PHP Dynamic object operator within foreach loop - php

Question

I've got this function:
$request = array("setNewDoc", "setNewFile");
foreach($request as $key => $val) {
$result = $controller->setNewDoc($key);
$smarty->assign('result', $result);
$index = TPL_DIR . 'docs.tpl';
}
Is it possible to make this loop dynamic with putting a variable in my pointer? The $keys in my array are also the name of the function.
Like $controller->$variable($key);
Like this(pseudo code)
$result = array("setNewDoc", "setNewFile");
foreach($request as $key => $val) {
$result = $controller->set$key($request);
$smarty->assign('result', $result);
// $key = setNewDoc or setNewFile
$index = TPL_DIR . $key . '.tpl';
}

Answer 1

Yes you can.
You can use it to cast a new object or to acces a property.
For exmaple
$classname = foo;
$prop=name;
$myObject = new $classname();
$myObject->{$prop} or a function: $myObject->{$prop}()
You can even foreach over an object's properties
foreach ($myObject as $key => $value) {
print $key // would be name
print $value // would be the value of the property
}

Answer 2

Yes that's possible and it is in fact pretty easy:
<?php
class MyClass {
function myMethod()
{
echo "Hello World";
}
}
$obj = new MyClass();
$dynamicVar = 'Method';
$obj->{'my' . $dynamicVar}();
enclose your method name with curly brackets and you can do some string concatenation inside. Once everything inside the the brackets is processed it will eventually used as your method name.
For your specific use case you would write something like
<?php
$result = array("setNewDoc", "setNewFile");
foreach($request as $key => $val) {
$result = $controller->{'set' . $key}($request);
$smarty->assign('result', $result);
// $key = setNewDoc or setNewFile
$index = TPL_DIR . $key . '.tpl';
}