PHP pass function name as param then call the function?
In php this is very simple.
<?php
function here() {
print 'here';
}
function dynamo($name) {
$name();
}
//Will work
dynamo('here');
//Will fail
dynamo('not_here');
I know the original question asked about PHP 4.3, but now it's a few years later and I just wanted to advocate for my preferred way to do this in PHP 5.3 or higher.
PHP 5.3+ now includes support for anonymous functions (closures), so you can use some standard functional programming techniques, as in languages like JavaScript and Ruby (with a few caveats). Rewriting the call_user_func example above in "closure style" would look like this, which I find more elegant:
$barber = function($type) {
echo "You wanted a $type haircut, no problem\n";
};
$barber('mushroom');
$barber('shave');
Obviously, this doesn't buy you much in this example - the power and flexibility comes when you pass these anonymous functions to other functions (as in the original question). So you can do something like:
$barber_cost = function($quantity) {
return $quantity * 15;
};
$candy_shop_cost = function($quantity) {
return $quantity * 4.50; // It's Moonstruck chocolate, ok?
};
function get_cost($cost_fn, $quantity) {
return $cost_fn($quantity);
}
echo '3 haircuts cost $' . get_cost($barber_cost, 3) . "\n";
echo '6 candies cost $' . get_cost($candy_shop_cost, 6) . "\n";
This could be done with call_user_func, of course, but I find this syntax much clearer, especially once namespaces and member variables get involved.
One caveat: I'll be the first to admit I don't know exactly what's going on here, but you can't always call a closure contained in a member or static variable, and possibly in some other cases. But reassigning it to a local variable will allow it to be invoked. So, for example, this will give you an error:
$some_value = \SomeNamespace\SomeClass::$closure($arg1, $arg2);
But this simple workaround fixes the issue:
$the_closure = \SomeNamespace\SomeClass::$closure;
$some_value = $the_closure($arg1, $arg2);
function foo($function) {
$function(" World");
}
function bar($params) {
echo "Hello".$params;
}
$variable = 'bar';
foo($variable);
Additionally, you can do it this way. See variable functions.
I think you are looking for call_user_func
.
An example from the PHP Manual:
<?php
function barber($type) {
echo "You wanted a $type haircut, no problem";
}
call_user_func('barber', "mushroom");
call_user_func('barber', "shave");
?>