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<refentry id="function.get-class">
 <refnamediv>
  <refname>get_class</refname>
  <refpurpose>Returns the name of the class of an object</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>
 <refsect1>
  <title>Description</title>
  <methodsynopsis>
   <type>string</type><methodname>get_class</methodname>
   <methodparam choice="opt"><type>object</type><parameter>obj</parameter></methodparam>
  </methodsynopsis>
  <para>
   This function returns the name of the class of which the
   object <parameter>obj</parameter> is an instance. Returns
   &false; if <parameter>obj</parameter> is not an object.
  </para>
  <note>
   <simpara>
    A class defined in a PHP extension is returned in its original notation.
    In PHP 4 <function>get_class</function> returns a user defined class
    name in lowercase, but in PHP 5 it will return the class name in it's
    original notation too, just like class names from PHP extensions.
   </simpara>
  </note>
  <note>
   <para>
    Since PHP 5, <parameter>obj</parameter> is optional if called from the
    object's method.
   </para>
  </note>
  <para>
   <example>
    <title>Using <function>get_class</function></title>
    <programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php

class foo {
    function foo()
    {
    // implements some logic
    }

    function name()
    {
        echo "My name is " , get_class($this) , "\n";
    }
}

// create an object
$bar = new foo();

// external call
echo "Its name is " , get_class($bar) , "\n";

// internal call
$bar->name();

?>
]]>
    </programlisting>
    &example.outputs;
    <screen>
<![CDATA[
Its name is foo
My name is foo
]]>
    </screen>
   </example>
  </para>
  <para>
   See also <function>get_parent_class</function>,
   <function>gettype</function>, and
   <function>is_subclass_of</function>.
  </para>
 </refsect1>
</refentry>

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