is_callable

Verify that the contents of a variable can be called as a function. This can check that a simple variable contains the name of a valid function, or that an array contains a properly encoded object and function name.

The value to check

If set to TRUE the function only verifies that name might be a function or method. It will only reject simple variables that are not strings, or an array that does not have a valid structure to be used as a callback. The valid ones are supposed to have only 2 entries, the first of which is an object or a string, and the second a string.

Receives the "callable name". In the example below it is "someClass::someMethod". Note, however, that despite the implication that someClass::SomeMethod() is a callable static method, this is not the case.

Returns TRUE if var is callable, FALSE otherwise.

<?php
//  How to check a variable to see if it can be called
//  as a function.

//
//  Simple variable containing a function
//

function someFunction() 
{
}

$functionVariable = 'someFunction';

var_dump(is_callable($functionVariable, false, $callable_name));  // bool(true)

echo $callable_name, "\n";  // someFunction

//
//  Array containing a method
//

class someClass {

  function someMethod() 
  {
  }

}

$anObject = new someClass();

$methodVariable = array($anObject, 'someMethod');

var_dump(is_callable($methodVariable, true, $callable_name));  //  bool(true)

echo $callable_name, "\n";  //  someClass::someMethod

?>

function_exists() -

method_exists() -