Help with: $this -> data = $data

[badboy]

I've never used $this -> nor can I find any reference to it in my PHP book (maybe it's time to by another one !) .

Is it a variable selector ?
Are there any PHP tutorials that explain how to use it. ?

Many thanks.

[Toby]

Check out classes and objects

[ednark]

reference: read up in the [man]oop[/man] section of the manual

lets design a class:

class Foo
{
    var $myvar;

function Foo( $myvar )
{
    $this->myvar = $myvar;
}

function bar()
{
    echo "we have {$this->myvar} in here<br>";
}

function callbar()
{
    $this->bar();
}
}

$this is a special variable that when used inside of a class, referes to itself, the specific instance of the variable you are executing code form.

when you are executing code within the class, you need to be able to distinguish between a local variable $myvar, and the one variable that belongs to the class iteself as defined by 'var $myvar'. The way we do this is with $this->, $this-> says we are talking about this object.

$myobj1 = new Foo( 'myval' );
$myobj2 = new Foo( 'myval' );

both of these execute the same exact code

    $this->myvar = $myvar;

but since each was run from inside an object, $myobj1 and $myobj2, i
t refers to each ones specific $myvar.

Functions:

you also use this to run a function defined inside a class, from inside that class...

$myobj1->callbar();
$myobj2->callbar();

again from php's point of view they are both exxecuting the same exact statment
$this->bar();

does this make sense?