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Since updating to PHP version 5.2.2 (which has been superseded yet again since this post) the default behavior of class objects is to raise an error when cast to a string (usually a 'Catchable Fatal Error', citing that the object could not be converted to string!).

This is quite irritating, as previously the default behavior would be to return a unique object identifier. However, there is a quick workaround for this problem should your script rely upon object string casting / this unique object identifier.

The Fix

When creating your class, add in __toString() as a function. This so-called 'magic function' is called when trying to cast an object to string, such as (string) $someObject. The following combines this function with a call to spl_object_hash(), which provides an identifier hash for the object:

<?php

class SomeClass {
	function __toString() {
		return spl_object_hash($this);
	}
}

$someObject = new SomeClass;
echo $someObject;

?>

The above code is fairly self-explanatory and it saves you from at least a few of minutes banging your head on the table :-)

My recent absence and unfulfilled promise of geeky goodness has not been entirely in vain! For the past month or so I've been wrapped up in academic pursuits - ranging from preparing cell cultures to programming with Cell microprocessors!

As a result, I have a rather large backlog of draft posts that I haven't had the time (read: been bothered) to complete. This week marks the beginning of my Big Blog Catchup - starting with some bits and pieces about running Fedora Core 7 on a Sony PlayStation 3!