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phpclassmagic-methods

Is $this->__invoke(); 100% safe and valid in PHP?

// in class
public function test () {
    $this->__invoke();
}

$inst->test();

This test runs without any error.

My question: is there some reason why this should not be done? Are there any corner cases, hidden caveats, or does it behave like any regular function/method?

Solution

  • That should not work since there is no __invoke() method in your class: 

    class SomeClass {
    public function test()
    {
        $this->__invoke();
    }
}

$inst = new SomeClass();
$inst->test();

    http://3v4l.org/JOBXn.

    If you implement __invoke(), that should work: 

    class SomeClass {
    public function __invoke()
    {
        var_dump('Invoke!');
    }

}

$inst = new SomeClass();
$inst();

    http://3v4l.org/mpG5d.

    Magic methods can be called directly as you can see in the second test, but in my opinion it is not a good idea since they are some kind of hooks and their code could be executed unexpectedly.