get_class
(PHP 4, PHP 5)
get_class — Returns the name of the class of an object
Description
string get_class
([ object $object = NULL
] )
Gets the name of the class of the given object.
Parameters
- object
-
The tested object. This parameter may be omitted when inside a class.
Return Values
Returns the name of the class of which object is an instance. Returns FALSE if object is not an object.
If object is omitted when inside a class, the name of that class is returned.
Errors/Exceptions
If get_class() is called with anything other than an object, an E_WARNING level error is raised.
Changelog
| Version | Description |
|---|---|
| Since 5.3.0 | NULL became the default value for object, so passing NULL to object now has the same result as not passing any value. |
| Since 5.0.0 | The class name is returned in its original notation. |
| Since 5.0.0 | The object parameter is optional if called from the object's method. |
Examples
Example #1 Using get_class()
<?php
class foo {
function name()
{
echo "My name is " , get_class($this) , "\n";
}
}
// create an object
$bar = new foo();
// external call
echo "Its name is " , get_class($bar) , "\n";
// internal call
$bar->name();
?>
The above example will output:
Its name is foo My name is foo
Example #2 Using get_class() in superclass
<?php
abstract class bar {
public function __construct()
{
var_dump(get_class($this));
var_dump(get_class());
}
}
class foo extends bar {
}
new foo;
?>
The above example will output:
string(3) "foo" string(3) "bar"
See Also
- get_called_class() - the "Late Static Binding" class name
- get_parent_class() - Retrieves the parent class name for object or class
- gettype() - Get the type of a variable
- is_subclass_of() - Checks if the object has this class as one of its parents