Working with Objects in different classes

[KittyKate]

I'm new to PHP, and I can't seem to figure this one out. I have three classes. The main class (class1) runs a couple switch statements to parse post data and to determine which instance of class2 is called to generate the main information on the page. Class3 has a bunch of standard methods and instructions I use on all my pages. This includes a debug method (method4) and corresponding variable (var1) to hold a string of debug statements.

How do I get my class/method references to work properly?

[code]class class1 {

var $class2;
var $class3;

function class1() {
$class2 = new Class2;
$class3 = new Class3;
$class3->method3();
}
function method1() {
$class2->method2($this);
}
}

class class2 {
var $var1 = 1;

function class2() {
$var1 = 2;
}
function method2($caller) {
$method3($caller);
}
function method3($caller) {
$caller->class3->method4();
}
}

class class3 {
var $var1 = 1;

function class3() {
$var1 = 2;
}

function method4() {
print ($var1); // want to have this print 2
}
}

$num1 = new class1;
$num1->method1();[/code]

[trq]

[quote]How do I get my class/method references to work properly?[/quote]
Really... its difficulkt to see what it is your actually trying to do. I will just copy / paste your code and add some comments.

[code=php:0]
class class1 {

var $class2;
var $class3;

function class1() {
$class2 = new Class2;
$class3 = new Class3;
$class3->method3(); // there is no method3 defined in class3.
}
function method1() {
$class2->method2($this);
}
}

class class2 {
var $var1 = 1;

function class2() {
$var1 = 2;
}
function method2($caller) {
$method3($caller);
}
function method3($caller) {
$caller->class3->method4(); // this line makes NO sense at all.
}
}

class class3 {
var $var1 = 1;

function class3() {
$var1 = 2;
}

function method4() {
print ($var1); // want to have this print 2 // see below.
                print $this->var1;
}
}

$num1 = new class1;
$num1->method1();
[/code]

Sorry, but its pretty hard to help when your examples are so far from correct I can't understand them.

[ryanlwh]

what are the errors? you also have problem with capitalized Class2 and Class3 calls in function class1()
[code]function class1() {
$class2 = new class2; //should be lower case
$class3 = new class3; // should be lower case
$class3->method3();
}[/code]

hope this help

[KittyKate]

I've done some revision on the idea myself, and come up with some new code. However, it still isn't working for me.

I'm getting: [i]Fatal error: Call to a member function on a non-object in "..." on line ... [/i] related to the first line of supportClass->supportMethod(). I get this error whether or not "this->" is included.

[code]<?php

class htmlGen {
var $debugStr;

function htmlGen() {
$debugStr = "";
}

function debugFn($functionName, $string) {
$this->debugStr .= "<div>$functionName: $string</div>/n";
}
}

class supportClass {
var $htmlGenSupport;

function supportClass($html) {
if(isset($html)) {
$this->htmlGenSupport = $html;
} else {
$htmlGenSupport = new htmlGen();
}
}

function internalMethod() {
$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("internalMethod", "Successfully entered");
}

function supportMethod() {
//$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("supportMethod", "Successfully entered"); // getting error message
$htmlGenSupport->debugFn("supportMethod", "Successfully entered"); // for both cases
$this->internalMethod();
}
}

class myProgram {
var $htmlGen;

function myProgram($html) {
if(isset($html)) {
$this->htmlGen = $html;
} else {
$htmlGen = new htmlGen();
}
}

function myProgMethod() {
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("myProgMethod", "Successfully entered");
$supportClass = new supportClass(&$html);
$supportClass->supportMethod();
}

function run() {
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("run", "Successfully entered");
$this->myProgMethod();
}
}

$classHTML = new htmlGen();
$classHTML->debugFn("open", "Externally generated htmlGen used");
$classMyProg = new myProgram(&$classHTML);
$classMyProg->run();
print "<table><tr><td colspan=2>The two columns should look the same.</td></tr>
<tr><td>$classHTML->debugStr</td>
<td><div>open: Externally generated htmlGen used</div>
<div>run: Successfully entered</div>
<div>myProgMethod: Successfully entered</div>
<div>supportMethod: Successfully entered</div>
<div>internalMethod: Successfully entered</div></td></tr></table>";
?>[/code]

Outside of the error, further suggestions that will clean it up would also be appreciated. The intention of the debugFn is, obviously, to generate a string of debug statements, rather than punctuate my page with them as I find the need. This also allows me to turn on and off debug statements easily.

[Barand]

try this, I made a couple of changes (commented)
[code]<?php
class htmlGen {
var $debugStr;

function htmlGen() {
$debugStr = "";
}

function debugFn($functionName, $string) {
$this->debugStr .= "<div>$functionName: $string</div>/n";
}
}

class supportClass {
var $htmlGenSupport;

function supportClass($html=null) {                    // <-- set to null if no argument
if($html) {
$this->htmlGenSupport = $html;
} else {
$htmlGenSupport = new htmlGen();
}
}

function internalMethod() {
$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("internalMethod", "Successfully entered");
}

function supportMethod() {
//$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("supportMethod", "Successfully entered"); // getting error message
$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("supportMethod", "Successfully entered"); // for both cases
$this->internalMethod();
}
}

class myProgram {
var $htmlGen;

function myProgram($html=null) {
if($html) {
$this->htmlGen = $html;
} else {
$htmlGen = new htmlGen();
}
}

function myProgMethod() {
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("myProgMethod", "Successfully entered");
$supportClass = new supportClass($this->htmlGen);  //<-- $this->htmlGen and NOT $html
$supportClass->supportMethod();
}

function run() {
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("run", "Successfully entered");
$this->myProgMethod();
}
}[/code]

[KittyKate]

Okay, working with that, I'm able to get the program to run, but it isn't printing the expected output. Throwing in a bunch of print statements, I can tell that it runs through the methods as expected, but the object isn't copying to the variables as it's supposed to. Does php have a special way that it deals with copying objects, or will I have to write a function to do it?

Thanks for the help!

[code]<?php

class htmlGen {
var $debugStr;
var $count = 0;

function htmlGen() {
print "1 ";
$debugStr = "";
}

function debugFn($functionName, $string) {
$count++;
print "debug$count ";
$this->debugStr .= "<div>$functionName: $string</div>/n";
}
}

class supportClass {
var $htmlGenSupport;

function supportClass($html=null) {
print "7 ";
if($html != null) {
print "8 ";
$this->htmlGenSupport = $html;  // this copy isn't happenning
} else {
print "error ";
$htmlGenSupport = new htmlGen();
}
}

function internalMethod() {
print "10 ";
$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("internalMethod", "Successfully entered");
}

function supportMethod() {
print "9 ";
$this->htmlGenSupport->debugFn("supportMethod", "Successfully entered");
$this->internalMethod();
}
}

class myProgram {
var $htmlGen;

function myProgram($html=null) {
print "3 ";
if($html != null) {
print "4 ";
$this->htmlGen = $html; // this copy isn't happening
} else {
print "error ";
$htmlGen = new htmlGen();
}
}

function myProgMethod() {
print "6 ";
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("myProgMethod", "Successfully entered");
$supportClass = new supportClass(&$this->htmlGen);
$supportClass->supportMethod();
}

function run() {
print "5 ";
$this->htmlGen->debugFn("run", "Successfully entered");
$this->myProgMethod();
}
}

$classHTML = new htmlGen();
$classHTML->debugFn("open", "Externally generated htmlGen used");
print "2 ";
$classMyProg = new myProgram(&$classHTML);
$classMyProg->run();
print "<table border=1><tr><td>$classHTML->debugStr</td><td><div>open: Externally generated htmlGen used</div>
<div>run: Successfully entered</div>
<div>myProgMethod: Successfully entered</div>
<div>supportMethod: Successfully entered</div>
<div>internalMethod: Successfully entered</div></td></tr></table>";
?>[/code]

Output:
[quote]1 debug1 2 3 4 5 debug1 6 debug1 7 8 9 debug1 10 debug1
[table][tr][td]open: Externally generated htmlGen used
/n[/td][td]  [/td][td]open: Externally generated htmlGen used
run: Successfully entered
myProgMethod: Successfully entered
supportMethod: Successfully entered
internalMethod: Successfully entered[/td][/tr][/table][/quote]

[Barand]

Depends on your version of PHP.

PHP5 always passes objects by reference.

PHP4 passes copies of the object unless you explicitly pass by ref with "&"

[KittyKate]

I'm working with php 4.3. Passing either with or without '&' leaves me with the same output (which really confuses me, since I had read up on it and that seemed like it would be the perfect fix).

For what seems like such a simple bug, this thing has taken about 8 hours away from me and is driving me nuts. It's looking like my best option is to just go with a globally declared variable and function rather than using the class, which I didn't want to do.

[Barand]

On those two lines where you commented "this copy isn't happening" use

... = &$html

instead of

... = $html

PS or upgrade to v5. Itworks as expected in the new improved version

[KittyKate]

I've switched it over to a global variable and function and it seems to be working now.

Unfortunately, this is for work, where I am the most senior developer (and I'm just a summer student), and the hosting is outsourced, so there isn't much hope of upgrading  >:(.

[Barand]

That was a waste of my last hour then.

[KittyKate]

Hopefully it'll help someone else out. And we both learned something at least. It was a nasty bug. I lost about 7 hours on it before giving up. But, now I (hopefully) have a better idea how to work with it if I ever run into the issue again.