Question

I have faced a curious condition and maybe you can help me understand that.

$object = array('controller' => 'frontend_shop', 'method' => 'category');

include_once(PATH.'controllers/'.$object['controller'].'.php');

$controller = new $object['controller']($object);

class Frontend_shop extends Controller {

   public $controller;

   public function __construct($object)
   {

    // Works
    $this->$object['method']();

    //Don´t work
    $this->controller = $object;
    $this->controller['method']();

    }

   public function category()
   {
       echo 'hello';
   }
}

This works and ‘hello’ is displayed

    $this->$object['method']();

But when I assign this array to a class variable like:

    $this->controller = $object;
    $this->controller['method']();

I get:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function category() in /usr/lib/app/application/controllers/frontend_shop.php on line 10

Of course I know that I can use the first method, but maybe you can explain whats could be wrong in the class variable way of do it. Thanks

Answer 1

you would need something like

$this->{$this->controller['method']}();

$this->controller['method'] resolves to a string(the method name). but methods must be called upon an object(otherwise they’re functions, not methods), and thats where the other $this-> resolution comes in.

I prefer

$callable = array($this, $this->controller['method']);
call_user_func($callable);

I don’t like the litteral call syntax, as you have to look closely at the code to see whats really going on.

http://php.net/manual/en/function.call-user-func.php

http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.types.callable.php