Re: Class Variable Scope Question

Mike Dunlop wrote:

Hi Guys, I am wondering how to be able to call a class variable from within an outside function using the "::" syntax: See an example of the logic I am using below: class myClass {

        var $variable = 1;
    

// this works in php4. <?php class myClass { function showVar($key = null) {

    static $defvar = "default",
           $vars = array(

"a"=>1,"b"=>2,"c"=>3

           );

    if (empty($key)) {
        return $defvar;
    } else if (isset($vars[$key])) {
        return $vars[$key];
    }	

}} function extFunction() {

    return myClass::showVar();

} echo extFunction(),"\n",

     myClass::showVar("a"),"\n",
     myClass::showVar("b"),"\n",
     myClass::showVar("c"),"\n";

?>

} $obj = new myClass; function extFunction() {

    return myClass::showVar();

} I am assuming this isn't working because by calling myClass::showVar ()

don't assume - run the code and find out :-) the fact that you think that it might even be possible that doing myClass::showVar() would cause $this in showVar() to refer to $obj suggests that you don't understand [to some degree] either classes, objects and/or scope (or at least how its implemented/applied in php).

instead of $obj->showVar() "$this" would be undefined...does anyone know how to workaround this (e.g. direct access to a variable via "::"

it's hard to define a workaround if we don't know what your trying to achieve and why('why' often speaks volumes :-).

syntax like myClass::variable). Does PHP5 address this at all?

yup. :-) please install php5 straight away :-P php -r ' class T { private static $U = "V"; static function W() { return self::$U; } } echo T::W(),"\n"; ' now start reading here, plenty of nice OO features that blow php4 out of the water in that context: http://php.net/php5

Many thanks on this. Best, Mike D ................................................................... Mike Dunlop Director of Technology Development [ e ] miked@m80im.com [ p ] 323.644.7808