Pondering implementation: Instantiate class based on constant without reflection - php

Second update
I think I've been approaching this problem from the wrong side of the coin. Would I be correct in assuming that I should be making 'First' an abstract class and just finding a way to reference 'Second' and 'Third' at a later time?
Update
Based on some of the feedback, I have added some content to try and clear up what I would like to do. Something similar to this effect.
I know from just looking at the code below that, it is a waste of performance "if" it did work and because it doesn't, know I am approaching the problem from the wrong angle.The end objective isn't all to uncommon at a guess from some of the frameworks I've used.
I'm more trying to base this particular bit of code on the CodeIgniter approach where you can define (what below) is STR_CLASS_NAME in a config file and then at any point through the operation of the program, use it as i have dictated.
STR_CLASS_NAME = 'Second';
class First {
protected $intTestOne = 100;
public function __construct() {
$strClassName = STR_CLASS_NAME;
return new $strClassName();
}
public function TestOne() {
echo $this->intTestOne;
}
protected function TestThreePart() {
return '*Drum ';
}
}
class Second extends First{
/* Override value to know it's working */
protected $intTestOne = 200;
/* Overriding construct to avoid infinite loop */
public function __construct() {}
public function TestTwo() {
echo 'Using method from extended class';
}
public function TestThree() {
echo $this->TestThreePart().'roll*';
}
}
$Test = new First();
$Test->TestOne(); <-- Should echo 200.
$Test->TestTwo(); <-- Should echo 'Using method from extended class'
$Test->TestThree(); <-- Should echo '*Drum roll*'
You may be asking, why do this and not just instantiate Second, well, there are cases when it is slightly different:
STR_CLASS_NAME = 'Third';
class Third extends First{
/* Override value to know it's working */
protected $intTestOne = 300;
/* Overriding construct to avoid infinite loop */
public function __construct() {}
public function TestTwo() {
echo 'Using method from extended class';
}
public function TestThree() {
echo $this->TestThreePart().'snare*';
}
}
$Test = new First();
$Test->TestOne(); <-- Should echo 300.
$Test->TestTwo(); <-- Should echo 'Using method from extended class'
$Test->TestThree(); <-- Should echo '*Drum snare*'
Situation
I have a an abstract class which extends a base class with the actually implementation; in this case a basic DB wrapper.
class DBConnector ()
class DBConnectorMySQLi extends DBConnector()
As you can see, MySQLi is the implementation. Now, dependant upon a value in the configuration process, a constant becomes the class name I wish to use which in this case (as shown below builds DBConnectorMySQLi.
define('STR_DB_INTERFACE', 'MySQLi');
define('DB_CLASS', 'DBConnector'.STR_DB_INTERFACE);
Objective
To have a base class that can be extended to include the implementation
For the code itself not to need know what the name of the implementation actually is
To (in this case) be able to type or use a project accepted common variable to create DBConnectorMySQLi. I.E. $db or something similar. W
Issue
When it comes to actually calling this class, I would like the code to be shown as below. I was wondering whether this is at all possible without the need to add any extra syntax. On a side note, this constant is 100% guaranteed to be defined.
$DBI = new DB_CLASS();
Solution 1
I know it is possible to use a reflection class ( as discussed in THIS QUESTION) and this works via:
$DBI = new ReflectionClass(DB_CLASS);
However, this creates code that is "dirtier" than intended
Solution 2
Start the specific implementation of DBConnectorMySQLi within the constructor function of DBConnector.
define('STR_DB_INTERFACE', 'MySQLi');
define('DB_CLASS', 'DBConnector'.STR_DB_INTERFACE);
class DBConnector() { public function __construct() { $this->objInterface = new DBConnectorMySQLi(); }
class DBConnectorMySQLi()
This however would result in the need to keep on "pushing" variables from one to the other
Any advice is much appreciate

You can use variables when you instantiate a class.
$classname = DB_CLASS;
$DBI = new $classname();
Source: instantiate a class from a variable in PHP?

Related

PHP Class dynamically extending in runtime

Is it possible to dynamically extend a class object in PHP? And what would be the most elegant way of doing this?
Some example code for further explanation:
class BasicClass {
private $variable;
public function BasicFunction() {
// do something
$this->variable = 10;
}
}
class ExtendedClass extends BasicClass {
public function ExtendedFunction() {
// do something else with basic class variable
return $this->variable/2;
}
}
$A = new BasicClass();
If(condition for extension){
// A should be of class ExtendedClass
// and the current class variables should be kept
// ... insert the magic code here ...
// afterwards we would be able to use the ExtendedFunction with the original variables of the object
$A->ExtendedFunction();
}
One way of tackling this would be creating a new object of ExtendedClass and copying all the variables from the old object. But can this be done more elegantly?
Yes. It is possible. One way to do it would be using anonymous classes or simply overwriting the class itself(in your case $A) but that implies a little more logic and it's not as clean, so I won't get into it.
NOTE: Support for anonymous classes was added in PHP 7.
Using your example above we can compose the following code(I changed the visibility of the property in order to be able to use it in the extended class. I'd suggest you add a getter rather than changing the visibility).
class BasicClass {
public $variable;
public function BasicFunction() {
// do something
$this->variable = 10;
}
}
class ExtendedClass extends BasicClass {
public function ExtendedFunction() {
// do something else with basic class variable
return $this->variable / 2;
}
}
$A = new BasicClass();
if (TRUE) {
// A should be of class ExtendedClass
$A = new class extends ExtendedClass {
};
$A->ExtendedFunction();
}
Do note that this will overwrite $A. You'll still have all the available methods in it since inheritance is not lost by doing this.
Obviously whichever approach you take won't be the cleanest way you can do this.
My answer stands, but if you were to edit your question and provide more details on what it is you want to actually achieve by doing this perhaps a different approach is more suitable.
You can also achieve some magic using eval and possibly Reflection, but they're so magically magic I refuse to write the answer since it promotes such bad practices.

PHP: Shorthand Switch

I'm looking for more comfortable/more short version of Switch() statement in case of using multiple functions.
I'll give you one example: imagine 100-200 functions in one class, and you want to call only one of them by setting value to id in that class.
In my particular case, I have the following structure of PHP file:
<?php
class _main
{
function request($id)
{
switch($id)
{
case 0:
$this->writeA();
break;
case 1:
$this->writeB();
break;
///...
// then we have 100-200 functions like this in switch.
}
}
function writeA()
{
echo('a');
}
function writeB()
{
echo('b');
}
}
$id = 1;
$x = new _main();
$x->request($id);
?>
For some of you it may seem weird, but I don't want to have that much lines of code with case and break. For me, they are just making code more difficult to read.
(by the way, writing it 100 times will not making it fun for me too).
CONCLUSION
What could be the best,fast and comfortable method?
Can I store functions to array and then call them?
And will it affect performance? Will be Swicth() even faster?
Thank you :)
EDIT
Perhaps there is a different way of thinking/coding and not only array/switch thing.
I can't say I would ever recommend this but if you really want that many methods within a single class and a singular function to route the calls through...
<?php
class MyClass
{
public $id;
public function callFunction()
{
$funcName = 'execute' . $this->id;
return $this->$funcName();
}
private function execute1()
{
echo 'execute1() Called.';
}
private function execute2()
{
echo 'execute2() Called.';
}
}
$c = new MyClass();
$c->id = 1;
$c->callFunction();
Output:
execute1() Called.
I feel like there is most likely another way to approach this with more information utilising Interfaces and Abstract classes, but with the information to go off the above might suffice your requirement.
Edit: Sadly I don't have the time right now to come up with a detailed solution, and I don't really have enough information to go off but perhaps utilising interfaces is your best solution for your requirement. Below is a very quick example.
<?php
interface WritableInterface
{
public function write($data);
}
class VersionOneWriter implements WritableInterface
{
public function write($data)
{
return $data . '<br/>';
}
}
class VersionTwoWriter implements WritableInterface
{
public function write($data)
{
return $data . $data . '<br/>';
}
}
class MyMainClass
{
public function request(WritableInterface $writer, $data)
{
return $writer->write($data);
}
}
$c = new MyMainClass();
$w1 = new VersionOneWriter();
$w2 = new VersionTwoWriter();
echo $c->request($w1, 'DataString');
echo $c->request($w2, 'DataString');
Essentially when you call your request function you pass along a Writer class which implements the WritableInterface. Anything that implements that interface has to have a write() method.
Now when you pass your data across with your method, since you are also passing a writer along that can handle the data you can safely call ->write($data) within your request() method and the result will be dependent on the class you passed through.
If you ever need another method of writing you can just add create another class that implements your interface
Hopefully that made some sense, it was a bit of a ramble as I have to disappear for a bit. If you have any questions I'll try to check back when I have time.
--
Edit2:
The define() in this instance requires PHP7+ since I'm defining an array, but you could prior to PHP7 you could just use a standard array. $classMap = ['FirstClass', 'SecondClass'];
interface MyInterface {}
class FirstClass implements MyInterface {}
class SecondClass implements MyInterface {}
$requestParam = 1;
define('CLASS_MAP', array(
'FirstClass',
'SecondClass',
));
$classMap = CLASS_MAP[$requestParam]; // SecondClass
$class = new $classMap;
var_dump($class); // Dumps out: object(SecondClass)#1 (0) {}

What is a Constructor in PHP Used For?

Before anyone says anything. I've been to many articles, and I just can't wrap my head around the purpose of a constructor.
I've found an example on a site. Here's the code:
<?php
class dogtag {
public $Words;
}
class dog {
public $Name;
public $DogTag;
public function bark() {
print "Woof!\n";
}
public function __construct($DogName) {
print "Creating $DogName\n";
$this->Name = $DogName;
$this->DogTag = new dogtag;
$this->DogTag->Words = "My name is $DogName. If you find me, please call 555-1234";
}
}
class poodle extends dog {
public function bark() {
print "Yip!\n";
}
}
$poppy = new poodle("Poppy");
print $poppy->DogTag->Words . "\n";
?>
It echoes out the following:
Creating Poppy My name is Poppy. If you find me, please call 555-1234
May someone please explain this code to me like I'm 5. I just don't get it.
A constructor is used to do any initial process required once a new class object was initiated. Ok so that was pretty fancy right? Lets break down what that means with an example. Lets first make a class, and inside that class put some variables, some functions, and a constructor! (It's easier for me to explain the concept behind a constructor with a simpler class. babysteps.)
<?php
class myInfo
{
protected $limit;
public function __construct($limit = 10)
{
$this->limit = $limit;
}
public function awesomesauce() {
//...some random code...
}
}
$variable = new myInfo();//initiating an instance of class myInfo
?>
The code $variable = new myInfo(); is initiating an object of type myInfo. When that initiation happened, the php code knows that right away, the constructor function public function __construct($limit = 10) has to be called. In this case, the value of $limit is made to be 10. However, if I later on do the following code:
$variableTwo = new myInfo(20);
The variable passed inside the parenthesis would be passed directly into the constructor function.
So depending on the specific situation I could either pass no variables when creating an instance of type myInfo, in which case the constructor function would use the default value of ($limit = 10) or I could pass a value. If php did not have the ability to use constructors, I would literally have to manually change that variable with a new line of code every time I initiated a new object of class myInfo. Now this is just a simple example. Imagine if you need to not only initiate values, but run functions that work with API's somewhere else on your server. You can definitely see the benefit of having this happen automatically instead of being forced to write multiple lines of code every single time an object is initiated.
Let me know if that helped.

Design nightmare with PHP

I've been trying for a long time now to find a correct design using PHP to achieve what I want, but everything I've tried failed and I'm guessing it's probably because I'm not looking from the right angle, so I wish some of you can enlighten me and give me some good advice!
The design might seem a little weird at first, but I assure you it's not because I like to make things complicated. For the sake of simplicity I'm only giving the minimal structure of my problem and not the actual code. It starts with these:
<?php
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Mother_A
{
const _override_1 = 'default';
protected static $_override_2 = array();
public static function method_a()
{
$c = get_called_class();
// Uses $c::_override_1 and $c::$_override_2
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Mother_B extends Mother_A
{
public function method_b()
{
// Uses self::method_a()
}
}
Class Mother_A defines a static method that uses constants and statics to be overridden by children. This allows to define a generic method (equivalent of a "template" method) in the derived class Mother_B. Neither Mother_A or Mother_B are intended to be instanciated, but Mother_B should not be abstract. This exploits Late Static Binding, which I find very useful btw.
Now comes my problem. I want to define two classes, in n distinct 'situations' (situation 1, situation 2, etc):
<?php
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Child_A_Situation_k extends Mother_A
{
// Uses method_a
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Child_B_Situation_k extends Mother_B
{
// Uses method_a and method_b
}
Of course I'm not actually giving these stupid names; both classes have different names in each situation, but both follow the same derivation pattern from Mother_A and Mother_B. However, in each individual case ('situation'), both classes need the exact same constants/static override, and I don't know how to do that without duplicating the override manually in both classes.
I tried many things, but the closest I got was to implement an interface Interface_Situation_k that defined constants and statics for the situation k, and make both children implement this interface. Of course, you can't define statics in an interface, so it failed, but you get the idea. I would have traded the interface for a class, but then there's no multiple inheritance in PHP, so it's not valid either. :/ I'm really stuck, and I can't wait to read a possible solution! Thanks in advance!
this is the best i can do, i don't think there is a way to do it with less code.
Look at the comments inside the code for more info.
Fully working code:
<?php
class Mother_A
{
// you're using '_override_1' as a variable, so its obviously not a constant
// also i made it public for the setSituation function,
// you could keep it protected and use reflections to set it
// but i dont really see a reason for that.
// if you want that, look up how to set private/protected variables
public static $_override_1 = 'default';
public static $_override_2 = array();
public static function method_a()
{
$c = get_called_class();
var_dump($c::$_override_1);
var_dump($c::$_override_2);
// Uses $c::_override_1 and $c::$_override_2
}
public static function setSituation($className)
{
$c = get_called_class();
// iterate through the static properties of $className and $c
// and when the you find properties with the same name, set them
$rBase = new ReflectionClass($c);
$rSituation = new ReflectionClass($className);
$staBase = $rBase->getStaticProperties();
$staSituation = $rSituation->getStaticProperties();
foreach($staSituation as $name => $value)
{
if(isset($staBase[$name])) $c::$$name = $value;
}
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------
class Mother_B extends Mother_A
{
public function method_b()
{
self::method_a();
}
}
class Situation_k
{
public static $_override_1 = 'k';
public static $_override_2 = array('k','k');
}
class Child_A_Situation_k extends Mother_A { }
Child_A_Situation_k::setSituation('Situation_k');
// This is not as short as writing 'extends Mother_A, Situation_k'
// but i think you wont get it shorter
class Child_B_Situation_k extends Mother_B { }
Child_B_Situation_k::setSituation('Situation_k');
echo '<pre>';
Child_A_Situation_k::method_a();
echo "\n";
Child_B_Situation_k::method_a();
echo "\n";
Child_B_Situation_k::method_b();
echo "\n";
echo '</pre>';
?>

Static variable assignment in descendent bubbles up to parent?

I've run into a problem and I'm not sure if this is just normal behaviour or if I wrote something wrong. I have a method in my base class that applies a global filter to a given class by way of creating a proxy for all new instances of that particular class. The way I planned to go about it is as follows:
Attach static $global_filter (the proxy) to the class I want to be filtered, which extends the base class object
Via my loading mechanism, return the proxy instead of the actual class upon new instantiations (which will mask method calls and apply filters accordingly)
However, I am getting stuck in step 1 and it seems that when I try to assign static $global_filter to the descendent class I want filtered, my base class object also gets the same assignment, which breaks everything else that extends from it.
Please see below for relevant code:
class object {
public static $global_filter;
public function _filterGlobal($class, $method, $callback) {
if ( !is_object($class::$global_filter) ) {
$class::$global_filter = new filterable(null);
# Replace the object being called with the new proxy.
}
var_dump($class);
var_dump($class::$global_filter); // `filterable`
var_dump(\core\blueprint\object::$global_filter); // Returns same as line above
die();
return $class::$global_filter->_add($method, $callback);
}
}
Both $class::$global_filter and \core\blueprint\object::$global_filter (the base class) are returning same instance. Whereas I expected object::$global_filter to be null.
I'm not using late static binding in order to preserve consistency (both single-object filters and global filters are called much in the same way non-statically).
This question seems relevant
Any help will be much appreciated :)
Edit, full example
This would be a concrete class, which extends model which extends object
<?php
use core\blueprint\model;
class modelMock extends model {
protected $schema = array();
public function method($test) {
return $test;
}
}
This would be another object (e.g a controller), which extends object aswell. It applies a filter to all new instances of model
<?php
use core\blueprint\object;
class objectMock extends object {
public function applyFilters() {
$this->_filterGlobal('core\blueprint\model', 'method', function($self, $chain) {
$chain->params[0] = 'new param'; // adjust the paramters
return $chain->next();
});
}
}
when I try to assign static $global_filter to the descendent class I want filtered, my base class object also gets the same assignment
Yes, indeed this happens. A static property in essence is a global variable, constrained within the class's namespace. Running into problems with global variables is often an indication you're not using the best solution.
To solve your problem, you could make the filter a (non-static) property:
$class->$filter = new Whatever();
But as always, there's more roads that lead to Rome, and I would advise you to look for alterative ways to do it.
I don't know if this is a help for you:
class a {
public static $type;
public static function setType($class, $newType) {
$class::$type = $newType;
var_dump($class::$type);
}
}
class b {
public static $type = 'myType';
}
var_dump(b::$type);
a::setType('b', 'yourType');
var_dump(a::$type);
May be you have not defined the static property to the concrete class.
Thanks everyone for you help, I spent some time on it this morning and managed to solve my problem. It's a bit of a workaround but here's how it goes:
public function _filterGlobal($class, $method, $callback) {
if ( !is_object($class::$global_filter[$class]) ) {
$class::$global_filter[$class] = new filterable(null);
# Replace the object being called with the new proxy.
}
return $class::$global_filter[$class]->_add($method, $callback);
}
So basically in order to get unique static variables working in child classes without having to explicitly define them, you can use an array that stores the child's class name as a key and then access these variables via a getter.

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