how to handle the states of an object [closed] - php

Question

Closed. This question is opinion-based. It is not currently accepting answers.
Want to improve this question? Update the question so it can be answered with facts and citations by editing this post.
Closed 4 years ago.
Improve this question
What would be the correct way to handle the types of state that an object can have in an application?
For example, if i have an AcceptanceCriteria class, i need to verify if it is accepted, rejected or pending.
I usually do it by returning numbers that represent the state, but it does not seem like a good form, it can be confusing.
for example:
class AcceptanceCriteria
{
const PENDING = 0;
const ACCEPTED = 1;
const REJECTED = 2;
protected $state = self::PENDING;
public function accept():void
{
$this->state = self::ACCEPTED;
}
public function reject():void
{
$this->state = self::REJECTED;
}
public function state():int
{
return $this->state;
}
}
I need to check the state frequently and also show it in the front, what is a better way to do it? I dont want to check in the front if and acceptance criteria state is 0, 1 or 2 for do something.

Answer 1

How about some accessors that return booleans rather than ints so your algorithm is completely encapsulated?
class AcceptanceCriteria
{
const PENDING = 0;
const ACCEPTED = 1;
const REJECTED = 2;
protected $state = self::PENDING;
public function accept():void
{
$this->state = self::ACCEPTED;
}
public function reject():void
{
$this->state = self::REJECTED;
}
// Accessors
public function is_rejected():bool
{
return self::PENDING == $this->state;
}
public function is_accepted():bool
{
return self::ACCEPTED == $this->state;
}
public function is_rejected():bool
{
return self::REJECTED == $this->state;
}
}

Answer 2

Its good way to use strongly typed enums. You can use splEnum or smart implementation from My C-Labs.
First move your states to separated enum class
<?php
use MyCLabs\Enum\Enum;
class AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum extends Enum
{
private const PENDING = 0;
private const ACCEPTED = 1;
private const REJECTED = 2;
}
then you can modify your class like bellow
class AcceptanceCriteria
{
protected $state = AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum::PENDING;
public function setState(AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum $state):void
{
$this->state = $state;
}
public function getState():int
{
return $this->state;
}
public function isInState(AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum $checkState):bool
{
return $this->state == $checkState;
}
}
for checking state you can use method isInState which return boolean
$obj = new AcceptanceCriteria();
$obj->setState(AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum::ACCEPTED);
// check status
echo $obj->isInState(AcceptanceCriteriaStateEnum::ACCEPTED);