Can't call PHP's date() inside a class?

Question

I get an error when I use date() when initializing an instance variable

class User extends Connectable {
    private $date = date('Y-m-d');
}

The error is

 Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '(', expecting ',' or ';'

This is weird, because it works fine when I call date() from inside a function, or outside the class...

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:29

2

The properties declaration may include an initialization, but this initialization must be a constant value, that is, it must be able to be evaluated at compile time and must not depend on run-time information in order to be evaluated.

You could initialize it in the constructor method.

answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:29

xdazz

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Thank you, this is the answer I needed. Is there any more documentation on this topic? – George Newton Mar 07 '14 at 06:31
2

php.net holds all the informations you need. http://www.php.net/manual/en/oop4.constructor.php and http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.constants.php – Realitätsverlust Mar 07 '14 at 06:32
Wait, since when was PHP compiled? Isn't it an interpreted language? – George Newton Mar 07 '14 at 06:40
@GeorgeNewton Yes, php is interpreted, here the `compile time` is the opposite to the `run time`. – xdazz Mar 07 '14 at 06:51

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:29

1

You should do that under a constructor

<?php
class User extends Connectable {
    private $date;
    function __construct()
    {
    $this->date = date('Y-m-d');
    }
}

answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:29

Shankar Narayana Damodaran

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score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:30

1

Such expressions are not allowed as a field default value. You need to set them in the constructor.

answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:30

Realitätsverlust

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Satish Sharma · Answer 4 · 2014-03-07T06:39:47.530

1

try this you can use a constructor for it which initialize your private variable when the object is created.

class User extends Connectable {
    private $date1; 

    function __construct()
     {
       $this->date1 = date('Y-m-d');
     }
}

edited Mar 07 '14 at 06:39

answered Mar 07 '14 at 06:30

Satish Sharma

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Can't call PHP's date() inside a class?

4 Answers4