php-doc-en/language/functions.xml
Philip Olson a79ab53063 Fix a typo, this closes bug
git-svn-id: https://svn.php.net/repository/phpdoc/en/trunk@115063 c90b9560-bf6c-de11-be94-00142212c4b1
2003-02-07 20:19:13 +00:00

506 lines
12 KiB
XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<!-- $Revision: 1.33 $ -->
<chapter id="functions">
<title>Functions</title>
<sect1 id="functions.user-defined">
<title>User-defined functions</title>
<para>
A function may be defined using syntax such as the following:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function foo ($arg_1, $arg_2, ..., $arg_n)
{
echo "Example function.\n";
return $retval;
}
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<!--
status of func(const $param) ?
zend doesn't care at all whether or not you specify it.
I've never seen it before... what's its use? (or was...)
-->
<simpara>
Any valid PHP code may appear inside a function, even other
functions and <link linkend="keyword.class">class</link>
definitions.
</simpara>
<simpara>
In PHP 3, functions must be defined before they are referenced. No
such requirement exists in PHP 4. <emphasis>Except</emphasis> when
a function is conditionally defined such as shown in the two examples
below.
</simpara>
<para>
When a function is defined in a conditional manner such as the two
examples shown. Its definition must be processed <emphasis>prior</emphasis>
to being called.
<example>
<title>Conditional functions</title>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
$makefoo = true;
/* We can't call foo() from here
since it doesn't exist yet,
but we can call bar() */
bar();
if ($makefoo) {
function foo ()
{
echo "I don't exist until program execution reaches me.\n";
}
}
/* Now we can safely call foo()
since $makefoo evaluated to true */
if ($makefoo) foo();
function bar()
{
echo "I exist immediately upon program start.\n";
}
?>
]]>
</programlisting>
</example>
<example>
<title>Functions within functions</title>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
function foo()
{
function bar()
{
echo "I don't exist until foo() is called.\n";
}
}
/* We can't call bar() yet
since it doesn't exist. */
foo();
/* Now we can call bar(),
foo()'s processesing has
made it accessable. */
bar();
?>
]]>
</programlisting>
</example>
</para>
<simpara>
PHP does not support function overloading, nor is it possible to
undefine or redefine previously-declared functions.
</simpara>
<simpara>
PHP 3 does not support variable numbers of arguments to functions,
although default arguments are supported (see <link
linkend="functions.arguments.default">Default argument
values</link> for more information). PHP 4 supports both: see <link
linkend="functions.variable-arg-list">Variable-length argument
lists</link> and the function references for
<function>func_num_args</function>,
<function>func_get_arg</function>, and
<function>func_get_args</function> for more information.
</simpara>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="functions.arguments">
<title>Function arguments</title>
<simpara>
Information may be passed to functions via the argument list,
which is a comma-delimited list of variables and/or constants.
</simpara>
<para>
PHP supports passing arguments by value (the default), <link
linkend="functions.arguments.by-reference">passing by
reference</link>, and <link
linkend="functions.arguments.default">default argument
values</link>. Variable-length argument lists are supported only
in PHP 4 and later; see <link
linkend="functions.variable-arg-list">Variable-length argument
lists</link> and the function references for
<function>func_num_args</function>,
<function>func_get_arg</function>, and
<function>func_get_args</function> for more information. A
similar effect can be achieved in PHP 3 by passing an array of
arguments to a function:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function takes_array($input)
{
echo "$input[0] + $input[1] = ", $input[0]+$input[1];
}
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<sect2 id="functions.arguments.by-reference">
<title>Making arguments be passed by reference</title>
<simpara>
By default, function arguments are passed by value (so that if
you change the value of the argument within the function, it does
not get changed outside of the function). If you wish to allow a
function to modify its arguments, you must pass them by
reference.
</simpara>
<para>
If you want an argument to a function to always be passed by
reference, you can prepend an ampersand (&amp;) to the argument
name in the function definition:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function add_some_extra(&$string)
{
$string .= 'and something extra.';
}
$str = 'This is a string, ';
add_some_extra($str);
echo $str; // outputs 'This is a string, and something extra.'
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="functions.arguments.default">
<title>Default argument values</title>
<para>
A function may define C++-style default values for scalar
arguments as follows:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function makecoffee ($type = "cappuccino")
{
return "Making a cup of $type.\n";
}
echo makecoffee ();
echo makecoffee ("espresso");
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<para>
The output from the above snippet is:
<screen>
Making a cup of cappuccino.
Making a cup of espresso.
</screen>
</para>
<simpara>
The default value must be a constant expression, not (for
example) a variable or class member.
</simpara>
<para>
Note that when using default arguments, any defaults should be on
the right side of any non-default arguments; otherwise, things
will not work as expected. Consider the following code snippet:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function makeyogurt ($type = "acidophilus", $flavour)
{
return "Making a bowl of $type $flavour.\n";
}
echo makeyogurt ("raspberry"); // won't work as expected
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<para>
The output of the above example is:
<screen>
Warning: Missing argument 2 in call to makeyogurt() in
/usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs/php3test/functest.html on line 41
Making a bowl of raspberry .
</screen>
</para>
<para>
Now, compare the above with this:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function makeyogurt ($flavour, $type = "acidophilus")
{
return "Making a bowl of $type $flavour.\n";
}
echo makeyogurt ("raspberry"); // works as expected
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<para>
The output of this example is:
<screen>
Making a bowl of acidophilus raspberry.
</screen>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="functions.variable-arg-list">
<title>Variable-length argument lists</title>
<simpara>
PHP 4 has support for variable-length argument lists in
user-defined functions. This is really quite easy, using the
<function>func_num_args</function>,
<function>func_get_arg</function>, and
<function>func_get_args</function> functions.
</simpara>
<simpara>
No special syntax is required, and argument lists may still be
explicitly provided with function definitions and will behave as
normal.
</simpara>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="functions.returning-values">
<title>Returning values</title>
<para>
Values are returned by using the optional return statement. Any
type may be returned, including lists and objects. This causes the
function to end its execution immediately and pass control back to
the line from which it was called. See <function>return</function>
for more information.
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function square ($num)
{
return $num * $num;
}
echo square (4); // outputs '16'.
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<para>
You can't return multiple values from a function, but similar
results can be obtained by returning a list.
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function small_numbers()
{
return array (0, 1, 2);
}
list ($zero, $one, $two) = small_numbers();
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<para>
To return a reference from a function, you have to use
the reference operator &amp; in both the function declaration and
when assigning the returned value to a variable:
<informalexample>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
function &returns_reference()
{
return $someref;
}
$newref =& returns_reference();
]]>
</programlisting>
</informalexample>
</para>
<simpara>
For more information on references, please check out <link
linkend="language.references">References Explained</link>.
</simpara>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="functions.old-syntax">
<title><literal>old_function</literal></title>
<simpara>
The <literal>old_function</literal> statement allows you to
declare a function using a syntax identical to PHP/FI2 (except you
must replace 'function' with 'old_function'.
</simpara>
<simpara>
This is a deprecated feature, and should only be used by the
PHP/FI2->PHP 3 convertor.
</simpara>
<warning>
<para>
Functions declared as <literal>old_function</literal> cannot be
called from PHP's internal code. Among other things, this means
you can't use them in functions such as
<function>usort</function>, <function>array_walk</function>, and
<function>register_shutdown_function</function>. You can get
around this limitation by writing a wrapper function (in normal
PHP 3 form) to call the <literal>old_function</literal>.
</para>
</warning>
</sect1>
<sect1 id="functions.variable-functions">
<title>Variable functions</title>
<para>
PHP supports the concept of variable functions. This means that if
a variable name has parentheses appended to it, PHP will look for
a function with the same name as whatever the variable evaluates
to, and will attempt to execute it. Among other things, this can
be used to implement callbacks, function tables, and so forth.
</para>
<para>
Variable functions won't work with language constructs such
as <function>echo</function>, <function>print</function>,
<function>unset</function>, <function>isset</function>,
<function>empty</function>, <function>include</function>,
<function>require</function> and the like. You need to use
your own wrapper function to utilize any of these constructs
as variable functions.
</para>
<para>
<example>
<title>Variable function example</title>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
function foo()
{
echo "In foo()<br>\n";
}
function bar($arg = '')
{
echo "In bar(); argument was '$arg'.<br>\n";
}
// This is a wrapper function around echo
function echoit($string)
{
echo $string;
}
$func = 'foo';
$func(); // This calls foo()
$func = 'bar';
$func('test'); // This calls bar()
$func = 'echoit';
$func('test'); // This calls echoit()
?>
]]>
</programlisting>
</example>
</para>
<para>
You can also call an object's method by using the variable functions
feature.
<example>
<title>Variable method example</title>
<programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
class Foo
{
function Var()
{
$name = 'Bar';
$this->$name(); // This calls the Bar() method
}
function Bar()
{
echo "This is Bar";
}
}
$foo = new Foo();
$funcname = "Var";
$foo->$funcname(); // This calls $foo->Var()
?>
]]>
</programlisting>
</example>
</para>
<para>
See also <function>call_user_func</function>,
<link linkend="language.variables.variable">
variable variables</link> and <function>function_exists</function>.
</para>
</sect1>
</chapter>
<!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file
Local variables:
mode: sgml
sgml-omittag:t
sgml-shorttag:t
sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
sgml-always-quote-attributes:t
sgml-indent-step:1
sgml-indent-data:t
indent-tabs-mode:nil
sgml-parent-document:nil
sgml-default-dtd-file:"../../manual.ced"
sgml-exposed-tags:nil
sgml-local-catalogs:nil
sgml-local-ecat-files:nil
End:
vim600: syn=xml fen fdm=syntax fdl=2 si
vim: et tw=78 syn=sgml
vi: ts=1 sw=1
-->