Classes and objects

Define a class

A class is a blueprint for values with data and behavior. Declare properties for data and keep names clear and short.

Full syntax is covered in Classes in PHP 8 with more property examples.

class User { public string $name = "Guest"; }

Create objects

Use new to build an object from a class. Each object holds its own copy of property values.

Access properties with the arrow operator and assign new values the same way.

$user = new User(); $user->name = "Ada"; echo $user->name;

Methods

Methods are functions declared inside a class. They group behavior next to the data it uses.

Declare return types so readers know what each method gives back.

class Greeter { public function hello(string $name): string { return "Hello " . $name; } }

What $this is

Inside a method, $this points to the current object. Use it to read and update properties of that same object.

Each call sees its own values, so two objects never share state through $this.

class Counter { public int $total = 0; public function add(int $step): void { $this->total = $this->total + $step; } }

Next: Constructors and promotion

Article author: Arthur Isaev