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>Comparing objects</A
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><P
> In PHP 4, objects are compared in a very simple manner, namely: Two object
instances are equal if they have the same attributes and values, and are
instances of the same class. Similar rules are applied when comparing two
objects using the identity operator (<VAR
CLASS="literal"
>===</VAR
>).
</P
><P
> If we were to execute the code in the example below:
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><B
>Voorbeeld 13-1. Example of object comparison in PHP 4</B
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><code><font color="#000000">
<font color="#0000BB"><?php<br /></font><font color="#007700">function </font><font color="#0000BB">bool2str</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$bool</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> if (</font><font color="#0000BB">$bool </font><font color="#007700">=== </font><font color="#0000BB">false</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> return </font><font color="#DD0000">'FALSE'</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> } else {<br /> return </font><font color="#DD0000">'TRUE'</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />function </font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(&</font><font color="#0000BB">$o1</font><font color="#007700">, &</font><font color="#0000BB">$o2</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> echo </font><font color="#DD0000">'o1 == o2 : '</font><font color="#007700">.</font><font color="#0000BB">bool2str</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o1 </font><font color="#007700">== </font><font color="#0000BB">$o2</font><font color="#007700">).</font><font color="#DD0000">"\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> echo </font><font color="#DD0000">'o1 != o2 : '</font><font color="#007700">.</font><font color="#0000BB">bool2str</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o1 </font><font color="#007700">!= </font><font color="#0000BB">$o2</font><font color="#007700">).</font><font color="#DD0000">"\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> echo </font><font color="#DD0000">'o1 === o2 : '</font><font color="#007700">.</font><font color="#0000BB">bool2str</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o1 </font><font color="#007700">=== </font><font color="#0000BB">$o2</font><font color="#007700">).</font><font color="#DD0000">"\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> echo </font><font color="#DD0000">'o1 !== o2 : '</font><font color="#007700">.</font><font color="#0000BB">bool2str</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o1 </font><font color="#007700">!== </font><font color="#0000BB">$o2</font><font color="#007700">).</font><font color="#DD0000">"\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br />}<br /><br />class </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag </font><font color="#007700">{<br /> var </font><font color="#0000BB">$flag</font><font color="#007700">;<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$flag</font><font color="#007700">=</font><font color="#0000BB">true</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">flag </font><font color="#007700">= </font><font color="#0000BB">$flag</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />class </font><font color="#0000BB">SwitchableFlag </font><font color="#007700">extends </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag </font><font color="#007700">{<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">turnOn</font><font color="#007700">() {<br /> </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">flag </font><font color="#007700">= </font><font color="#0000BB">true</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">turnOff</font><font color="#007700">() {<br /> </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">flag </font><font color="#007700">= </font><font color="#0000BB">false</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br />}<br /><br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$o </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag</font><font color="#007700">();<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$p </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">false</font><font color="#007700">);<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$q </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">Flag</font><font color="#007700">();<br /><br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$r </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">SwitchableFlag</font><font color="#007700">();<br /><br />echo </font><font color="#DD0000">"Compare instances created with the same parameters\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$q</font><font color="#007700">);<br /><br />echo </font><font color="#DD0000">"\nCompare instances created with different parameters\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$p</font><font color="#007700">);<br /><br />echo </font><font color="#DD0000">"\nCompare an instance of a parent class with one from a subclass\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$o</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$r</font><font color="#007700">);<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">?></font>
</font>
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>
We will see:
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>Compare instances created with the same parameters
o1 == o2 : TRUE
o1 != o2 : FALSE
o1 === o2 : TRUE
o1 !== o2 : FALSE
Compare instances created with different parameters
o1 == o2 : FALSE
o1 != o2 : TRUE
o1 === o2 : FALSE
o1 !== o2 : TRUE
Compare an instance of a parent class with one from a subclass
o1 == o2 : FALSE
o1 != o2 : TRUE
o1 === o2 : FALSE
o1 !== o2 : TRUE</PRE
></TD
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>
Which is the output we will expect to obtain given the comparison rules
above. Only instances with the same values for their attributes and from the same
class are considered equal and identical.
</P
><P
> Even in the cases where we have object composition, the same comparison
rules apply. In the example below we create a container class that stores
an associative array of <B
CLASS="classname"
>Flag</B
> objects.
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><P
><B
>Voorbeeld 13-2. Compound object comparisons in PHP 4</B
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<font color="#0000BB"><?php<br /></font><font color="#007700">class </font><font color="#0000BB">FlagSet </font><font color="#007700">{<br /> var </font><font color="#0000BB">$set</font><font color="#007700">;<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">FlagSet</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$flagArr </font><font color="#007700">= array()) {<br /> </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">set </font><font color="#007700">= </font><font color="#0000BB">$flagArr</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">addFlag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$name</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$flag</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">set</font><font color="#007700">[</font><font color="#0000BB">$name</font><font color="#007700">] = </font><font color="#0000BB">$flag</font><font color="#007700">;<br /> }<br /><br /> function </font><font color="#0000BB">removeFlag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$name</font><font color="#007700">) {<br /> if (</font><font color="#0000BB">array_key_exists</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$name</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">set</font><font color="#007700">)) {<br /> unset(</font><font color="#0000BB">$this</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">set</font><font color="#007700">[</font><font color="#0000BB">$name</font><font color="#007700">]);<br /> }<br /> }<br />}<br /><br /><br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$u </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">FlagSet</font><font color="#007700">();<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$u</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">addFlag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#DD0000">'flag1'</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$o</font><font color="#007700">);<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$u</font><font color="#007700">-></font><font color="#0000BB">addFlag</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#DD0000">'flag2'</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$p</font><font color="#007700">);<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$v </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">FlagSet</font><font color="#007700">(array(</font><font color="#DD0000">'flag1'</font><font color="#007700">=></font><font color="#0000BB">$q</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#DD0000">'flag2'</font><font color="#007700">=></font><font color="#0000BB">$p</font><font color="#007700">));<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">$w </font><font color="#007700">= new </font><font color="#0000BB">FlagSet</font><font color="#007700">(array(</font><font color="#DD0000">'flag1'</font><font color="#007700">=></font><font color="#0000BB">$q</font><font color="#007700">));<br /><br />echo </font><font color="#DD0000">"\nComposite objects u(o,p) and v(q,p)\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$u</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$v</font><font color="#007700">);<br /><br />echo </font><font color="#DD0000">"\nu(o,p) and w(q)\n"</font><font color="#007700">;<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">compareObjects</font><font color="#007700">(</font><font color="#0000BB">$u</font><font color="#007700">, </font><font color="#0000BB">$w</font><font color="#007700">);<br /></font><font color="#0000BB">?></font>
</font>
</code></TD
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>
Which gives the expected output:
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>Composite objects u(o,p) and v(q,p)
o1 == o2 : TRUE
o1 != o2 : FALSE
o1 === o2 : TRUE
o1 !== o2 : FALSE
u(o,p) and w(q)
o1 == o2 : FALSE
o1 != o2 : TRUE
o1 === o2 : FALSE
o1 !== o2 : TRUE</PRE
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>
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