Examples:
Property declaration
Class properties must be defined as public, private, or protected. If declared using var, the property will be defined as public.
<?php
/**
* Define MyClass
*/
class MyClass
{
public $public = 'Public';
protected $protected = 'Protected';
private $private = 'Private';
function printHello()
{
echo $this->public;
echo $this->protected;
echo $this->private;
}
}
$obj = new MyClass();
echo $obj->public; // Works
echo $obj->protected; // Fatal Error
echo $obj->private; // Fatal Error
$obj->printHello(); // Shows Public, Protected and Private
/**
* Define MyClass2
*/
class MyClass2 extends MyClass
{
// We can redeclare the public and protected method, but not private
protected $protected = 'Protected2';
function printHello()
{
echo $this->public;
echo $this->protected;
echo $this->private;
}
}
$obj2 = new MyClass2();
echo $obj2->public; // Works
echo $obj2->protected; // Fatal Error
echo $obj2->private; // Undefined
$obj2->printHello(); // Shows Public, Protected2, Undefined
?>
Method Declaration
Class methods may be defined as public, private, or protected. Methods declared without any explicit visibility keyword are defined as public.
<?php
/**
* Define MyClass
*/
class MyClass
{
// Declare a public constructor
public function __construct() { }
// Declare a public method
public function MyPublic() { }
// Declare a protected method
protected function MyProtected() { }
// Declare a private method
private function MyPrivate() { }
// This is public
function Foo()
{
$this->MyPublic();
$this->MyProtected();
$this->MyPrivate();
}
}
$myclass = new MyClass;
$myclass->MyPublic(); // Works
$myclass->MyProtected(); // Fatal Error
$myclass->MyPrivate(); // Fatal Error
$myclass->Foo(); // Public, Protected and Private work
/**
* Define MyClass2
*/
class MyClass2 extends MyClass
{
// This is public
function Foo2()
{
$this->MyPublic();
$this->MyProtected();
$this->MyPrivate(); // Fatal Error
}
}
$myclass2 = new MyClass2;
$myclass2->MyPublic(); // Works
$myclass2->Foo2(); // Public and Protected work, not Private
class Bar
{
public function test() {
$this->testPrivate();
$this->testPublic();
}
public function testPublic() {
echo "Bar::testPublic\n";
}
private function testPrivate() {
echo "Bar::testPrivate\n";
}
}
class Foo extends Bar
{
public function testPublic() {
echo "Foo::testPublic\n";
}
private function testPrivate() {
echo "Foo::testPrivate\n";
}
}
$myFoo = new Foo();
$myFoo->test(); // Bar::testPrivate
// Foo::testPublic
?>
Accessing private members of the same object type
Objects of the same type will have access to each others private and protected members even though they are not the same instances. This is because the implementation specific details are already known when inside those objects.
<?php
class Test
{
private $foo;
public function __construct($foo)
{
$this->foo = $foo;
}
private function bar()
{
echo 'Accessed the private method.';
}
public function baz(Test $other)
{
// We can change the private property:
$other->foo = 'hello';
var_dump($other->foo);
// We can also call the private method:
$other->bar();
}
}
$test = new Test('test');
$test->baz(new Test('other'));
?>
The above example will output:
string(5) "hello" Accessed the private method.
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