Not understanding classes

[Anon]

Hello, I read the php manual and I am still confused. Is a class just a set of functions and variables? When is it imperitive to use them? What is the way to determine how to print the data? Or is it just not needed to print data, like a function?

Do I need to display something like:
$bob = new Bob();
I got that from a class example with 2 functions, bob and BOB...wow lol

See, the php.net manual shows this example:
class Cart
{
var $todays_date;
var $name;
var $owner;
var $items;

function Cart()
{
    $this->todays_date = date("Y-m-d");
    $this->name = $GLOBALS['firstname'];
    /* etc. . . */
}

}

But that prints nothing (how do I print this data?) In function it's echo functionname();

And
$this-> I searched that in the site, no results. What does it do?

I will get a php book, I just want to visualize the purpose of a class and learn how to print data with them. I get mysql/loops/functions...not classes

Thanks, and stop laughing 😉
Ok, you read this much, you deserve a laugh. And I have spent a long time on this, this is my bugger...I just don't get it. The point, how to print data, what $this-> means...

[tomhath]

A class it a type definition, like integer, float, etc. It can hold a more complicated data structure than a single number. And it can perform more complicated operations on the data than addition, subtraction, etc.

Now take a deep breath, relax, and reread the preceeding paragraph.

Suppose you declare a variable like this:

var x;

You now have someplace you can store a number, but the variable doesn't do anything by itself, you just have a variable.

var $cart = new Cart();

You now have another variable that can store whatever goes in a Cart (date, name, etc). You also have some special functions that will act on the contents of the cart.

That's all there is to it. A class defines a data type, when you make a "new" variable ("instantiate an object of that class") you have a variable of that type.

[Anon]

I'm no expert and I'm sure there will be other with better explanations, but I do know that virtually anything you can do with OOP (classes) you can do without them. In otherwords, you may want to wait a while before tackling this area of programming.

Classes are a way to structure and organize your programming to make it easier and to use less code. It is like a container that is independant of the rest of your code that con contain descriptions and functions of an 'entity'.

$this-> is a way to refer to a variable's instance or function from within the class. It allows variables and functions to work together inside the class.

to print anything, you can create a class function like this:

function print_name {
print ($this->name);
}

then call the function:

$class=new cart;
$class->print_name;

I may not have all the details right, but that's the basics.

craig

[Anon]

Well, I am still a bit confused, I see variables and nothing predefined, I guess it's just easier for me to get loops and functions as they have predefined variables and the results are printed out so I can grasp how it works and why it works

I don't know why I would want to do
var $cart = new Cart();

I guess I just need to find a tutorial on php classes without $cart and "Then you add a product" that is greek to a class newbie

I am sure I am thinking too much

I get var's and loops and functions and conditions, I just don't see why I need a class, how to print out a simple class where the functions and vars are predefined like "Dog" and "blue" and "10"

$cart and
var $cart = new Cart();

I am too new with classes to quantify when I need to do this or why or what it means.

I just need to do more research, get a good book on classes that doesn't show me 100 cart examples lol. I need to see a class that prints out "This dog went woof" then I can see what's going on, might sound strange, but that is how I learned the rest when I took the time to go over the manual

Oh, well. I will keep reading these posts and practice til I get it

Thanks, this is not a reflection on your support, just me thinking too much and not getting it