Question

I have this User class

class User{
  private    $logged = false;
  private    $id;

  public function User() {
      //> Check if the user is logged in with a cookie-database and set $logged=true;
  }  

  public function isLogged() {}
  public function editPerms() {}

  //> other methods    
}

Well now considering I can’t have more than 1 user logged (of course because we are talking for a single http request) in Where should i store the ref of my istance?

This is the case where singleton would be useful but these days everyone say singleton is evil (like static methods).

• http://misko.hevery.com/2008/08/17/singletons-are-pathological-liars/
• http://misko.hevery.com/2008/12/15/static-methods-are-death-to-testability/

I could do a $GLOBALS['currentUser'] = new User(); and having it accesible everywhere but I think this is worse than a singleton.

So what Can I do?
Please note I don’t need to save this instance between requests. I just need a way to access this instance in my framework within the same request.

If you want to know what i do now for all of my Helper Objects is a Service Container (that’s considered as well bad):

function app($class) {      //> Sample
    static $refs = array();

    if (!isset($refs[$class]))
        $refs[$class] = new $class();

    return $refs[$class];
}

//> usage app('User')->methods();

(IE what symfony does)

Answer 1

Patterns are supposed to be a helpful guide, like a library of previously successful software abstractions. Too often these days people view patterns as being some kind of religion where things are either “right” or “wrong” regardless of the context of the program.

Think about what you want to achieve and map in out in a way that makes sense to you. Fuggering about with minute distinctions between this pattern and that pattern misses the point, and it won’t get your program written. Learn by doing!

HTH.