How to Define a Class in PHP?

To declare a class in PHP, we use the keyword class followed by the class name. Class names should follow the CamelCase convention and start with an uppercase letter.

Class Declaration:

class MyClass {
    // Class properties, methods, and constructor go here
}

Properties:

• Define class properties (variables) inside the class using visibility keywords (public, protected, or private).
• Properties store object data and represent the state of the object.

Methods:

• Declare class methods (functions) inside the class to define its behavior.
• Methods perform actions or provide functionality related to the class.

Constructor:

• Optionally, define a constructor method __construct() to initialize class properties when an object is created.
• Constructors are automatically called upon object instantiation.

Example:

class Person {
    public $name;
    public $age;

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

    public function greet() {
        return "Hello, my name is {$this->name} and I am {$this->age} years old.";
    }
}

Instantiating Objects:

• To use a class, instantiate objects from it using the new keyword followed by the class name and optional constructor arguments.
• Objects are instances of a class and hold their own set of properties and methods.

$person1 = new Person("John", 30);
$person2 = new Person("Alice", 25);