Chapter 2. Objects in PHP

 

This chapter covers:

  • 2.1 Object fundamentals 19
  • 2.2 Exception handling 25
  • 2.3 Object references in PHP 4 and PHP 5 31
  • 2.4 Intercepting method calls and class instantiation 34
  • 2.5 Summary 39

It’s been said that most programming languages are at their best before they are implemented. That may be true for languages that were designed according to ambitious specifications, but PHP is definitely not one of those. Its humble beginnings are illustrated by the original meaning of the acronym PHP: Personal Home Page. It started out as a simple way to add dynamic content to HTML pages and grew into a more and more complete programming language. Object orientation was not originally part of the language, but has gradually grown in importance. Version 5 has moved PHP into the mainstream of object-oriented languages. It provides most of the features programmers expect in an object-oriented language, while maintaining dynamic typing and still letting us choose our programming style.

That’s why PHP 5 is an important tool in your toolkit. It eases the burden of writing object-oriented code, allowing you to focus more on getting the design right and implementing it, instead of struggling to satisfy the demands of the language.

2.1. Object fundamentals

2.2. Exception handling

2.3. Object references in PHP 4 and PHP 5

2.4. Intercepting method calls and class instantiation

2.5. Summary