Question

Is it possible to add methods to functions?

For example:

<?
function func(){
    ;
}
//add method
func->test = function(){
    ;
}

func->test();
func();

I’m coming from a javascript background, and therefore I’m used to ‘everything is an object’.

EDIT:

I was just explaining where the misconception may often come from for new phpers. I understand the above code doesn’t work.

EDIT 2

Figured it out.

class myfunc_class{
    function __invoke(){
            //function body
    }
    function __call($closure, $args)
    {
        call_user_func_array($this->$closure, $args);
    }
}
$func = new myfunc_class;

$func->test = function(){
    echo '<br>test<br>';
};

$func->test();
$func();

Even sexier 🙂

class func{
    public $_function;
    function __invoke(){
        return call_user_func_array($this->_function,func_get_args());
    }
    function __construct($fun){
        $this->_function = $fun;
    }
    function __call($closure, $args)
    {
        call_user_func_array($this->$closure, $args);
    }
}
$func = new func(function($value){
    echo $value;
});

$func->method = function(){
    echo '<br>test<br>';
};

$func('someValue');
$func->method();

Answer 1

No, because an object is a different PHP language construct than a function. Functions do not have properties, but are instead simply execution instructions.

But, if func were instead a pre-defined class, then yes… with a bit of witchcraft, ignoring public outcry, foregoing readability and PHP coding standards, and by using closures with the __call() magic method…

class func
{

    function __call($func, $args)
    {
        return call_user_func_array($this->$func, $args);
    }

}


$obj = new func;

$obj->test = function($param1, $param2)
{
    return $param1 + $param2;
};

echo $obj->test(1,1);

This won’t work as you’d think without __call(), because by $obj->test(1,1), PHP thinks you’re trying to call a non-existent method of func when out of object scope. But inside, being that the new "test" property is of a type: closure, the call_user_func_array() just sees the "test" property as just another function, so you can hide this bit of trickery from outside scope.