Core PHP Programming, Third Edition

Chapter 6. Classes and Objects

Topics in This Chapter

• Object-Oriented Programming

• The PHP 5 Object Model

• Defining a Class

• Constructors and Destructors

• Cloning

• Accessing Properties and Methods

• Static Class Members

• Access Types

• Binding

• Abstract Methods and Abstract Classes

• User-Level Overloading

• Class Autoloading

• Object Serialization

• Namespaces

• The Evolution of the Zend Engine

This chapter discusses object-oriented programming and PHP's implementation of objects. If you're a PHP veteran, you will find many new features in this chapter. If you're relatively new to PHP, you may feel overwhelmed, in which case you way wish to set this chapter aside and return to it later. The functionality discussed here is useful but not necessary to most programming tasks.