Exploring stdClass in PHP

Ever encountered scenarios in PHP where creating objects dynamically without adhering to a predefined class structure was the need of the hour? Enter stdClass – PHP's versatile, blank canvas for on-the-fly object creation!

Here's how stdClass comes to the rescue:

What is stdClass?

stdClass is a handy feature to create a regular class in PHP. It is a predefined 'empty' class used as a utility class to cast objects of other types. It has no parents, properties, or methods. It also does not support magic methods and does not implement any interfaces.[Source educative]

1️⃣ Dynamic Object Creation:

With stdClass, you can fashion objects without the constraints of a defined class, perfect for holding arbitrary data.
php

$person = new stdClass();
$person->name = 'John Doe';
$person->age = 30;
$person->email = '[e-mail]';

2️⃣ JSON Handling:

When dealing with dynamic JSON structures, decoding JSON strings into PHP objects using json_decode with stdClass proves incredibly handy.
php

$jsonString = '{"name":"Alice","age":25,"email":"[e-mail]"}';
$personObj = json_decode($jsonString);

3️⃣ Dynamic Data Interaction:

Working with fluctuating data from external sources like APIs? stdClass allows seamless property assignment for versatile data handling.
php

$apiData = fetchDataFromApi();

$apiObject = new stdClass();
foreach ($apiData as $key => $value) {
  $apiObject->$key = $value;
}

4️⃣ Dynamic Object Returns:

Functions or methods can effortlessly return dynamic objects using stdClass.
php

function createDynamicObject() {
  $dynamicObj = new stdClass();
  $dynamicObj->property1 = 'value1';
  $dynamicObj->property2 = 'value2';
  return $dynamicObj;
}

$result = createDynamicObject();

While stdClass offers flexibility in ad-hoc object creation, it lacks the robustness of class-based OOP. It's ideal for immediate use cases where object structure and behavior remain fluid.

Harness the simplicity and versatility of stdClass for your dynamic PHP needs!

Comments

[Julien Dephix]

Hi.

To increase readability you should surround code snippets with triple backticks (add php after the opening backticks for syntax coloring).

function createDynamicObject() {
    $dynamicObj = new stdClass();
    $dynamicObj->property1 = 'value1';
    $dynamicObj->property2 = 'value2';
    return $dynamicObj;
}

$result = createDynamicObject();

[Al Amin]

Thank you @joolsmcfly for your great suggestion. I am really happy to join here. Keep supporting me.

I would even be more happy if you just give me a screenshot for syntax coloring.

[Julien Dephix]

[Julien Dephix]

which renders as

$user = new stdClass();
$user->something= 12;

[Al Amin]

Awesome.
Thank you so much.

[Julien Dephix]

If you could add an example on how to convert a stdClass to a defined class it would be even better.

// let's say you get an array of stdClass objects
$users = fetchUsersFromApi();

// change stdClass to User class
return array_map(function($user) {
    return User::createFromApi($user);
}, $users);

Now rest of your code knows it's dealing with an array of User objects and you've unlocked type hinting, autocompletion etc.

[Al Amin]

Thank you for explaining it further. Love it.

[Christophe Avonture]

Hello. Not sure it's a good idea to use dynamic properties (see php.watch/versions/8.2/dynamic-pro...). It's perhaps still working for stdClass (not tried) but, yes, you should probably avoid this use case for ever.

[Al Amin]

Thank you.
I will look into this.

[e1]

Alternatively, instead of

function createDynamicObject() {
  $dynamicObj = new stdClass();
  $dynamicObj->property1 = 'value1';
  $dynamicObj->property2 = 'value2';
  return $dynamicObj;
}

you could just write

function createDynamicObject() {
  return (object) [
    'property1' => 'value1',
    'property2' => 'value2',
  ];
}

which is also a way of creating a stdClass() instance.