF you instantiate the mainClass before you instantiate all of the other classes.
In other words, make sure your primary class is included before all others.
Msquared
19-Nov-2004 03:48
19-Nov-2004 03:48
Multiple inheritence is often more trouble than it's worth. For example, you have a class foo that inherits from both class bar and class baz. Classes bar and baz both have a fubar() method. When you create a foo object and call its fubar() method, which fubar() method is called: bar's or baz's?
It seems to me that using aggregate to glue one class's methods and data to another object is a bit like Ruby's fixins, but I could be wrong...
[[Editor's note:
The aggregate_* functions have been dropped, as of PHP 5
-S
]]
efredin at redtempest dot com
03-Mar-2004 02:35
03-Mar-2004 02:35
It is possible to override a method innherited from a parent class by simply re-defining the method (for those of us who enjoy using abstract classes).
<?php
class A
{
var $foo;
function A()
{
$this->foo = "asdf";
}
function bar()
{
echo $this->foo." : Running in A";
}
}
class B extends A
{
function bar()
{
echo $this->foo." : Running in B";
}
}
$myClass = new B;
$myClass->bar();
?>
mazsolt at yahoo dot com
04-Jul-2003 05:49
04-Jul-2003 05:49
Just a simple example about inheritance:
<?php
class a1{
var $a=10;
function a1($a){
$this->a=$a;
}
}
class a2 extends a1{
var $x=11;
function a2($x,$y){
$this->x=$x;
parent::a1($y); // or a1::a1($y) or $this->a1($y)
}
}
class a3 extends a2{
var $q=999;
}
$x=new a3(99,9);
echo $x->a,"<br>",$x->x,"<br> ",$x->q;
?>
The output will be:
9
99
999
calimero at creatixnet dot com
23-Jun-2003 05:58
23-Jun-2003 05:58
Just a quick note to make things more clear : while multiple inheritance is not allowed, several levels of single inheritance ARE ALLOWED indeed. Just test this example :
<?php
class A {
var $name='A';
function disp() {
echo $this->name;
}
}
class B extends A {
var $name='B';
}
class C extends B {
var $name='C';
}
$truc = new C() ;
$truc->disp(); // Will output C
?>
This is especially important to keep in mind while building a huge object hierarchy. for example :
+GenericObject
->+ Person
->->Employee
->+Computer
->->+WorkStation
->->-> PPC
->->-> Intel
->->+Server
->->->LDAPServer
->->->IntranetWebServer
.. and so on. Multiple level hierarchy relationship are possible in a tree-like structure (each child has one and only one parent, except for the root object).
quinton at free dot fr
10-Jun-2003 10:07
10-Jun-2003 10:07
a nice example using extends and multiple classes and constructors.
<?php
class CoreObject {
var $name;
function CoreObject($name){
$this->_constructor($name);
}
function _constructor($name){
$this->name = $name;
}
function show(){
printf("%s::%s\n", $this->get_class(), $this->name);
}
function get_class(){
return get_class($this);
}
}
class Container extends CoreObject{
var $members;
function Container($name){
$this->_constructor($name);
}
function &add(&$ref){
$this->members[] = $ref;
return ($ref);
}
function show(){
parent::show();
foreach($this->members as $item){
$item->show();
}
}
function apply(){
}
}
class Person extends CoreObject{
function Person($name){
$this->_constructor($name);
}
}
class Family extends Container {
var $members;
function Family($name){
$this->_constructor($name);
}
}
echo "<pre>\n";
$family = new Family('my family');
$family->add(new Person('father'));
$family->add(new Person('mother'));
$family->add(new Person('girl'));
$family->add(new Person('boy'));
$family->show();
print_r($family);
?>
"inerte" is my hotmail.com username
27-Sep-2002 10:36
27-Sep-2002 10:36
[Editor's note: For an alternative to multiple inheritance, see the dynamic binding via object aggregation in the corresponding section of the manual.]
Multiple Inheritance is not supported but it is easy to emulate it:
<?php
class multipleInheritance
{
function callClass($class_to_call)
{
return new $class_to_call();
}
}
class A
{
function insideA()
{
echo "I'm inside A!<br />";
}
}
class B
{
function insideB()
{
echo "I'm inside B!<br />";
}
}
class C extends multipleInheritance
{
function insideC()
{
$a = parent::callClass('A');
$a->insideA();
$b = parent::callClass('B');
$b->insideB();
}
}
$c = new C();
$c->insideC();
?>
---
This will succesfully echo:
I'm inside A!
I'm inside B!
schultz at rancon dot de
16-Aug-2002 07:37
16-Aug-2002 07:37
This prints out 'ab'. No need to create a new instance of a, therefor both methods still exists with same name.
<?php
class a {
function samename(){
echo 'a';
}
}
class b extends a{
function samename(){
echo 'b';
}
function b(){
a::samename();
b::samename();
}
}
$test_obj = new b();
?>
griffon9 at hotmail dot com
18-Jul-2002 01:42
18-Jul-2002 01:42
Just to clarify something about inheritance. The following code :
<?php
class a
{
function call()
{
$this->toto();
}
function toto()
{
echo('Toto of A');
}
}
class b extends a
{
function toto()
{
echo('Toto of B');
}
}
$b=new b;
$b->call();
?>
...will correctly display "toto of B" (that is, the function declared in the parent is correctly calling the redefined function in the child)
php_AT_undeen_DOT_com
11-Dec-2001 08:31
11-Dec-2001 08:31
if the class B that extends class A does not have a constuctor function (i.e. a function named B), then the constructor function of A will be used instead, you don't need to make a constructor in B just to call the constructor of A.
For example:
<?php
class A
{
function A()
{
echo "HEY! I'm A!\n";
}
}
class B extends A
{
}
$b = new B();
?>
produces the output:
HEY! I'm A!
bpotier at edreamers dot org
07-Nov-2001 09:08
07-Nov-2001 09:08
Just one thing that may seem obvious but not mentionned in this page is that you need to include/require the file containing the parent class or else you'll get an error:
<?php
require(dirname(__FILE__).'/'.'myParent.php');
// ...
myChild extends myParent {
// ...
}
// ...
?>