Calling a function within a Class method?

Question

I have been trying to figure out how to go about doing this but I am not quite sure how.

Here is an example of what I am trying to do:

class test {
     public newTest(){
          function bigTest(){
               //Big Test Here
          }
          function smallTest(){
               //Small Test Here
          }
     }
     public scoreTest(){
          //Scoring code here;
     }
}

Here is the part I am having problems with, how do I call bigTest()?

Just to make sure: a function and a method is exactly the same function === method. The term method is more often used in OO language to describe the function of a class. — markus, Nov 12 '09 at 20:54
The reason some of the terms are missing is I was on my way out of the office, so I was short on time. — WAC0020, Nov 13 '09 at 13:09
if what you need is to call bigTest fn from within scoreTest, you have to call it $this->bigTest(); — Paul, Sep 01 '21 at 08:30

score 217 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:38

217

Try this one:

class test {
     public function newTest(){
          $this->bigTest();
          $this->smallTest();
     }

     private function bigTest(){
          //Big Test Here
     }

     private function smallTest(){
          //Small Test Here
     }

     public function scoreTest(){
          //Scoring code here;
     }
}

$testObject = new test();

$testObject->newTest();

$testObject->scoreTest();

answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:38

Sergey Kuznetsov

8,591
4
25
22

1

Is it possible to run a `function()` from another .php page inside a class function and then grab results inside the class function? e.g I have a query that selects all from a table and then returns a fetch all result set. Is it possible to loop through that result set inside a classes function? e.g `class query{ public function show(){ getResults(); while($stmt->fetchCollumn()){ ECHO RESULTS HERE }` – James111 Aug 03 '15 at 02:15

score 26 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:48

The sample you provided is not valid PHP and has a few issues:

public scoreTest() {
    ...
}

is not a proper function declaration -- you need to declare functions with the 'function' keyword.

The syntax should rather be:

public function scoreTest() {
    ...
}

Second, wrapping the bigTest() and smallTest() functions in public function() {} does not make them private — you should use the private keyword on both of these individually:

class test () {
    public function newTest(){
        $this->bigTest();
        $this->smallTest();
    }

    private function bigTest(){
        //Big Test Here
    }

    private function smallTest(){
           //Small Test Here
    }

    public function scoreTest(){
      //Scoring code here;
    }
}

Also, it is convention to capitalize class names in class declarations ('Test').

Hope that helps.

score 15 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 13 '17 at 11:21

class test {
    public newTest(){
        $this->bigTest();
        $this->smallTest();
    }

    private  function bigTest(){
        //Big Test Here
    }

    private function smallTest(){
       //Small Test Here
    }

    public scoreTest(){
      //Scoring code here;
    }
 }

score 13 · Answer 4 · edited Sep 06 '15 at 04:51

I think you are searching for something like this one.

class test {

    private $str = NULL;

    public function newTest(){

        $this->str .= 'function "newTest" called, ';
        return $this;
    }
    public function bigTest(){

        return $this->str . ' function "bigTest" called,';
    }
    public function smallTest(){

        return $this->str . ' function "smallTest" called,';
    }
    public function scoreTest(){

        return $this->str . ' function "scoreTest" called,';
    }
}

$test = new test;

echo $test->newTest()->bigTest();

score 5 · Answer 5 · edited Dec 24 '14 at 17:17

5

To call any method of an object instantiated from a class (with statement new), you need to "point" to it. From the outside you just use the resource created by the new statement. Inside any object PHP created by new, saves the same resource into the $this variable. So, inside a class you MUST point to the method by $this. In your class, to call smallTest from inside the class, you must tell PHP which of all the objects created by the new statement you want to execute, just write:

$this->smallTest();

edited Dec 24 '14 at 17:17

Makyen

31,849
12
86
121

answered Dec 24 '14 at 16:58

Ingeniero

51
1
2

Fatal error: Using $this when not in object context – May 28 '20 at 03:27

score 4 · Answer 6 · answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:39

In order to have a "function within a function", if I understand what you're asking, you need PHP 5.3, where you can take advantage of the new Closure feature.

So you could have:

public function newTest() {
   $bigTest = function() {
        //Big Test Here
   }
}

score 4 · Answer 7 · answered Dec 10 '16 at 13:25

  class sampleClass
    { 
        public function f1()
        {
           return "f1 run";
        }

        public function f2()
        {
           echo ("f2 run" );
           $result =  $this->f1();
           echo ($result);
        }   

    f2();  

    }

output :

f2 run f1 run

score 3 · Answer 8 · answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:35

3

You need to call newTest to make the functions declared inside that method “visible” (see Functions within functions). But that are then just normal functions and no methods.

answered Nov 12 '09 at 20:35

Gumbo

643,351
109
780
844

score 2 · Answer 9 · answered Oct 07 '13 at 19:20

example 1

class TestClass{
public function __call($name,$arg){
call_user_func($name,$arg);
}
}
class test {
     public function newTest(){

          function bigTest(){
               echo 'Big Test Here';
          }
          function smallTest(){
               echo 'Small Test Here';
          }

$obj=new TestClass;

return $obj;
     }

}
$rentry=new test;
$rentry->newTest()->bigTest();

example2

class test {
     public function newTest($method_name){

          function bigTest(){
               echo 'Big Test Here';
          }
          function smallTest(){
               echo 'Small Test Here';
          }

      if(function_exists( $method_name)){    
call_user_func($method_name);
      }
      else{
          echo 'method not exists';
      }
     }

}
$obj=new test;
$obj->newTest('bigTest')

$rentry->newTest()->bigTest(); $rentry->newTest()->smallTest(); ---- Fatal error: Cannot redeclare bigTest() (previously declared. — tfont, Dec 04 '13 at 20:10

score 2 · Answer 10 · answered Aug 23 '16 at 17:25

2

You can also use self::CONST instead of $this->CONST if you want to call a static variable or function of the current class.

answered Aug 23 '16 at 17:25

AlexioVay

4,338
2
31
49

Calling a function within a Class method?

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