Reflection API

The Reflection API allows you to inspect and manipulate classes, methods, and properties at runtime.

This can be useful for developing custom frameworks or for introspection purposes.

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#Introduction to the Reflection API Introduction to the Reflection API

The Reflection API is a set of classes and functions in PHP that allow you to inspect and manipulate classes, methods, and properties at runtime.

This can be useful for developing custom frameworks, for introspection purposes, or for generating documentation.

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#Inspecting classes Inspecting classes

To inspect a class using the Reflection API, you can use the ReflectionClass class.

For example:

$class = new ReflectionClass('MyClass');

This will create a ReflectionClass object representing the MyClass class.

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#Getting class information Getting class information

Using the ReflectionClass object, you can get information about the class, such as its name, namespace, parent class, and interfaces.

For example:

$className = $class->getName();
$classNamespace = $class->getNamespaceName();
$classParent = $class->getParentClass();
$classInterfaces = $class->getInterfaces();

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#Inspecting methods Inspecting methods

To inspect the methods of a class, you can use the getMethods method of the ReflectionClass class.

For example:

$methods = $class->getMethods();

This will return an array of ReflectionMethod objects representing the methods of the class.

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#Getting method information Getting method information

Using the ReflectionMethod object, you can get information about a method, such as its name, parameters, and return type.

For example:

$methodName = $method->getName();
$methodParameters = $method->getParameters();
$methodReturnType = $method->getReturnType();

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#Inspecting properties Inspecting properties

To inspect the properties of a class, you can use the getProperties method of the ReflectionClass class.

For example:

$propertyName = $property->getName();
$propertyVisibility = $property->isPublic() ? 'public' : 'private';

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#Conclusion Conclusion

The Reflection API is a powerful tool for inspecting and manipulating classes, methods, and properties at runtime.

By using the ReflectionClass, ReflectionMethod, and ReflectionProperty classes, you can gain a deeper understanding of your PHP code and build more powerful and flexible applications.

These are the basic steps for using the Reflection API in PHP.

By using the API, you can inspect and manipulate classes, methods, and properties at runtime, improving the functionality and maintainability of your code.