php-doc-en/reference/var/functions/is-callable.xml

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<refentry xml:id="function.is-callable" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook">
 <refnamediv>
  <refname>is_callable</refname>
  <refpurpose>
   Verify that the contents of a variable can be called as a function
  </refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <refsect1 role="description">
  &reftitle.description;
  <methodsynopsis>
   <type>bool</type><methodname>is_callable</methodname>
   <methodparam><type>callback</type><parameter>name</parameter></methodparam>
   <methodparam choice="opt"><type>bool</type><parameter>syntax_only</parameter><initializer>false</initializer></methodparam>
   <methodparam choice="opt"><type>string</type><parameter role="reference">callable_name</parameter></methodparam>
  </methodsynopsis>
  <para>
   Verify that the contents of a variable can be called as a function.
   This can check that a simple variable contains the name of a valid
   function, or that an array contains a properly encoded object and
   function name.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 role="parameters">
  &reftitle.parameters;
  <para>
   <variablelist>
    <varlistentry>
     <term><parameter>name</parameter></term>
     <listitem>
      <para>
       Can be either the name of a function stored in a string variable, or
       an object and the name of a method within the object, like this: 
       <screen>array($SomeObject, 'MethodName')</screen>
      </para>
     </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
     <term><parameter>syntax_only</parameter></term>
     <listitem>
      <para>
       If set to &true; the function only verifies that
       <parameter>name</parameter> might be a function or method. It will only
       reject simple variables that are not strings, or an array that does
       not have a valid structure to be used as a callback. The valid ones
       are supposed to have only 2 entries, the first of which is an object
       or a string, and the second a string.
      </para>
     </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
    <varlistentry>
     <term><parameter>callable_name</parameter></term>
     <listitem>
      <para>
       Receives the "callable name".  In the example below it is
       "someClass::someMethod".  Note, however, that despite the implication
       that someClass::SomeMethod() is a callable static method, this is not
       the case.
      </para>
     </listitem>
    </varlistentry>
   </variablelist>
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 role="returnvalues">
  &reftitle.returnvalues;
  <para>
   Returns &true; if <parameter>name</parameter> is callable, &false; 
   otherwise.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 role="examples">
  &reftitle.examples;
  <para>
   <example>
    <title><function>is_callable</function> example</title>
    <programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
//  How to check a variable to see if it can be called
//  as a function.

//
//  Simple variable containing a function
//

function someFunction() 
{
}

$functionVariable = 'someFunction';

var_dump(is_callable($functionVariable, false, $callable_name));  // bool(true)

echo $callable_name, "\n";  // someFunction

//
//  Array containing a method
//

class someClass {

  function someMethod() 
  {
  }

}

$anObject = new someClass();

$methodVariable = array($anObject, 'someMethod');

var_dump(is_callable($methodVariable, true, $callable_name));  //  bool(true)

echo $callable_name, "\n";  //  someClass::someMethod

?>
]]>
    </programlisting>
   </example>   
  </para>   
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1 role="seealso">
  &reftitle.seealso;
  <para>
   <simplelist>
    <member><function>function_exists</function></member>
    <member><function>method_exists</function></member>
   </simplelist>
  </para>
 </refsect1>

</refentry>

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