[RESOLVED] arrow operator (->) problem

PureDrive

Hi, I have a class named user and within that class I store a database object (the object is passed as an argument to my constructor). The database object is store in a class variable named $db.

The functions in my user class need to perform database operations using the database object ( ex. querying, fetching rows, etc... ).

I am getting an error when I try to use my db object, it has to do with the way im using it.

According to the php parser, this line produces an error:

if ( !$res = ($this->db)->query( $query ) )

It has to do with the parenthesis, but to me, the above line makes sense, what's wrong with that? If I do: $this->db->query(...) the error disappears but I care about the order of operations. Any suggestions? Thanks

Oh, and the error I get is:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_OBJECT_OPERATOR in C:\web programming\Omega III\classes\User.php on line 81 (which is the line above)

bpat1434

I'm not 100% sure, but try removing the "()" around "$this->db"....

NogDog

The "->" operator only makes sense going from left to right (the way the arrow points), as it is referring to a hierarchy of objects, methods, and properties; so there should never be a reason you would need to use parentheses to specify the order of that hierarchy chain: it can only be left-to-right.

Weedpacket

The only time you'd need the -> operator to be anything other than left-associative (i.e., chains of them evaluate in left-to-right order) is if some object had a property containing the name of an object property. But in that situation the delimiters are {}: $a->{$b->c}.

That's not what is happening here. There is only one way $this->db->query(); could be evaluated and that is in the order you want; $this->{db->query()} - and $this->(db->query()) for that matter - are complete gibberish anyway ("db" is not an object).

PureDrive

Thanks a lot guys.