[SOLVED] Class constants

[barrywood]

In my old non-OOP PHP coding I used defines and string arrays to create constants and string representations of them like this:

 

define ('_MYAPP_PAYSTAT_WAITING', 1);
define ('_MYAPP_PAYSTAT_PAID', 2);

$myapp_paystat_text[_MYAPP_PAYSTAT_WAITING] = 'waiting for payment';
$myapp_paystat_text[_MYAPP_PAYSTAT_PAID] = 'paid in full';

 

The downside is that I have to make sure I declare $myapp_paystat_text as a global variable in any functions that need to have access to the text representation.

 

I'd like to put this info into a class instead. Here's what I've come up with so far:

 

class MYAPP
{
const PAYSTAT_WAITING = 1;
const PAYSTAT_PAID = 2;

function PAYSTAT($dispCode) {
	switch ($dispCode) {
	case self:: PAYSTAT_WAITING: return ('Waiting');
	case self:: PAYSTAT_PAID: return ('Paid');
	}
}
}

 

Using this class I would access the constants like this:

 

if ($status == MYAPP::PAYSTAT_WAITING) echo "Your order status is currently ". MYAPP::PAYSTAT($status);

 

Does this seem like a reasonable way to approach this or is there a cleaner way?

[philoertel]

That's a good change. A note of caution as you start doing things the OO way: avoid classes with names like MYAPP that store all your application's data and behavior. OOP works best with lots of discrete little objects. Put these constants in a class called something like "Payment". Put that $status variable in there too, along with functions like getStatusText(). You'll have other objects like Order, Customer, and Product, and you'll have a devil of a time figuring out what code and what data goes where, but you'll end up with an OO application that's easier to understand and maintain.

[mikesta707]

btw if you want to access the function like that in the class, you need to make the method static

[barrywood]

I used MYAPP just for example purposes, I'll be using more meaningful and unique names in practice.

 

Thanks for the suggestion to a different class for each group of data items.

[barrywood]

@mikesta707:

 

It appears that the functions are working fine as non-static functions without instantiating the class.

 

It also works declaring them "static function" and as "public static function".

 

I would think that public static would be the most accurate way to declare them so I'll be going with that.

 

Thanks for the input.

[mikesta707]

ah sorry. Yeah I meant should not have to. Generally variables and methods that are accessed without instantiating a class are set as static. at least in my experience