PHP OOP - Destructor

PHP - The __destruct Function

A destructor is called when the object is destructed or the script is stopped or exited.

If you create a __destruct() function, PHP will automatically call this function at the end of the script.

Notice that the destruct function starts with two underscores (__)!

The example below has a __construct() function that is automatically called when you create an object from a class, and a __destruct() function that is automatically called at the end of the script:

Example

<?php
class Fruit {
public $name;
public $color;

function __construct($name) {
$this->name = $name;
}
function __destruct() {
echo "The fruit is {$this->name}.";
}
}

$apple = new Fruit("Apple");
?>

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Another example:

Example

<?php
class Fruit {
public $name;
public $color;

function __construct($name, $color) {
    $this->name = $name;
    $this->color = $color;
}
function __destruct() {
    echo "The fruit is {$this->name} and the color is {$this->color}.";
}
}

$apple = new Fruit("Apple", "red");
?>

Try it Yourself »

Tip: As constructors and destructors helps reducing the amount of code, they are very useful!

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