Question

In PHP why can’t I do:

class C
{
   function foo() {}
}

new C()->foo();

but I must do:

$v = new C();
$v->foo();

In all languages I can do that…

Answer 1

In PHP, you can’t call an arbitrary method on a freshly created object like new Foo()->someMethod();

Sorry, but that’s the way it is.

But you could build a work around like this:

<?php
class CustomConstructor
{
  public static function customConstruct($methodName)
  {
    $obj = new static; //only available in PHP 5.3 or later
    call_user_method($methodName, $obj);
    return $obj;
  }
}

Extend CustomContructor like this:

class YourClass extends CustomConstructor
{
  public function someCoolMethod()
  {
    //cool stuff
  }
}

And instantiate them like this:

$foo = YourClass::customConstruct('someCoolMethod');

I have not tested it but this or something like it should work.

Correction: This will only work in PHP 5.3 and later since late static binding is required.