Calling object methods from methods

aureality

Can anybody explain me why the following code does not work? I try to invoke a method on an 'indirect' object, that is, an object returned by the method of an object.
This may sound cryptic but I think the code clarifies what I want to do.

class element {

var $name="";

function element () {
	$this->name="Test";
}

}

class struct {

var $element;

function struct() {

	$this->element = new element;
}

function getElement () {

	return $this->element;
}

}

$stru = new struct;
$el = $stru->getElement();
print $el->name; // prints 'Test';
print $stru->getElement()->name; // generates parse error

drawmack

<?php
class element {
    var $name="";
    function element () {
        $this->name="Test";
    }  //end constructor
} //end class element

class struct {
    var $element ;
    function struct() {
        //you forgot the ()
        $this->element = new element();
    } //end constructor

function getElement () {
    return $this->element;
}  //end getElement
} //end struct

$stru = new struct();
$el = $stru->getElement();
printf("%s\n",$el->name);   // prints 'Test'
printf("%s\n",$stru->getElement());   // generates parse error
?>

Moonglobe

it's because, like drawmack said, you can't pass an object to a %s.......... i think..........

Weedpacket

print $stru->getElement()->name; // generates parse error

PHP4 doesn't dereference method calls (though PHP5 does); so, no going $object->method()->... yet.

aureality

Originally posted by Weedpacket
print $stru->getElement()->name; // generates parse error

PHP4 doesn't dereference method calls (though PHP5 does); so, no going $object->method()->... yet.

Ah, that was the answer I was looking for. Thank you Weedpacket. Sorry to hear this though. Most OO languages do support dereferencing method calls. Well, I will find a workaround.
Drawmack and Moonglob, thanks for the contributions.

BTW this was my first confrontation with this forum. I am pleasantly surprised by the willingness to help!

Paul