Can the type of the return value of a PHP function be an array, object, or instance of a class?

PHP functions can return arrays, objects or class instances: 1. Array: use square brackets; 2. Object: use the new keyword to create an object; 3. Class instance: omit the new keyword. Practical case: getUsers() returns an array of users, and createUser() creates a user object.

PHP function return value type: array, object, class instance

PHP function can return various types of values, including Instances of arrays, objects, and classes.

Array

To return an array as a function return value, use square brackets:

<?php
function getArray(): array
{
    return [1, 2, 3];
}
?>

Object

To return an object, create the object using the new keyword as follows:

<?php
class Person
{
    private $name;

    public function __construct(string $name)
    {
        $this->name = $name;
    }

    public function getName(): string
    {
        return $this->name;
    }
}

function getObject(): Person
{
    return new Person('John Doe');
}
?>

Instance of class

Returning an instance of a class is similar to returning an object , but you can omit the new keyword, as shown below:

<?php
class Animal
{
    private $species;

    public function __construct(string $species)
    {
        $this->species = $species;
    }

    public function getSpecies(): string
    {
        return $this->species;
    }
}

function getInstance(): Animal
{
    return Animal('Dog');
}
?>

Practical case

Suppose you have a function to obtain the detailed information of a batch of users:

function getUsers(): array
{
    // ... 数据库查询，返回用户数组
}

To use this function in a controller you would:

<?php

$users = getUsers();

// 遍历用户数组
foreach ($users as $user) {
    // ...
}
?>

Similarly, if you have a function that creates a new user object:

function createUser(string $name, string $email): Person
{
    // ... 数据库查询，返回新的用户对象
}

To use it in Using this function in your model you can:

<?php

$user = createUser('John Doe', 'john.doe@example.com');

// 访问用户属性
echo $user->getName(); // 输出：John Doe
?>

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