PHP echo类对象属性

Question

Is it possible to echo class object so it will show some property of this object?

Let's say we've got such class

class Color {

    public $color = "";

    function __construct($color) {
        $this->color = $color;
    }

}

and then we create it's instance and echo it:

$myColor = new Color("red");
echo $myColor; //I want it to echo 'red' ( same as I'd do echo $myColor->color )

What happens here is my object has prop color. And when I have echo $object I want it to really do echo $object->prop

Is it possible to make such 'echoing' handler?

Answer 1

Implement the magic __toString method:

class Color {

    public $color = "";

    function __construct($color) {
        $this->color = $color;
    }

    public function __toString() {
      return $this->color;
    }

}

This method will be automatically called by PHP if an instance is forced to be converted to a string, e.g. when echoing it.