This isn't really aesthetics as much as it is organization.
You already know that you don't have to declare PHP
variables... if I had a one-line script that simply said:
<?php echo $myVar++ ?>
I would end up with 1 as the output. myVar would be created
as soon as PHP encountered it (it would be empty, however),
and with the ++ the variable would be type-casted to a
numeric type (yeilding 0) and 1 would be added. Thus you get
1 as your output.
Likewise, if you reference a non-existant variable that is
within a class, PHP initializes the variable with an empty
value. You're going to end up with a variable, not an error,
whether it's explicitly defined in the class or not.
However, here's why it's not just aesthetics:
If you have a lot of code to go through, organization is
important. If you declare a class and only define some
functions (without explicitly defining variables with var
$myVar, etc.), you could very well end up wondering what
variable is what and whether a variable exists, etc. It
wouldn't be too hard to stray from the right path and end up
with half of your variables misnamed.
-Toby
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 1:55 PM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: [PHP] declaring variables in class
definitions
>
> Max,
>
> Thanks for your response.
>
> Assigning something to $d->somevar when it is not declared
in the
> definition works fine.
>
> As far as I can tell, and from what we have found here,
there is
> absolutly no reason whatsoever to define variables in
class definitions.
>
> If someone can show me me a reason , other than a pure
aesthetics,
> why this is nessesary I would sure like to know. If
anyone could
> show me at least one example where not defining variables
in class
> definitions would somehow break the class, I would like to
see it.
>
>
> Thanks,
> Sam
>
>
> >> $d->somevar = true;
> >> and the next call to $d->b() will print nothing.
> >> But you won't be able to assign a value to $somevar, if
it is not
> >> declared in the class.
>
> sic> This does not appear to be true. With error
reporting set to max, and the
> sic> variables not defined in the class
$somevar,$somevar2 and $somevar3 ),
> sic> the following will echo out:
> sic> Not set
> sic> empty
> sic> value of somevar2
> sic> value of somevar3
>
> sic> class a {
> sic> function b(){
> sic> if (!isset($this->somevar))
> sic> echo "Not set<br>";
> sic> if (empty($this->somevar))
> sic> echo "empty<br>";
> sic> }
> sic> }
> sic> $d = new a;
> $d->b();
> $d->somevar2 = "value of somevar2<br>";
> $d->somevar3 = "value of somevar3<br>";
> echo $d->somevar2;
> echo $d->somevar3;
>
> try to assign something to $d->somevar if it is not
declared in the
> definition.
>
>
> >> the method b() of the class a will break if you don't
declare $somevar
> >> in the class definition. In the string "if
(!isset($this->somevar))"
> >> it would throw an error saying that you have no
variable named 'somevar' in
> >> you class.
>
> sic> This does not appear to be true either, see above.
>
> bad practice anyway
>
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