CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpsyntax
Willy Keatinge
Willy Keatinge

Reputation: 2815

What does "->" or "=>" mean in PHP?

I see these in PHP all the time, but I don't have a clue as to what they actually mean. What does -> do and what does => do?

And I'm not talking about the operators. They're something else, but nobody seems to know...

Upvotes: 279

Views: 530161

Answers (5)

zafus_coder
zafus_coder

Reputation: 4591

The double arrow operator, =>, is used as an access mechanism for arrays (and also in many other cases explained in the answer below). This means that what is on the left side of it will have a corresponding value of what is on the right side of it in array context. This can be used to set values of any acceptable type into a corresponding index of an array. The index can be associative (string based) or numeric.

$myArray = array(
    0 => 'Big',
    1 => 'Small',
    2 => 'Up',
    3 => 'Down'
);

The object operator, ->, is used in object scope to access methods and properties of an object. It’s meaning is to say that what is on the right of the operator is a member of the object instantiated into the variable on the left side of the operator. Instantiated is the key term here.

// Create a new instance of MyObject into $obj
$obj = new MyObject();
// Set a property in the $obj object called thisProperty
$obj->thisProperty = 'Fred';
// Call a method of the $obj object named getProperty
$obj->getProperty();

Upvotes: 418

Pavith Madushan
Pavith Madushan

Reputation: 29

1. -> Object Operator

(->) accesses an object's properties and methods, allowing for method calls or property retrieval from an object instance.

    class Car {
        public $color = 'red';
    
        public function drive() {
            echo "The car is driving.";
        }
    }
    
    $myCar = new Car();
    // Accessing the property
    echo $myCar->color; // Output: red

// Calling the method
$myCar->drive(); // Output: The car is driving.

$myCar->color accesses the color property, while $myCar->drive() invokes the drive method of the $myCar object.

2. => Array Key-Value Separator

(=>) associates keys with values in an associative array, creating key-value pairs.

$person = [
    'name' => 'Alice',
    'age' => 30,
    'job' => 'Engineer'
];

echo $person['name']; // Output: Alice

In this example, 'name' => 'Alice' establishes a key-value pair with 'name' as the key and 'Alice' as the value. You can access the value using the key like this: $person['name'].

Upvotes: 0

Sivagopal Manpragada
Sivagopal Manpragada

Reputation: 1634

-> is used to call a method, or access a property, on the object of a class

=> is used

  • to define array members, e.g.:

      $ages = ["Peter" => 32, "Quagmire" => 30, "Joe" => 34, 1 => 2];

  • to make foreach return the key along with value

      foreach ($ages as $name => $age) {
      echo "$name is $age years old";
  }

  • since PHP 7.4 => operator is also used for the arrow functions, a more concise syntax for anonymous functions.

  • since PHP 8.0 => operator is also used to define hands in the match expression

Upvotes: 84

Samuel Cook
Samuel Cook

Reputation: 16828

->

calls/sets object variables. Example:

$obj = new StdClass;
$obj->foo = 'bar';
var_dump($obj);

=>

Sets key/value pairs for arrays. Example:

$array = array(
    'foo' => 'bar'
);
var_dump($array);

Upvotes: 32

DWright
DWright

Reputation: 9500

=> is used in associative array key value assignment. Take a look at Arrays.

-> is used to access an object method or property. Example: $obj->method().

Upvotes: 53

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