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376 lines
12 KiB
XML
376 lines
12 KiB
XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
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<!-- $Revision$ -->
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<chapter xml:id="language.constants" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook">
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<title>Constants</title>
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<simpara>
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A constant is an identifier (name) for a simple value. As the name
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suggests, that value cannot change during the execution of the
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script (except for <link linkend="language.constants.magic">
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magic constants</link>, which aren't actually constants).
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Constants are case-sensitive. By convention, constant
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identifiers are always uppercase.
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</simpara>
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<note>
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<para>
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Prior to PHP 8.0.0, constants defined using the <function>define</function>
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function may be case-insensitive.
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</para>
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</note>
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<para>
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The name of a constant follows the same rules as any label in PHP. A
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valid constant name starts with a letter or underscore, followed
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by any number of letters, numbers, or underscores. As a regular
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expression, it would be expressed thusly:
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<code>^[a-zA-Z_\x80-\xff][a-zA-Z0-9_\x80-\xff]*$</code>
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</para>
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<para>
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It is possible to <function>define</function> constants with reserved or even
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invalid names, whose value can only be retrieved with the
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<function>constant</function> function. However, doing so is not recommended.
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</para>
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&tip.userlandnaming;
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<para>
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<!-- TODO Move into syntax section? -->
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<example>
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<title>Valid and invalid constant names</title>
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<programlisting role="php">
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<![CDATA[
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<?php
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// Valid constant names
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define("FOO", "something");
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define("FOO2", "something else");
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define("FOO_BAR", "something more");
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// Invalid constant names
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define("2FOO", "something");
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// This is valid, but should be avoided:
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// PHP may one day provide a magical constant
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// that will break your script
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define("__FOO__", "something");
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?>
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]]>
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</programlisting>
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</example>
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</para>
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<note>
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<simpara>
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For our purposes here, a letter is a-z, A-Z, and the ASCII
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characters from 128 through 255 (0x80-0xff).
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</simpara>
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</note>
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<simpara>
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Like &link.superglobals;, the scope of a constant is global.
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Constants can be accessed from anywhere in a script without regard to scope.
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For more information on scope, read the manual section on
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<link linkend="language.variables.scope">variable scope</link>.
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</simpara>
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<note>
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<simpara>
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As of PHP 7.1.0, class constant may declare a visibility of protected
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or private, making them only available in the hierarchical scope of the
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class in which it is defined.
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</simpara>
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</note>
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<sect1 xml:id="language.constants.syntax">
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<title>Syntax</title>
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<simpara>
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Constants can be defined using the <literal>const</literal> keyword,
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or by using the <function>define</function>-function.
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While <function>define</function> allows a constant to be
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defined to an arbitrary expression, the <literal>const</literal> keyword has
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restrictions as outlined in the next paragraph.
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Once a constant is defined, it can never be
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changed or undefined.
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</simpara>
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<simpara>
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When using the <literal>const</literal> keyword,
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only scalar (<type>bool</type>, <type>int</type>,
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<type>float</type> and <type>string</type>) expressions and constant
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<type>array</type>s containing only scalar expressions are accepted.
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It is possible to define constants as a <type>resource</type>,
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but it should be avoided, as it can cause unexpected results.
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</simpara>
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<simpara>
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The value of a constant is accessed simply by specifying its name.
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Unlike variables, a constant is <emphasis>not</emphasis> prepended
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with a <literal>$</literal>.
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It is also possible to use the <function>constant</function> function to
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read a constant's value if the constant's name is obtained dynamically.
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Use <function>get_defined_constants</function> to get a list of
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all defined constants.
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</simpara>
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<note>
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<simpara>
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Constants and (global) variables are in a different namespace.
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This implies that for example &true; and
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<varname>$TRUE</varname> are generally different.
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</simpara>
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</note>
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<simpara>
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If an undefined constant is used an <classname>Error</classname> is thrown.
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Prior to PHP 8.0.0, undefined constants would be interpreted as a bare
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word <type>string</type>, i.e. (CONSTANT vs "CONSTANT").
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This fallback is deprecated as of PHP 7.2.0, and an error of level
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<constant>E_WARNING</constant> is issued when it happens.
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Prior to PHP 7.2.0, an error of level
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<link linkend="ref.errorfunc">E_NOTICE</link> has been issued instead.
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See also the manual entry on why
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<link linkend="language.types.array.foo-bar">$foo[bar]</link> is
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wrong (unless <literal>bar</literal> is a constant).
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This does not apply to <link
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linkend="language.namespaces.rules">(fully) qualified constants</link>,
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which will always raise a <classname>Error</classname> if undefined.
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</simpara>
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<note>
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<simpara>
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To check if a constant is set, use the <function>defined</function> function.
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</simpara>
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</note>
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<para>
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These are the differences between constants and variables:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>
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Constants do not have a dollar sign (<literal>$</literal>)
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before them;
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</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>
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Constants may be defined and accessed anywhere without regard
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to variable scoping rules;
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</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>
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Constants may not be redefined or undefined once they have been
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set; and
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</simpara>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<simpara>
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Constants may only evaluate to scalar values or arrays.
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</simpara>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<para>
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<example>
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<title>Defining Constants</title>
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<programlisting role="php">
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<![CDATA[
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<?php
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define("CONSTANT", "Hello world.");
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echo CONSTANT; // outputs "Hello world."
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echo Constant; // Emits an Error: Undefined constant "Constant"
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// Prior to PHP 8.0.0, outputs "Constant" and issues a warning.
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?>
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]]>
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</programlisting>
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</example>
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</para>
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<para>
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<example>
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<title>Defining Constants using the <literal>const</literal> keyword</title>
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<programlisting role="php">
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<![CDATA[
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<?php
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// Simple scalar value
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const CONSTANT = 'Hello World';
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echo CONSTANT;
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// Scalar expression
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const ANOTHER_CONST = CONSTANT.'; Goodbye World';
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echo ANOTHER_CONST;
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const ANIMALS = array('dog', 'cat', 'bird');
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echo ANIMALS[1]; // outputs "cat"
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// Constant arrays
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define('ANIMALS', array(
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'dog',
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'cat',
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'bird'
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));
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echo ANIMALS[1]; // outputs "cat"
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?>
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]]>
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</programlisting>
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</example>
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</para>
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<note>
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<para>
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As opposed to defining constants using <function>define</function>,
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constants defined using the <literal>const</literal> keyword must be
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declared at the top-level scope because they are defined at compile-time.
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This means that they cannot be declared inside functions, loops,
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<literal>if</literal> statements or
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<literal>try</literal>/<literal>catch</literal> blocks.
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</para>
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</note>
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<sect2 role="seealso">
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&reftitle.seealso;
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<para>
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<simplelist>
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<member><link linkend="language.oop5.constants">Class Constants</link></member>
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</simplelist>
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</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 xml:id="language.constants.predefined">
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<title>Predefined constants</title>
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<simpara>
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PHP provides a large number of <link
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linkend="reserved.constants">predefined constants</link> to any script
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which it runs. Many of these constants, however, are created by
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various extensions, and will only be present when those extensions
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are available, either via dynamic loading or because they have
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been compiled in.
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</simpara>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 xml:id="language.constants.magic">
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<title>Magic constants</title>
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<para>
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There are nine magical constants that change depending on
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where they are used. For example, the value of
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<constant>__LINE__</constant> depends on the line that it's
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used on in your script. All these "magical" constants are resolved
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at compile time, unlike regular constants, which are resolved at runtime.
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These special constants are case-insensitive and are as follows:
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</para>
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<para>
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<table>
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<title>PHP's magic constants</title>
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<tgroup cols="2">
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<thead>
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<row>
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<entry>&Name;</entry>
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<entry>&Description;</entry>
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</row>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<row xml:id="constant.line">
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<entry><constant>__LINE__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The current line number of the file.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.file">
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<entry><constant>__FILE__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The full path and filename of the file with symlinks resolved. If used inside an include,
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the name of the included file is returned.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.dir">
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<entry><constant>__DIR__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The directory of the file. If used inside an include,
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the directory of the included file is returned. This is equivalent
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to <literal>dirname(__FILE__)</literal>. This directory name
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does not have a trailing slash unless it is the root directory.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.function">
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<entry><constant>__FUNCTION__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The function name, or <literal>{closure}</literal> for anonymous functions.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.class">
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<entry><constant>__CLASS__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The class name. The class name includes the namespace
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it was declared in (e.g. <literal>Foo\Bar</literal>).
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When used
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in a trait method, __CLASS__ is the name of the class the trait
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is used in.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.trait">
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<entry><constant>__TRAIT__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The trait name. The trait name includes the namespace
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it was declared in (e.g. <literal>Foo\Bar</literal>).
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.method">
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<entry><constant>__METHOD__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The class method name.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.namespace">
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<entry><constant>__NAMESPACE__</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The name of the current namespace.
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</entry>
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</row>
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<row xml:id="constant.coloncolonclass">
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<entry><constant><replaceable>ClassName</replaceable>::class</constant></entry>
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<entry>
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The fully qualified class name.
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</entry>
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</row>
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</tbody>
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</tgroup>
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</table>
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</para>
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<sect2 role="seealso">
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&reftitle.seealso;
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<para>
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<simplelist>
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<member><link linkend="language.oop5.basic.class.class">::class</link></member>
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<member><function>get_class</function></member>
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<member><function>get_object_vars</function></member>
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<member><function>file_exists</function></member>
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<member><function>function_exists</function></member>
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</simplelist>
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</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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</chapter>
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<!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file
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Local variables:
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mode: sgml
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sgml-omittag:t
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sgml-shorttag:t
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sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
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sgml-always-quote-attributes:t
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sgml-indent-step:1
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sgml-indent-data:t
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indent-tabs-mode:nil
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sgml-parent-document:nil
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sgml-default-dtd-file:"~/.phpdoc/manual.ced"
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sgml-exposed-tags:nil
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sgml-local-catalogs:nil
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sgml-local-ecat-files:nil
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End:
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vim600: syn=xml fen fdm=syntax fdl=2 si
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vim: et tw=78 syn=sgml
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vi: ts=1 sw=1
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-->
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