Code returning empty objects

[TechnoDiver]

Hi Phreaks, I hope you've all made it through the weekend with sound body and mind.

The following 2 methods have been working together harmoniously for quite a while:

<?php

public function action($action, $table, $where = [], $rule = "") {
    if(count($where) === 3) {
        $operators = array('=', '<', '>', '<=', '<=');

        $field = $where[0];
        $operator = $where[1];
        $value = $where[2];

        if(in_array($operator, $operators)) {
            if($rule == "") {
                $sql = "{$action} FROM {$table} WHERE {$field} {$operator} ?";
            } else {
                $sql = "{$action} FROM {$table} WHERE {$field} {$operator} ? {$rule}";
            }

            if(!$this->query($sql, array($value))->error()) {
                return $this;
            }
        }
      return false;
    }
  
  public function get($table, $where = [], $rule = "", $column = "*") {
        return $this->action("SELECT {$column}", $table, $where, $rule);
  }

My original belief was that it was easily extensible. I'm now to the point I'm trying to do that and receiving behaviour that I don't understand. If the action() method becomes thus ->

<?php

public function action($action, $table, $where = [], $rule = "") {
    if(count($where) === 3) {
        $operators = array('=', '<', '>', '<=', '<=');

        $field = $where[0];
        $operator = $where[1];
        $value = $where[2];

        if(in_array($operator, $operators)) {
            if($rule == "") {
                $sql = "{$action} FROM {$table} WHERE {$field} {$operator} ?";
            } else {
                $sql = "{$action} FROM {$table} WHERE {$field} {$operator} ? {$rule}";
            }

            if(!$this->query($sql, array($value))->error()) {
                return $this;
            }
        }
    } else { 

        $sql = "{$action} FROM {$table}";

        echo "this <br>";
        return $this;
    }

    echo "false <br>";
    return false;
}

with the added else{} statement to handle queries without WHERE conditions, and call it with just the $table parameter ->

<?php

public function get() {

        // $table = "posts";
        $table = "categories";
        $field = "*";

        $query = $this->_db->get($table);
        // print_r($query);
        var_dump($query);
    }

//normally, using conditions, it would look like this: $query = $this->_db->get($table, array($field, "=", $value); 

It returns:

Quote

this
object(DB)#3 (5) { ["_pdo":"DB":private]=> object(PDO)#4 (0) { } ["_query":"DB":private]=> NULL ["_error":"DB":private]=> bool(false) ["_results":"DB":private]=> NULL ["_count":"DB":private]=> int(0) }

which we can see is picking up my else{} statement as it should but is returning this empty object. Could someone explain this to me? thank you

Edited September 19, 2021 by TechnoDiver