Edit report at http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=52330&edit=1
ID: 52330
Updated by: ahar...@php.net
Reported by: whistl0r+phpbug at googlemail dot com
Summary: __construct() method should always return a new instance
-Status: Open
+Status: Wont fix
Type: Bug
Package: Class/Object related
PHP Version: Irrelevant
New Comment:
That might seem odd, but it seems consistent enough to me. It breaks
down one of two ways:
1. You call the constructor by instantiating an object with new. It
behaves like a constructor -- return values are ignored and a new object
instance is created.
2. You call the constructor by calling $object->__construct(). It
behaves like a method call, including return values being returned.
Basically, if you don't want __construct() to act like a method call,
don't call it like a method call.
Previous Comments:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2010-07-13 16:35:38] whistl0r+phpbug at googlemail dot com
Description:
------------
Please see the test script. This should be normal PHP 5.3 class with a
good OOP design.
In PHP it is possible, that I can call the constructor multiple times,
for example:
$person = new \My\Person('Jens', 'Mander');
echo sprintf('Name: %s %s', $person->getName(), $person->getSurname());
// Will output "Name: Jens Mander"
$person->__construct('John', 'Doe');
echo sprintf('Name: %s %s', $person->getName(), $person->getSurname());
// Will output "Name: John Doe"
In my understanding, it is unexpected, that
1) you can access the constructor method in an instantiated object. The
constructor should only instantiate the object - when you have the
object, there is no need to call it again. If you need something to
"reset" your object state, you should implement such a method.
2) If you can call the constructor again, that it will change the object
and *not* return a new instance.
For example:
If you add a "return new \stdClass();" line to your constructor, it will
still change the instance you called it from, but now it will also
return a "stdClass" - that's inconsistent, isn't it?
Test script:
---------------
<?php
namespace My;
class Person
{
protected $_name = null;
protected $_surname = null;
/**
* Constructor.
*
* @param string OPTIONAL $name
* @param string OPTIONAL $surname
* @return \My\Person
*/
public function __construct($name = null, $surname = null)
{
if ($name !== null)
{
$this->setName($name);
}
if ($surname !== null)
{
$this->setSurname($surname);
}
}
/**
* Returns the name.
*
* @return null|string Null, when no name was set
*/
public function getName()
{
return $this->_name;
}
/**
* Returns the surname.
*
* @return null|string Null, when no name was set
*/
public function getSurname()
{
return $this->_surname;
}
/**
* Set the name.
*
* @param string $name
* @return \My\Person Provides fluent interface
* @throws \Exception
*/
public function setName($name)
{
if (!is_string($name) || empty($name))
{
throw new \Exception('Name cannot be empty and must be a
string!');
}
$this->_name = $name;
return $this;
}
/**
* Set the surname.
*
* @param string $name
* @return \My\Person Provides fluent interface
* @throws \Exception When $name isn't a string or empty
*/
public function setSurname($name)
{
if (!is_string($name) || empty($name))
{
throw new \Exception('Name cannot be empty and must be a
string!');
}
$this->_surname = $name;
return $this;
}
}
Expected result:
----------------
- FATAL error e.g. "Object already constructed!"
- The __construct() call should return a *new* object.
Actual result:
--------------
The __construct() method will work on the object, from where you called
it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Edit this bug report at http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=52330&edit=1
