Question

In other words, php

$object->method();

and

$object->property = 'someValue';

---

is equivalent to, js:

$object.method();

and

$object.property = 'someValue';

I am curious, or is my php and js understanding messed up?

Answer 1

Similar, and yet so different.

One big — but not exclusive! — difference is that, in PHP, methods are bound to an instance of a class, while in JavaScript, methods are just functions (which are first-class-values) that happen to be named by (“stored in”) properties of objects.

Since PHP methods are bound to an instance of a class, this means that $this inside does not change depending on how the method was invoked.

In JavaScript, however, object.member(...) is equivalent to object["member"].call(object, ...): the this inside the JavaScript method is entirely dependent upon how the function is invoked. (This is why callbacks in JavaScript sometimes require closures to pass this through correctly.)

As you continue to learn/use both languages (and hopefully different languages entirely!), you will be able to see more similarities and differences in both fundamental design differences and syntax. Learning to “respect” a language, for what it is and how it does things, is a good way to be friends with it.

Happy coding.