Should have asked someone this a long time ago.
What is the best way to use other classes within another class?
For instance, lets say I have an application class:
class Application
{
public function displayVar() {
echo 'hello world';
}
}
and a database class
class Database
{
// connects to db on construct
public function query() {
// queries db
}
}
now, i want to add a function to my application class that uses a function from the db class
class Application
{
public function displayVar() {
echo 'hello world';
}
public function getVar() {
global $db;
$sql = foo;
$db->query($sql);
}
}
so then I have
$db = new Database();
$app = new Application();
$app->getVar('var');
Is there a better way of doing this? Really what I am looking for is the standard way of doing it, not another way of rigging it.
There are a couple of ways of doing that. Global variables is certainly one way and the most looked down upon too. You can create a Singleton and all other classes that need database access would call upon this singleton.
final class Database {
private static $connection;
public static function getInstance() {
if(self::$connection == NULL) {
self::$connection = // init your database connection
}
return self::$connection;
}
}
And use this database connection object in whatever class needs it.
class Application {
public function displayVar() {
echo 'hello world';
}
public function getVar() {
$db = Database::getInstance();
$sql = foo;
$db->query($sql);
}
}
This is all well for a start and a great step beyond using global variables, but you can do better with Dependency Injection. Dependency Injection is a simple concept that if a class has any external dependencies, such as the database connection in your example, you explicitly pass those to the needy class in its constructor or a method. So the new code would look something like Jonathan's solution. A major advantage of using dependency injection is in unit testing, where you can easily replace this actual database object with a mock object and pass it to whoever needs it.
class Application {
private $db;
public function __construct(Database $db) {
$this->db = $db;
}
public function displayVar() {
echo 'hello world';
}
public function getVar() {
$sql = foo;
$this->db->query($sql);
}
}
For smaller projects, you can easily do it yourself. For large projects, there are various DI frameworks available for PHP
$db could be a property of your Application class. Any reference to it from within an instance of Application would be done via $this - $this->db
class Application {
private $db = null;
public function setDB($name) {
$this->db = new Database($name);
}
}
Include the class file (or set up autoinclude) in each PHP file that needs the class in question. Then instantiate it as needed.
If you need to have a "common" instance of an object, you can look at the Singleton and Factory patterns:
Singleton Pattern
Factory Pattern
Related
I have what seems like a simple query but I have not found an answer elsewhere.
I have 2 classes, one called DB which essentially connects to the database and can then run queries. I instantiate it at the top of the document $db= new DB; and I can then run a series of queries on the database throughout the page.
The issue I am having is that I want to use this instance within another class I have called User.
I know I can either instantiate again but this does not make sense OR pass the instance of DB when instantiating User, for instance $user = new User($db); but considering the $db instance will be used by most classes I am going to create I am thinking there is a better solution to import it into other classes.
I have looked at the global route but I read it is bad practice + I am getting unexpected global error
class User{
global $db;
public function __construct()
{
var_dump($this-> db);
}//end constructor
}//end class
Since your DB client will be instantiated once and then used everywhere else my initial thought was to recommend passing it as a constructor parameter (dependency injection), but since you are not fan of this approach, I would recommend making your DB client a singleton class, which means it can only be instantiated once and any subsequent attempt would return the same instance everywhere.
You can see a detailed response about singleton classes in PHP at Creating the Singleton design pattern in PHP5.
As a quick example, your DB would look like similar to this:
final class DB
{
public static function getInstance()
{
static $inst = null;
if ($inst === null) {
$inst = new self();
}
return $inst;
}
private function __construct()
{
// your code here ...
}
// your code here ...
}
And then, on your User class you would just get the DB class instance:
class User {
// your code here ...
public function doSomething() {
$db = DB::getInstance();
// your code here ...
}
}
PHP does not handle scopes like Javascript does, your $db is undefined.
The scope of a variable is the context within which it is defined. For the most part all PHP variables only have a single scope. This single scope spans included and required files as well […] Within user-defined functions a local function scope is introduced. Any variable used inside a function is by default limited to the local function scope.
Source: http://php.net/manual/en/language.variables.scope.php
This means that there is only a global scope and a function/method scope in PHP. So, either pass the $db instance into the method as a collaborator
class User{
public function __construct() {}
public function getInfo(Database $db) {
$db->query( /* ... */ );
}
}
$user = new User();
$db = new Database();
$user->getInfo($db);
or pass it in the constructor (dependency injection)
class User{
private $db;
public function __construct(Database $db)
{
$this->db = $db;
}
public function getInfo() {
$this->db->query( /* ... */);
}
}
$db = new Database();
$user = new User($db);
$user->getInfo();
I'm trying to learn how to properly code PHP OOP.
This is where I'm running into issues.
I created several classes that extend main Application class and I want to make things work properly.
I have main file that's index.php that looks like this:
include_once('classes/Application.php');
include_once('classes/Configuration.php');
include_once('classes/Database.php');
$app = new Application;
$config = new Configuration;
$db = new Database;
var_dump($app->db_connected);
var_dump($db->db_connected);
$db->connect($config->dbhost, $config->dbuser, $config->dbpass, $config->dbname);
var_dump($app->db_connected);
var_dump($db->db_connected);
The output is:
1. bool(false)
2. bool(false)
3. bool(false)
4. bool(true)
My main application file looks like this:
class Application {
public $db_connected = false;
}
And my Database class looks like this:
class Database extends Application {
function connect($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbname) {
if(!$this->db_connected) {
mysql_connect($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass) or die(mysql_error());
mysql_select_db($dbname) or die(mysql_error());
$this->db_connected = true;
}
}
}
So the question is, why would line #3 of the output of index.php display false? The db_connected property has been overridden in Database class and set to TRUE, but it still returns false.
Although when accessed directly from Database class instance it shows TRUE correctly. What's the deal here?
Also when does the class EXTEND command occurs? Whenever parent class' instance is created or I have to manually create instance of the child class?
It seems you are reaching for the concept of of a static variable all instances of a class share the same static variable so using the new twice will not be an issue.
You can see the code on ideaone.
// your code goes here
class Application {
static $db_connected = false;
}
class Database extends Application {
function connect() {
if(!static::$db_connected) {
static::$db_connected = true;
}
}
}
$app = new Application;
$db = new Database;
var_dump(Application::$db_connected);
var_dump(Database::$db_connected);
$db->connect();
var_dump(Application::$db_connected);
var_dump(Database::$db_connected);
Your comment make me think you are looking for a better pattern all together. I would like to throw out some key principles namely OCP and LSP SOLID.
In this case you would avoid having Application being an instance of Database but instead use dependency injection. Here is the refactored code.
class Database {
private $db_connect = false;
public function connect () {
if(!$this->db_connect) { /* do connection */ }
}
}
class Application {
private $db;
public function setDatabse(Database $db) {
$this->db = $db;
}
public function getDatabase() {
return $this->db;
}
}
$db = new Database;
$app = new Application;
$app->setDatabase($db);
$app->getDatabase()->connect();
This line is your hint
Although when accessed directly from Database class instance it shows TRUE correctly. What's the deal here?
You have 2 instances. Above you are checking $db instance which you connected with, and then you print from $app which was never connected. They are separate entities, one is connected one is not.
Extend occurs as soon as the file is loaded, read by the php interpreter, this happens regardless of ever using the class.
Extend is called from the child and inherits everything form the class it extends. So if you call a child method in the parent, well you are doing it backwards. It goes one way, Prent -> Child.
I would use Dependance injection for the database, then you can reuse it's code.
Like this:
//parent class
class Application {
//holds a reference to the Database class
protected static $db_conn = false;
public function __construct($db){
self::$db_conn = $db;
}
}
//child class of Application
class Application2 extends Application {
public function getSomething($id){
return self::$db_conn->getbyId($id) ;
}
}
//separate utility class
class Database{
static $conn;
public function __construct( $dbhost, $dbname, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbname) {
static::$conn = mysqli_connect($dbhost, $dbuser,$dbpass,$dbname);
}
public function getbyId( $id ){
..code to get stuff by id using $conn - previous connection ...
return $result;
}
}
$db = new Database("myhost", "myuser", "mypassw", "mybd");
$app = new Application2( $db );
$app->getSomething(1);
//create another app with the same database connection, this is the value of injecting it.
$second_app = new Application2( $db );
See you can reuse database over and over, you can replace it without changing the code in Application as long as the calls for the functions of the Database class don't change. Each thing is responsible for it's own business.
This is called separation of concerns.
Inheritance is good, when it's needed. You might have an basic application for free users of you're services and then extend that with a premium application for paid members. Sense they paid they get all the free functionality, but also the premium stuff to.
In my example above the database is something they both need, as well as other things will probably use this. Such as a login system may need a database connection, payment system might, a shopping cart might. These are all separate objects, they don't / nor should they extend off of one Master Class, that's a bad idea. Keep them separate.
STATIC
I seen mention of the :: static object operator. My example is a bit flawed when using the static property protected static $db_conn = false;
$app = new Application2( $db );
$second_app = new Application2( $db ); //assigning db 2x is not needed.
The reason for :: and the -> normal way. Is that static :: is shared across all instance of a class, and -> is just this instance of the class. I had assigned the $db class to a static variable 2 times a better way would have been like this.
//parent class
class Application {
protected static $db_conn = false;
//separate method then construct.
public function connect($db){
self::$db_conn = $db;
}
}
//we'll keep the rest of the code the same here.
$db = new Database();
$app = new Application2();
$app->connect( $db );
$second_app = new Application2();
$second_app->getSomething(1);
Now in this example $second_app never ran it's connect method. But because the first $app did and because the static for the database variable protected static $db_conn. Now all classes that have extended the Application class have a database connection. This is what static does. It's value is shared across all instance of the class. So when you see :: think all class instance and when you see -> think only this class instance. It's actually one thing I love about php, makes it so much easier to keep track of then in some other languages.
Not to confuse you but the other use of the :: is not actually needing an instance at all. Assume you have a Config class like this.
class Config{
static $db = 'hello';
static $items = array('one' => 'item 1' );
private __construct(){} // no construction allowed
static function getItem( $which ){
return self::$items[$which];
}
}
Now without ever creating an instance of the class by calling new Config() , you can simply.
echo Config::$db;
// prints hello
echo Config::getItem('one');
// prints 'item 1'
This is quite use full for config type classes. Where they are an empty shell just used to store data in and you don't need an object for them, essentially a way to keep things organized. So tying this in to the previous examples
$db = new Database(Config::$myhost, Config::$myuser, Config::$mypassw, Config::$mybd);
In your case best OOP practice is to use Mediator pattern. Concrete Mediator will be Application class:
class ApplicationBase {
private $db;
private $cfg;
public function setDb(Database $db) {
$this->db = $db; return $this;
}
public function setConfig(Config $cfg) {
$this->cfg = $cfg; return $this;
}
}
class Application extends ApplicationBase {
public function getDsn() {
return $this->cfg->getDsn();
}
public function getDbUser() {
return $this->cfg->getDbUser();
}
public function getDbPass() {
return $this->cfg->getDbPass();
}
public function getConnection() {
return $this->db->getConnection();
}
}
class AppComponent {
protected $app;
public function __construct(Application $app) {
$this->app = $app;
}
}
class Config extends AppComponent {
private $dsn;
private $dbuser;
private $dbpass;
// ... getters and setters
}
class Database extends AppComponent {
private $connection;
private function connect() {
$this->connection = new PDO(
$this->app->getDsn(),
$this->app->getUser(),
$this->app->getPass()
);
}
public function getConnection() {
if (null === $this->connection) $this->connect();
return $this->connection;
}
}
class Model extends AppComponent {
protected $table;
// Model stuff here
}
class Content extends Model {
public function getNews() {
$db = $this->app->getConnection();
return $db->query("SELECT * FROM $this->table LIMIT 5")->fetchAll();
}
}
Such architecture will be enough for simple, clean-looking applications and classes will be ready for easy unit-testing:
$app = new Application();
$cfg = new Config($app);
$db = new Database($app);
$app->setDb($db)->setConfig($cfg);
$content = new Content($app);
$news = $content->getNews();
I am building an API in PHP and I have a question. I'm using classes, and some of these classes need to access my database. However, I don't want to define variables for the database in every single class in order to open it, or have to send my mysqli object as a parameter of every single class constructor.
What would be the best way to go about this? Do I define a global variable of some kind?
A classic solution would be as follows
Create an instance of dbatabase handler class, either raw mysqli (worse) or better abstraction class (way better)
In the constructor of your application class take this db class instance as a parameter and assign it to a local variable
Use this variable with your class.
A quick example:
class Foo()
{
protected $db;
function __construct($db);
{
$this->db = $db;
}
function getBar($id)
{
return $this->db->getOne("SELECT * FROM bar WHERE id=?i", $id);
}
}
$db = new safeMysql();
$foo = new Foo($db);
$bar = $foo->getBar($_GET['id']);
How about using a static classes?
class mysqli_wrapper {
private static $db = null;
public static function open() {
GLOBAL $opts; // this can be global or setup in other ways
if (!self::$db) {
self::close();
self::$db = null;
}
self::$db = #mysqli_connect('p:'.$opts['hn'], $opts['un'], $opts['pw'], $opts['db']);
return self::$db;
}
public static function query($qry) {
return mysqli_query ( self::$db, $qry );
}
public static function affected_rows() { return #mysqli_affected_rows(self::$db); }
public static function error() { return #mysqli_error(self::$db); }
public static function close() { #mysqli_close(self::$db); }
} // end mysqli_wrapper
mysqli_wrapper::open(); // Here's how to call it
In a system I maintain my app needs to access its own MySQL db, as well as remote Oracle and SQL Server databases, and I use a trait for it. Here's a simplification of my code, just using MySQL:
dbaccess.php
trait DatabaseAccess {
protected $db;
private $host = 'host', $dbName = 'db', $username = 'username', $password = 'pword';
public function connectToMysql() {
$this->db= new mysqli(......);
}
}
then in myclass.php
require 'dbaccess.php';
class MyClass {
use DatabaseAccess;
//class code.....
}
All elements of DatabaseAccess will be available as if you hand-typed them in MyClass.
Note: if you're using PHP < 5.4, then this solution won't be possible.
I'm new to this level of PHP programming and I've been reading a post about singleton and static classes. I'm in the process of writing a class that would facilitate my DB connections.
I came across the following code by Jon Raphaelson (here) :
class ConnectionFactory
{
private static $factory;
public static function getFactory()
{
if (!self::$factory)
self::$factory = new ConnectionFactory(...);
return self::$factory;
}
private $db;
public function getConnection() {
if (!$this->db) // this line was modified due to comment
$this->db = new PDO(...); // this line was modified due to comment
return $db;
}
}
function getSomething()
{
$conn = ConnectionFactory::getFactory()->getConnection();
.
.
.
}
It seemed like I had found what I was looking for, however I have a few questions about it.
self::$factory = new ConnectionFactory(...); - I don't see a constructor in this class. Do I just create this constructor and pass in the db details ('dbname', 'user', 'pass', etc)?
the getSomething() function, I'm assuming that the intent was to put all of the actual functions that would retrieve data within the ConnectionFactory class - and this is the reason for this function being in this class. Otherwise, I would have expected this function to be within another class. [edit] SKIP THIS QUESTION, I didn't see the one bracket.
What happens when two users are logged into the site and are requesting the DB connection (both are doing updates, etc)? Will it be an issue that this is a singleton?
Thanks!
This is mostly to expand on my comments under the question...
The better "singleton" pattern would be this:
class ConnectionFactory {
protected static $connection;
public function getConnection() {
if (!self::$connection) {
self::$connection = new PDO(...);
}
return self::$connection;
}
}
The users of this factory should expect an instance of it, not call it themselves:
class Foo {
protected $connectionFactory;
public function __construct(ConnectionFactory $factory) {
$this->connectionFactory = $factory;
}
public function somethingThatNeedsAConnection() {
$connection = $this->connectionFactory->getConnection();
...
}
}
$foo = new Foo(new ConnectionFactory);
This allows Foo to get a connection itself when needed, but also allows you to inject some alternative connection into Foo, for example for testing purposes.
As a convenience measure and to cut down on instantiation complexity, this pattern is also good:
class Foo {
protected $connectionFactory;
public function __construct(ConnectionFactory $factory = null) {
if (!$factory) {
$factory = new ConnectionFactory;
}
$this->connectionFactory = $factory;
}
...
}
This still allows the dependency to be injected and overridden, but it doesn't require you to inject a factory every time you instantiate Foo.
The factory is a singleton because you're not want more than one factory.
You don't need a constructor, you can setup whatever state you need for the factory the getFactory() method. The getFactory() function doesn't get a connection, so don't do any connection related setup here, but not the connection object itself. Factories 'build instances' of classes for you to use, so you'd use the getConnection() method to set the state and construct the connection object the factory is supposed to generate.
getSomething() isn't a method in the ConnectionFactory class, it's just a example of using the factory class to get a factory, then get a connection.
I personally hate method chaining in PHP. What's really happening in getSomething() is:
function getSomething()
{
$factory = ConnectionFactory::getFactory();
$conn = $factory->getConnection();
.
.
.
}
A class doesn't need an explicit constructor in order to be instantiated with new ClassName(). However, if the class is supposed to be a singleton (and it looks like it in this case), the entire point of the pattern is making such instantiations impossible from outside of the class which is why I believe there should be a constructor declared with private keyword.
The get getSomething() is a "standalone" function with an example of using your class.
No. Multiple users use multiple instances of PHP processing your script and nothing is shared among them.
I know there were some questions about this opened, but I need a more "specific" example and solution.
Here is my Example:
databse.class.php
class db{
public function connect($conStr){...}
}
func.class.php
func class{
public insert_song(){
//ineed to use the conenct method from database
//then I would INERT INTO...
}
}
Questions:
1) Should I require or extend the db class in func class?
2) If I require, will the scope of the db class functions will remain? (lets say if I have a private variable there, will it be accessible from the out side?)
No, you should not require or extend the database class.
No, private variables or methods never get available outside the class. Protected variables are available to child classes only, public variables are...public.
You could require the file in which the database class lives somewhere in your config, so you can instantiate the database class wherever and whenever you want. But, as you'll probably need only one instance of the database object, you could just instantiate it in the config and pass it around using Dependency injection.
This basically means that you pass the database object to other objects needing one. A common way of dealing with database objects is using Constructor injection, although setter injection would do as well.
What you do is something similar to this:
// config:
$db = new Database;
$db->setConnectionValues();
$fooClass = new Foo($db);
$fooClass->insertSomething();
// fooClass:
class Foo
{
private $db;
public function __construct(Database $db)
{
$this->db = $db;
}
public function insertSomething()
{
$this->db->query("INSERT");
}
}
This solves most of your dependency problems.
// changed the class name, func is not good for a class name.
class Foo {
protected $db;
public setDb($db) {
$this->db = $db;
}
public insert_song(){
//ineed to use the conenct method from database
//then I would INERT INTO...
$this->db->insert(...);
}
}
Example:
// omited the error handling.
$db = new db();
$db->connect();
$foo = new Foo();
$foo->setDb($db);
$foo->insert_songs();
As part of Abstraction, you should separate the responsibilities for your classes. Your Database class should care about your Songs (which is how you should name it) class.
If your Songs class uses the Database class, you should inject it in the constructor as follows:
<?php
class Database {
public function connect($conStr) {
/*
* Connect to database here
*/
}
}
class Songs {
private $db;
public function __construct(Database $db) {
$this->db = $db;
}
public function insert_song($song) {
/*
* Now you can use $this->db as your database object!
*/
}
}